State pollution watchdog recommends preventive measures ahead of smog season

Ahead of October when the pollution levels see a steep rise in the city, the Uttar Pradesh Pollution control board (UPPCB) has recommended several pre-emptive pollution

Ahead of October when the pollution levels see a steep rise in the city, the Uttar Pradesh Pollution control board (UPPCB) has recommended several pre-emptive pollution control measures to the Noida Authority.

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Officials of the pollution control board held an inspection at multiple areas of Greater Noida earlier this week, during which they found several dust -generating sources. City-based environmentalist Vikrant Tongad was also present during the inspection.

The Greater Noida wing of UPPCB also pointed out eleven such areas where civil work was being carried on without dust controlling measures and thus recommended the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) to take pre-emptive measures to curb pollution.

“Every year, we observe a spike in air pollution levels from October. That’s why it is important to take pre-emptive measures to control some of the major sources of pollution before weather conditions worsen and air pollution spikes. We had inspected a number of areas in Greater Noida and found that there were several points where dust was being generated due to civil construction. From October onwards, temperatures drop and the air quality also deteriorates, while dust from roads and construction works worsens it. We have made a recommendation of eleven such areas for the Greater Noida authority to take dust control measures at,” said Archana Dwivedi, regional officer, UPPCB, Greater Noida.

According to Tongad, “There are roads under repair, new constructions being done and pipes being laid, with negligible dust control measures. For now, since the temperatures are higher, the air quality is better. However, once the winter sets in, the entire region of Greater Noida West will become unlivable if proper measures are not taken.”

Areas recommended by UPPCB include heavy dust on the road connecting Char Murti in Greater Noida West towards Vijay Nagar road to Ek Murti and Yamaha Road; various sectors in Greater Noida West including sectors 16, 16B, 16C, 4, 2, 1, Tech Zone 4, Gaur City one and two; Sapphire Plaza to Gaur Mall in Gaur City; Ek Murti to Supertech Eco Village 2 (Sector 1), among others.

“All inner roads in Gaur City were either broken or unpaved, leading to excessive dust. Please take dust control measures and initiate mechanise sweeping soon,” read the UPPCB letter addressed to the Greater Noida Authority.

Going by records, the air quality index (AQI) starts dropping from ‘moderate’ category in September to ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ by October.

“The air quality starts to deteriorate from October, mostly due to weather conditions and stubble burning in neighbouring states that starts from September-end. The dust leads to larger suspended particles in the air while smoke leads to smaller particles or pollutants, both of which are harmful,” said Shambhavi Shukla, program officer, air quality, centre for science and environment (CSE).