Noticing that air quality in the capital and the NCR is deteriorating, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on Wednesday directed pollution watch dogs in Delhi and three other states to ensure strict compliance. of the ban on the sale and use of firecrackers during Christmas and New Year.
In an order, CPCB President Shiv Das Meena also chaired the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and the pollution control boards of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to ensure that stone crushers and the hot mix plants would remain closed until January 2, 2021.
“Given the likely increase in activities during the Christmas and New Year celebrations, the pollution control boards of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh must ensure that hot mix plants and stone crushers remain closed all the time until January 2, 2021.
“Agencies need to ensure that the frequency of mechanized road cleaning and water spraying is especially increased on road sections with a high potential for dust generation. Agencies need to ensure compliance of the orders of the courts and the National Green Court on the prohibition of the sale and use of firecrackers. The orders will enter into force with immediate effect, “said the president of the CPCB.
The apex contamination monitoring dog also called for strict compliance with the guidelines and standard operating procedure for dust mitigation at construction sites.
“In case of violations, strict measures should be taken against violators such as imposing sanctions / temporary stoppages of construction activities,” he said.
The CPCB said it has been continuously monitoring air quality and the weather scenario in Delhi-NCR.
He noted that the concentration of PM 2.5 in Delhi-NCR exceeded 250 ug / m3 (micrograms per cubic meter) on 22 December, and exceeded 300 ug / m3 on 23 December and persists in the same category. for more than 10 hours.
“AQI is currently in a severe category,” he said.
The order has been copied to DPCC Chairman, UPPCB, Haryana State Pollution Control Board, Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board, NCR Air Quality Management Commission and Chairman MM Kutty of the adjacent areas and the Secretary of the Environment, RP Gupta.
The Commission for the Management of Air Quality in NCR and Adjacent Areas, at its meeting on 10 November, decided that, in view of the deterioration of air quality in the NCR region, invoke the gradual response action plan (GRAP).
The Ministry of Environment notified GRAP in December 2016 and listed actions according to different AQI categories, namely “moderate”, “poor”, “very poor” and “severe” according to the national quality index of the ‘air and a new category called’ severe + ‘or’ emergency ‘.
According to an address from the Nation Green Court published on October 15, 2020, all brick kilns in the national capital region are closed.
The NGT had ordered earlier this month that there would be a total ban on the sale and use of all kinds of firecrackers during the Covid-19 pandemic in the NCR and in all cities / towns in the country where the quality of the ‘ambient air falls under the’ poor and upper category.
The NGT had only allowed places where the air quality index is “moderate” or lower to use green cookies from 11:55 pm to 12:30 pm during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
He had also ordered all district magistrates to ensure that prohibited firecrackers were not sold and asked them to recover compensation from offenders.