NEW DELHI: Industries in NCR have made a strong pitch for using coal as they find natural gas , a cleaner fuel, more expensive “While coal is Rs 7/kg, piped natural gas comes to Rs 42/kg. We won’t be able to survive if we pay so much more for fuel. We have to compete with people all over the country and abroad who are using cheaper fuel and, thereby, can supply similar products at lower prices,” a representative of a Faridabad industries association said at a recent meeting called by SC-appointed Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority)EPCA members, however, reminded them of the “environment cost” and said they would write to gas providers asking for a breakup of the prices and explore possibilities of getting them down.“Let’s write a letter to Adani Gas, Haryana Gas, IGL and GAIL, asking for the breakup on pricing...What are the terms? We can then have a separate meeting on whether we need a more forensic audit,” EPCA member Sunita Narain said.According to her, there is no regulation for gas prices in this country and anyone can charge anything.“But we have no choice… There is a cost of clean air. Combustion fuel will be critical in getting us clean air… We will have to find a way in which government can, maybe, subsidise the cost of clean fuel for industry. We have no choice on this. Unless the industries move to gas or electricity or better pollution-control mechanism, there is no way out,” she said.Industrial emission is one of the top sources of pollution in the city. According to a source-apportionment study by IIT-Kanpur in 2015, the top four contributors to PM2.5 emissions in Delhi are road dust (38 %), vehicles (20 %), domestic fuel burning (12 %) and industrial point sources (11%). The top four contributors to PM10 emissions are road dust (56%), concrete batching (10%), industrial point sources (10%) and vehicles (9%).A cleaner fuel can reduce emission levels of industries, say experts.“We have tested the coal you burn in your factories in our laboratory. It is (of) really bad quality. Your coal is certified, but still has high sulphur content. We have checked your pollution monitoring instruments, they are duds,” Narain told representatives of industrial associations of Gurgaon and Faridabad.“Only those industries that are operating in a healthy environment will thrive and others are bound to die. It is only a question of days. This disease of clean air will catch up with everyone. Only those with better systems in place and not polluting the environment will survive,” EPCA chairperson Bhure Lal said.

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