Why Gurugram can’t just blame external factors for dust pollution

  • | Tuesday | 7th August, 2018

Appropriate steps can be taken when AQI remains in very poor or poor level for 48 hours . Even when wind speed increases and disperses dust particles in the atmosphere in the rest of the country, Gurugram witnesses a rise in the pollution level. GURUGRAM: Air quality remained poor in the city on Monday despite a slight improvement in the air quality index (AQI) that dropped to 215 from 321 (very poor) on Sunday.As a result, Gurugram continued to be the most polluted city in NCR for the fourth consecutive day. Also, the humidity level, which was 85% on Monday, is likely to be 80% and 75% the next two days. There is a need to implement GRAP measures early in Gurugram as it is prone to dust pollution.”Dipakar Saha, former head of the air laboratory division at Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), said, “We have not addressed the issue of air pollution in our land use pattern.

GURUGRAM: Air quality remained poor in the city on Monday despite a slight improvement in the air quality index (AQI) that dropped to 215 from 321 (very poor) on Sunday.As a result, Gurugram continued to be the most polluted city in NCR for the fourth consecutive day. Also, it was the only one among the country’s 62 cities measured to record the ‘poor’ level of AQI in the day, holding on to the ‘most polluted’ tag for the second day in a row.Other NCR cities — Delhi, Faridabad, Noida, Ghaziabad and Greater Noida — reported marked improvement in the situation with the AQI readings coming down from the ‘poor’ category on Sunday to the ‘moderate’ level on Monday. While Delhi reported AQI at 133, Faridabad, Noida, Ghaziabad and Greater Noida recorded 186, 138, 136 and 129, respectively.The highest level of PM2.5 was 118 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³) in Gurugram, a considerable rise from 80 µg/m³ reported a week ago.Though authorities blamed it on a dust storm from the Arabian peninsula coupled with high levels of humidity, experts accused officials of doing little to clean up the city air and stressed the need for immediate implementation of the graded response action plan (GRAP).However, Jai Bhagwan, regional officer, HSPCB, said, “All the measures mentioned under GRAP for normal category are already in place. Appropriate steps can be taken when AQI remains in very poor or poor level for 48 hours . So far, I think the situation is getting better in Gurugram.”Experts, nevertheless, pointed out that the pollution levels had come down in other NCR cities, which were also affected by the dust storm from the Arabian peninsula.Niranjan Raje, a former member of Environmental Pollution Control Authority, said, “Gurugram has its own problems. Construction is going on everywhere and debris is being dumped openly. Green covers have been destroyed. Vehicular pollution is also very high. Even when wind speed increases and disperses dust particles in the atmosphere in the rest of the country, Gurugram witnesses a rise in the pollution level. There is a need to implement GRAP measures early in Gurugram as it is prone to dust pollution.”Dipakar Saha, former head of the air laboratory division at Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), said, “We have not addressed the issue of air pollution in our land use pattern. We are only focusing on regulatory measures. There is no people’s participation. We, therefore, need to sensitize people and ensure their participation in fight against pollution.”According to the Met department, the city is likely to receive light showers on Tuesday and Wednesday, which may drag down the pollution level, but the maximum temperature would increase by a few notches from Monday’s 29 degrees Celsius. Also, the humidity level, which was 85% on Monday, is likely to be 80% and 75% the next two days.

If You Like This Story, Support NYOOOZ

NYOOOZ SUPPORTER

NYOOOZ FRIEND

Your support to NYOOOZ will help us to continue create and publish news for and from smaller cities, which also need equal voice as much as citizens living in bigger cities have through mainstream media organizations.


Stay updated with all the Latest Gurgaon headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.

Related Articles