MPPCB report in NGT lays air quality blame on dust, vehicular emissions

Bhopal: In a report presented before the NGT central bench, the MP Pollution Control Board (MPPCB) listed dust pollution and vehicular emissions as factors heavily contributing to the declining air quality in the city.The report, compiled on the basis of a study carried out by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), identified PM 2.5 and PM 10 as the foremost pollutants and increasing dust and vehicular emissions as their sources.A similar study carried out in Gwalior by IIT, Kanpur also traced abnormal PM 2.5 and PM 10 levels, holding them as the primary abettors behind the worsening city air.The study was commissioned by MPPCB to assess the ambient air quality in ‘non-attainment' cities, part of a larger list drawn up by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), including Bhopal and Mandideep, Indore, Gwalior and Jabalpur, at the behest of the NGT. The ‘non-attainment' cities were classified as such as they were determined to have consistently failed to meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) over a five-year period, by the CPCB.The cities listed under this head are part of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) of the Union ministry of environment, forest & climate change and were set a target to reduce air pollution by 40 per cent by 2026. The central bench ordered the study for ‘non-attainment cities' during a hearing in the Rashid Noor Khan Vs State of MP case. The study for Bhopal and Gwalior has been completed, while reports have been drafted for Indore and Jabalpur, pending peer review.The assessment studies for Ujjain, Dewas and Sagar are still under process. Citing the findings of the ARAI study for Bhopal, the MPPCB report said the action plan, as recommended by the former on the basis of its ‘source apportionment', needs to be executed by the stakeholders to improve the ambient air quality at all ‘non-attainment' cities in MP.On the basis of earlier inspections conducted for Bhopal, the ARAI drew up an Emergency Response System Plan, a Graded Response Action Plan (National Capital Region) and an action plan for ‘non-attainment' cities in MP.These were placed before a 14-member joint committee set up on the direction of NGT central bench, to monitor the air quality of the ‘non-attainment' cities and suggest measures for its improvement. After studying the ARAI report for Bhopal, the panel recommended urgent measures to control road dust emission and vehicular emissions. According to the MPPCB report, the state urban administration and transport departments were asked to do the needful to cleanse the air of all ‘non-attainment' cities.The panel also recommended a suction process to mop up accumulated road dust, instead of using the machine blower, adding that roads should be cleaned at the outer lane.The sidewalks and corners should have end-to-end pave blocking, the panel advised, adding that at the boat and at both ends of the roads, suitable plantation of herbs, shrubs and plants should be undertaken in such a manner that the dust emissions are effectively controlled.According to the MPPCB report, the urban administration department had recommended the inclusion of the town and country planning department to curb illegal construction that typically contributes to the gathering of dust.It also called on the transport dept to vest traffic police personnel with the responsibility of curbing vehicular emissions.The MPPCB, in its report, said representatives of ARAI, Pune have been invited to its next meeting for a detailed discussion and to draw inferences from the Source Apportionment (SA) study for Bhopal.It also advised installing more Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) for Bhopal, adding that before putting up these units, existing data and manual monitoring data should be reviewed to identify suitable locations. The MPPCB has, so far, installed 15 CAAQMS units in the ‘non-attainment' cities and purchase of 39 more such units for MP is under process, the report said. Members of the joint committee will conduct site visits and inspections of 21 hotspots identified under the source apportionment (SA) study for Bhopal to formulate the Graded Response Action Plan and the Long-Term Action Plan to cleanse the city air.The recommended actions have to be implemented on the ground by the departments concerned, the report concludes.