With air quality worse than NCR’s, Doon no longer a rejuvenating getaway

While Doon is the go-to place for people in NCR – mostly during long weekends, and of late, to get some fresh air – the fact that the air quality in Doon is worse than that in Noida, Ghaziabad and Kanpur has come as a shock to many. As stated by the findings of the Central Pollution Control Board’s air quality index of 273 cities, the particulate matter (PM10) level in Doon is worse than that of Noida or Ghaziabad.The current PM10 level in Doon stands at an abysmal 241, which is higher than Ghaziabad (235) Noida (176) and Moradabad (196). The PM10 level of Haridwar is 129 and Rishikesh is 119, which is equal to that of Mumbai (119).


While environmentalists in the city are saddened by the news, they also agree to the fact that with the kind of development strategies taken by the government and the attitude of local citizens has brought about such a drastic change in the city’s air quality. Environmentalists point out that Doon being a valley, smog, once created, is not able to escape from the surroundings, leading to alarmingly poor air quality. And the fact that the number of vehicles is increasing by the day, is not making things any better for the once refreshing getaway.

While Doonites are disheartened by the news, environmentalists believe that the development strategies taken by the government and the careless attitude of citizens are responsible for Doon’s current condition.
Anil Joshi, an environmentalist from the city, says, "In the past 10 years, the number of vehicles in the city has increased tremendously. There are long traffic jams that grow by the year. It’s high time the government controls the number of vehicles. The news is disheartening, but with the way development work in the city is being handled, this was expected."
The current PM10 level in Doon stands at an abysmal 241, which is higher than Ghaziabad (235) Noida (176)
Lokesh Ohri, founder, Been There, Doon That, says, "Though we are sad with the findings of the CPCB, we are not surprised. This winter, we could actually feel the poor air quality of the city, and only we should be held responsible for this condition. We have been cutting trees and the number of vehicles is also increasing at a tremendous pace. Despite the findings, a big number of trees is going to be cut soon on the ISBT-Rispana Road because of the ongoing construction work."

Among various reasons for Doon’s poor air quality, experts say its Doon's geographical location plays a pivotal role in worsening the scenario(BCCL/Taresh Dutta). Brij Mohan Sharma, founder of an NGO (SPECS) and a PhD holder on air pollution, says, "Doon is a valley where the hills act as inversion walls, which keeps the pollution of a particular area within that area and doesn’t allow it to move. And the condition persists till it rains. When you travel from Clock Tower towards the FRI, there is a point where you will suddenly feel the difference in the temperature. This happens because of the inversion walls. That is why we need to be extra careful in a place like Doon."
To improve the current condition, Mohan suggests, "While the government needs to come up with proper air-quality monitoring centres across the city, as responsible citizens, we should also take small steps like getting our vehicles serviced on time, turning off our vehicles on the signal etc. The government also needs to take measures like covering an under-construction area with nets so that the pollution doesn’t escape in the atmosphere."

While CPCB came up with this report recently, Doonites were anticipating this situation. To make Doonites aware of the city’s deteriorating air quality, a social media campaign, ‘Doon valley- breathe clean’, is also initiated by Reenu Paul, president, Rajpur community. She says, “As I say lungs don’t lie, our lungs had already started giving indications on the bad air. We could feel the bad air quality for past few years and that’s why I started a Facebook page called Doon valley- breathe clean asking people to keep a check on the vehicular pollution created by them. We also ask the government to make pollution under control certificate mandatory in the state.”