With Ghaziabad featuring among the most polluted cities in the country, the district administration and Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) are looking for ways to check environmental pollution in the city.
A two-member team from IIT Rourkee conducted a survey in Ghaziabad while taking notes from residents on the matter.
The team also held a meeting with GDA officials. Ritu Maheshwari, district magistrate of Ghaziabad, who is also the vice-chairperson of GDA, confirmed that the team would submit a pollution-mitigation plan in four months.
GDA’s move came after a nudge from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in March while hearing a petition filed by Kaushambi Apartments Residents Welfare Association (KARWA). The green court had asked the civic agency to work out a solution to the problem.
Speaking to City Spidey, Vinay Kumar Mittal, KARWA president, said, “Residents pointed out major sources of air and water pollution affecting the area. We pointed out places such as Anand Vihar ISBT and Kaushambi bus depot, where dust pollution is high. Percolation of sewer and drain water into groundwater is another major issue.”
The district administration is also working on a plan to identify major sources of air pollution.
“I have asked the pollution control board to instal pollution-checking apparatus at more places in Ghaziabad. These units will be installed at places such as the Link Road, the District Collectorate and other areas,” said the DM.
Ghaziabad currently has only two real-time air-pollution monitoring stations — at Vasundhara and Model Town.
The DM said the district administration is also planning to instal air-pollution-monitoring units at major polluting industries to keep track of their emissions. “These industries have been asked to stop the use of petroleum coke as fuel. Although most of the industrial units have submitted reports of compliance, there have been reports of industries using pet-coke at night. Officials are also conducting checks at night, and some of these units have been closed down,” she added.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) of Ghaziabad recently touched 499, the highest among 42 cities, and considered “severe”, according to the standards of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Ghaziabad fared “very poor” in yesterday’s CPCB bulletin, with an AQI of 347.
