GHAZIABAD: The city was back as India's most polluted in the country on Saturday with Air Quality Index (AQI) recording at 486. This was the second time in three days that the industrial city topped the CPCB pollution chart, an indication that measures taken by it so far are not working.
AQI at 486 means the pollution is in 'severe' category. The Vasundhara centre recorded the PM2.5 at 581g/m³ around 7pm while PM10 was 939 g/m³ same time. Ghaziabad has consistently been NCR's most polluted place throughout this spell of smog.
Sapna Srivastava, scientific officer at district pollution board, said, "We found that PM2.5 was at 562 g/m³ at 4pm (nearly 10 times above safe level) but it started peaking from there and by 7pm it was 939 g/m³. Similarly, PM10 was at 564 g/m³ (nearly 6 times above safe level) and by 7pm it had peaked to 939 g/m³, which suggests that weather conditions had started changing from 4pm."
Meanwhile, the district administration is going ahead with various measures to check pollution level. "In Loni, 37 illegal air pollution industries were razed and a fine of Rs 1 lakh was collected from the offenders," said Atul Kumar, SDM, Loni.
The district pollution board has formed three teams that are conducting raids in the industrial areas of Loni, Site 4 of Sahibabad Indust-rial Area and Meerut Road industrial area. "In Sahibabad Industrial Area, 19 air polluting industries were sealed while in Meerut Industrial Area, 13 such industries were sealed," said Ajay Sharma, regional officer, district pollution board. MMG hospital and Combined Hospital have registered a rise in the number of patients with respiratory illness. "In the past four days, there has been a 30% increase in the number of patients with respiratory illness in these two hospitals," said CMO Dr N K Gupta. "Most are senior citizens, children and those with a history of respiratory illnesses," he added.
In Noida, the transport department has started taking action against diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years. Though these vehicles are being impounded now, they will most likely refer the cases to the court of the chief judicial magistrate (CJM) in GB Nagar about what to do with these vehicles. While the transport department on Friday ordered to stop the operation of such vehicles, officials said it is not clear in the directions whether they should destroy them or just keep them seized.
The NGT banned diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles that are 15-years-old from plying in Delhi-NCR in April 2015 and subsequently in July 2016. However, there is no provision in the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 for destroying such vehicles, officials said.
Enforcement officials are now identifying the older vehicles and catching them while they are running in the district. Many of them have been found to have been registered in other districts. "We seized five vehicles including a Honda City on Friday and 20 vehicles were seized on Saturday," ARTO III S K Singh said.
ARTO (enforcement) Himesh Tiwari said they are identifying the obsolete series. "UP 16 A-R is an old series which has not been issued from 2008 onwards. So all the vehicles whether commercial or private, having this series, have to be seized. Similarly, the UP 16 ABC series of petrol and CNG vehicles has been issued prior to 2001. This again is an old series," Tiwari said.
AQI at 486 means the pollution is in 'severe' category. The Vasundhara centre recorded the PM2.5 at 581g/m³ around 7pm while PM10 was 939 g/m³ same time. Ghaziabad has consistently been NCR's most polluted place throughout this spell of smog.
Sapna Srivastava, scientific officer at district pollution board, said, "We found that PM2.5 was at 562 g/m³ at 4pm (nearly 10 times above safe level) but it started peaking from there and by 7pm it was 939 g/m³. Similarly, PM10 was at 564 g/m³ (nearly 6 times above safe level) and by 7pm it had peaked to 939 g/m³, which suggests that weather conditions had started changing from 4pm."
Meanwhile, the district administration is going ahead with various measures to check pollution level. "In Loni, 37 illegal air pollution industries were razed and a fine of Rs 1 lakh was collected from the offenders," said Atul Kumar, SDM, Loni.
The district pollution board has formed three teams that are conducting raids in the industrial areas of Loni, Site 4 of Sahibabad Indust-rial Area and Meerut Road industrial area. "In Sahibabad Industrial Area, 19 air polluting industries were sealed while in Meerut Industrial Area, 13 such industries were sealed," said Ajay Sharma, regional officer, district pollution board. MMG hospital and Combined Hospital have registered a rise in the number of patients with respiratory illness. "In the past four days, there has been a 30% increase in the number of patients with respiratory illness in these two hospitals," said CMO Dr N K Gupta. "Most are senior citizens, children and those with a history of respiratory illnesses," he added.
In Noida, the transport department has started taking action against diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years. Though these vehicles are being impounded now, they will most likely refer the cases to the court of the chief judicial magistrate (CJM) in GB Nagar about what to do with these vehicles. While the transport department on Friday ordered to stop the operation of such vehicles, officials said it is not clear in the directions whether they should destroy them or just keep them seized.
The NGT banned diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles that are 15-years-old from plying in Delhi-NCR in April 2015 and subsequently in July 2016. However, there is no provision in the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 for destroying such vehicles, officials said.
Enforcement officials are now identifying the older vehicles and catching them while they are running in the district. Many of them have been found to have been registered in other districts. "We seized five vehicles including a Honda City on Friday and 20 vehicles were seized on Saturday," ARTO III S K Singh said.
ARTO (enforcement) Himesh Tiwari said they are identifying the obsolete series. "UP 16 A-R is an old series which has not been issued from 2008 onwards. So all the vehicles whether commercial or private, having this series, have to be seized. Similarly, the UP 16 ABC series of petrol and CNG vehicles has been issued prior to 2001. This again is an old series," Tiwari said.
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