Diesel generator users asked to install emission control devices
New Delhi: Even as the Delhi Pollution Control Committee has directed that all diesel generator users must now install emission control devices by the end of October, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal continued with his daily reminder to neighbouring states that the Capital's air is clean on its own and is only muddled every year due to stubble burning.
The DPCC's guidelines on emission control devices have been issued for those using a DG set with a capacity of 125KVA or above. The notice to users comes as a reminder to an earlier order issued on July 2.
Issuing the reminder, the pollution control authority in Delhi said that owners of DG sets who fail to install the emission control device within 120 days of the notice, will face penal action.
It said the devices to be installed on DG sets must be approved by one of the five Central Pollution Control Board-recognised laboratories and should capture at least 70 per cent of the emissions.
The users of such DG sets also have the option to shift to gas-based generators.
In addition to this, the Delhi government's EV policy, combined with the air pollution action plan (which is in the pipeline) is also being readied to make sure emissions are controlled during the winter months.
Importantly, at a meeting organised by the Union Environment Minister on Thursday over the NCR's air pollution problem, Delhi raised the issue of stubble burning being the leading cause of air pollution in the city.
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said that he had alerted the states and the Centre at the meeting about this.
"More than the pollution contributing factors present in Delhi, the air quality drops and pollution increases because of the external factors which emerge from the surrounding states," Rai said pointing to air quality readings for the last week, which the CM has also been tweeting daily.
On September 18, the reading of PM10 pollutants was 67 and that of PM2.5 was 27. On September 19, it was 85 and 35 respectively, on September 20, it was 78 and 31 respectively, on September 21, it was 81 and 31 respectively and on September 22, it was 64 and 27 respectively, Rai said.
The CM on Thursday tweeted the air quality readings, "Air pollution data for 23 Sep (safe limit in brackets) AQI - 68 (0 to 50 - Good, 51 to 100 - Satisfactory) PM10 - 64 (0 to 50 - Good, 51 to 100 Satisfactory) PM2.5 - 27 (0 to 30 - Good, 31 to 60 Satisfactory)"
Environment Minister Rai said, "Last year, when I was monitoring everything from the War Room... we specially monitored how Punjab and Haryana were contributing to the pollution of Delhi through stubble burning. As the quantum of stubble burning increased in these states, the air quality worsened in Delhi," adding that the state governments need to start spraying the bio-decomposer solution in fields to stop stubble burning.
