New Delhi: Dialogue and Development Commission Vice Chairperson Jasmine Shah said that the paucity of good data about air pollution and lack of communication about the data that exists are in the fight against pollution. While speaking at an event by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) on 'Cost Effective Options To Reduce Pollution in Delhi', Shah said that Delhi has shown maximum political will to act on sources of pollution, but the same is not true of other states in north India.
"Learning from TERI's 2018 report about the source apportionment of particulate matter concentrations in Delhi, the government is investing in an advanced real-time source apportionment system. We will be setting up a
study led by IIT Kanpur in partnership with TERI, to carry
out hourly analysis of sources of PM 2.5 and PM 10 in Delhi," he said.
Shah also said that the air pollution in the Capital is a regional airshed problem and not a Delhi problem. TERI's 2018 report based on 2016 data had highlighted how the majority of Delhi's air pollution comes from regional sources and not local sources, he said.
A report released by TERI stated that the regional level air quality planning and implementation is essential to bring down Delhi's PM 2.5 levels during winters. The report examined the potential of various policy interventions to assess their economic and health benefits with respect to the costs entailed in the interventions.
Meanwhile, the national Capital's air quality continued to remain in the poor category on Thursday due to favourable winds with the 24-hour average AQI reading 289 at 4 pm even as the city witnessed a drop in the maximum temperatures that settled at 23.5 degrees Celsius.
228 polluters to face action
Moreover, cracking the whip on industries flouting pollution norms, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has ordered immediate closure of 228 such units across Delhi and NCR districts in neighbouring states.
In an official statement, the commission said 1,215 sites were inspected till December 7, and gross violations were reported from 228 units across various sectors in Delhi, UP, Haryana and Rajasthan. It said its flying squads have verified that 111 out of the 228 units have been physically closed down till further orders.