EPCA mulls control room to keep tab on rising pollution levels in NCR

A control room managed by the Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) may be set up to monitor the pollution levels in the National Capital Region (NCR).

The EPCA is a body formed by the Supreme Court to devise measures in reducing the deadly pollution levels in the NCR.

On Friday, EPCA held an important round of meeting where the prospects of setting up the control room for the National Capital Region was discussed.

The reasons for setting up the control room for the NCR has been attributed to data recording mechanism in major areas of NCR.

The idea to set up a common control room was pondered upon to record the levels of pollutions in NCR on an accurate basis.

To discuss about the viability of the idea, certain EPCA officials will meet with the Chief Secretaries of states of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

The EPCA had recently advocated for the implementation of graded action plan.

Under the plan, various important measures like implementation of the odd-even plan, stoppages of landfill fires, mechanised sweeping of roads was to be implemented as the air quality levels in the National Capital Region reached hazardous levels.

However, in absence of poor data recording mechanism, the EPCA is still dependent on the data of pollution levels provided by the Central Pollution Control Board.

"It will be too premature for me to say that a control room will be set up. However, with various cities in the National Capital Region having a poor data mechanism, this is one important consideration where EPCA will work on in the future. Today, it is not only Delhi but the entire NCR that has extremely poor air quality levels. It is therefore important to create awareness levels in these cities," said an EPCA member.

"On certain days, Gurugram and Noida have recorded even poorer air quality levels than Delhi. Unfortunately, since these places still do not have proper data recording mechanisms, most of the citizens in these cities do not realise the health hazards," added the official.

Besides the idea of setting up of the control room, there were also discussions on how to deal with pollution caused due to stubble burning by farmers in Punjab and Haryana.