How will you tackle air pollution in NCR in winter, SC asks the chief of air quality panel

Air pollution in Delhi spikes due to factors like stubble burning in neighbouring States with the onset of winter.
| Photo Credit: file photo

The Supreme Court on Tuesday termed the pollution control boards of Delhi-NCR “ineffective” and asked the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) to explain how it proposes to tackle pollution and stubble burning, which are likely to spike with the onset of winter.

The CAQM is responsible for air quality management in the national capital and adjoining areas.

A Bench of Justices Abhay S. Oka and Augustine George Masih directed the Chairperson of the CAQM to remain present virtually when the matter is heard next on September 2.

It also deplored the “sorry state of affairs” at the pollution control boards of the Capital’s neighbouring States, in which hundreds of vacancies remain unfilled.

Meanwhile, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Tuesday directed Principal Secretary (Environment) A.K. Singh to ensure that infrastructure to find sources of air pollution on a real-time basis is made fully operational by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) before the onset of winter.

The infrastructure was set up as part of a “real-time source apportionment study” conducted by various institutes, including IIT Kanpur, IIT Delhi, and The Energy and Resources Institute, at a cost of around ₹12 crore for the DPCC.

As part of the study, data were collected over a period of time, and a model (software) was created to find the sources of air pollution in the national capital on a real-time basis by using air from the surroundings as input.

Meanwhile, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Tuesday directed the Principal Secretary (Environment) A.K. Singh to ensure that infrastructure to find sources of air pollution on a real-time basis is made fully operational by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) before the onset of winter.

The infrastructure was set up as part of a “real-time source apportionment study” conducted by various institutes, including IIT Kanpur, IIT Delhi and The Energy and Resources Institute, at a cost of around ₹12 crore for the DPCC.

Under the study, data was collected over a period of time, and a model (software) was created to find the sources of air pollution in Delhi on a real-time basis by using air from the surroundings as input.

“Since the study period for IIT Kanpur concluded in September last year, the Environment Department’s proposal to take over the existing infrastructure was approved in June,” Mr. Rai said in a communication to the Principal Secretary on Tuesday.

He added, “Subsequently, in the DPCC’s last review meeting, it was learnt that there has been a delay in making the super site (the main site of the study) fully functional.”

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