New Delhi : The Delhi-NCR belt, a pollution hotspot, needs a drastic reduction in level of pollutants, by up to 76 per cent in some areas, and several radical interventions for its air to meet safe standards.
The observation and the proposals are part of a new plan drafted by the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority which have been submitted to the Supreme Court recently. The report focuses on 13 key pollution sources, as identified by an IIT-Kanpur study, and lists short, medium and long-term measures to be implemented by a proposed committee chaired by the Union Environment Secretary.
The percentage of reduction in PM10 required in Delhi, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Noida and Meerut are 74, 64, 76, 56 and 60 per cent respectively while PM 2.5 and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels have to come down by 70 and 37.5 per cent in the national capital, the plan says.
The ‘Comprehensive Action Plan for air pollution control’ is based on a 2012 blueprint prepared by the Sheila Dikshit government and a 42-point action plan of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Delhi Master Plan 2021, among others.
While many steps like roll out of BS IV fuel norms listed by it are old and set to be implemented, it also lays out a series of fresh proposals such as installation of “vapour recovery systems” fuel stations and rationalization of “entry taxes” of public vehicles.
Vapour recovery systems prevent evaporation of petrol and diesel while tankers are filled at fuel stations while rationalization of taxes in NCR will make public transport cheaper in the region.–PTI
