Ahmedabad, March 17: FOR Ahmedabad, which was till two years ago ranked the country’s second most polluted city, finally some news that brings some fresh air. Pollution levels in Ahmedabad have stablised and are even coming down, says none other than Bhure Lal, chairman of Environment Protection and Control Authority. In the city to assess the situation and work on the CNG costing and supply, Bhure Lal on Friday said that the Air Pollution Control Action Plan has started showing positive results.
The plan was implemented by Gujarat Pollution Control Board in 2004 on the recommendation of Bhure Lal committee.
Ahmedabad has slipped to 12th and Raipur tops the list of most polluted cities. Before the plan was put into action, the Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) level was above 200. Now, it has dropped below the accepted level of 150.
‘‘Pollution levels have stabilised and are even decreasing with the amount of pollutants having come down in recent months,’’ said Bhure Lal. ‘‘If concerted efforts are made, the pollution levels will come further down,’’ he added.
Results from the Ambient Air Quality monitoring indicate that of the 11 stations, four stations have recorded all parametres within prescribed limits for ambient air. Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) and Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) across the city have also registered a drop. Ambient air quality monitoring includes laboratory analysis of air samples from different stations within a city.
He suggested an effective non-polluting mode of transportation will bring down pollution significantly.
“People should be concerned about the problem. Those using two-wheelers should try to switch over to buses. For that, the government should implement systems like Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) that will ease commuting,” said Sunita Narayan, member of the EPCA.
Lal said the number of CNG stations across the city will increase. By March next year, Adani has planned 45 new gas stations, he said. In a month’s time 10 new CNG stations will become operational. ‘‘This boost an effective public transport system run on CNG, which will automatically restrict private vehicles on city roads,’’ said Lal.
On industrial pollution, he said over 400 foundries in the city have submitted applications to switch to Natural Gas (NG) as fuel while 190 industrial units have entered into agreements for NG as fuel.
He said earlier, emission of Particulate Matter (PM) in excess of 500ug/m3 was observed in 40 per cent units. This has now come down to 10-15 per cent.
The numbers game
CITY’S CNG INFRASTRUCTURE
* Operational CNG stations: 26
* Stations to become operational by June: 35 (Adani: 25, HPCL: 10)
* Total stations planned by Adani by March 2007: 45
TRANSITION TO CNG MODE
* Total CNG buses (large and mini): 400
* AMC’s fleet by June 2006: 1,025
* CNG autorickshaws on road: 16,205
* Projected CNG autorickshaw by year-end: 50,000
