In a bid to curb air pollution this winter, the Environment Control Pollution Authority (EPCA) on Tuesday asked the municipal corporations of Delhi-NCR to make a strategy to put a stop to burning of waste in the open as well as to monitor construction sites.
The EPCA, a Supreme Court (SC)-mandated body to check air pollution in the Capital, directed the civic bodies to file action taken reports (ATR) on a fortnightly basis. The move has come just ahead of the implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). The plan will be implemented in the city from October 15.
"We have directed the civic bodies to prepare contingency plans to tackle instances of blazes at landfill sites, all of which are operating beyond their saturation points. We will have to ensure monitoring and vigilance throughout this period, to prevent a repeat of November, 2016, smog," said Bhure Lal, a former bureaucrat who heads the Authority.
Besides, the corporations have also been told to form vigilance teams to conduct intensive patrolling in their respective areas and submit reports of the same with the authorities concerned as well as with the EPCA.
Delhi Environment Secretary Keshav Chandra, who attended the meeting, said fire from landfill sites, fireworks during Diwali, and burning of garbage were the major factors that contributed to a spike in pollution levels during winter.
The environment body made it clear that no fireworks should be coming to Delhi from the NCR. Besides the NCR areas including Gurgaon and Faridabad, which do not have an organised garbage collection system , to have a mechanism of proper collection and disposal of waste by December.
According to the GRAP, measures under the 'severe' and 'emergency' categories include stopping heavy goods vehicles (except those with essential commodities) from entering the city. The Transport Department and the Traffic Police will be responsible for identifying alternative routes for these vehicles.
Also, the corporations and government agencies will be tasked to identify construction sites across the city. "All construction will be stopped, in case of air quality reaching severe levels. District-level committees will be formed to monitor construction sites," he said.
Under the GRAP, each category — emergency, severe, very poor, and moderate to poor — comes with it own advisory. Besides, Pollution Under Control (PUC) test centers will be monitored by the state transport authority and the government's task force.
