The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) announced on Wednesday a ban on the use of fuel-powered generators from October 15 under the Graduated Response Action Plan (Grap), a set of anti-pollution restrictions that include Preventive measures to stop air quality from deteriorating to emergency levels.
On Wednesday, the general air quality index (AQI) was 276 in the “poor” category, an improvement from 300 the day before. However, a layer of haze hung over the capital, raising concerns about an impending bad air crisis like the previous years. The AQI hit “very poor” Tuesday morning and hit 318, the worst level since February this year.
“DPCC hereby prohibits the operation of generator sets of all capacities, running on diesel, gasoline or kerosene in Delhi from October 15 until further orders, excluding those used for essential or emergency services,” read a order.
Bhure Lal, president of the Environmental Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (Epca), a body appointed by the Supreme Court charged with overseeing the implementation of the pollution control action plan in the National Capital Region (NCR ) said that Grap will be enforced “No Concessions” to any state.
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This means that as of Thursday no generator sets will be allowed in Delhi and the neighboring cities of Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, Greater Noida and Faridabad. The only exception to this will be emergency services such as hospitals, elevators, airports, railways, and Delhi metro services.
Grap establishes a set of curbs that are applied when AQI crosses certain thresholds; the most serious include a trucking ban, restrictions on odd and even roads, curbs at construction work and a notice to close schools.
Reminding states to strictly enforce the ban on generator sets, Lal wrote on Wednesday to the chief secretaries of Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, asking them to issue instructions to their respective state electricity boards to guarantee 24×7 power supply and avoid the need for generator sets.
“… As you know that any deterioration in ambient air quality in the region during the current Covid-19 pandemic would have considerable ramifications in terms of the health of the residents of Delhi-NCR, sincere efforts should be made to ensure that the ban is effective and rigorously monitored in your area, ”Lal wrote.
While Delhi has been enforcing a ban on diesel generator sets ahead of the winter season since 2017, last year the governments of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh requested an extension to October 2020 from Epca to ensure that all power grids are install in areas that are completely dependent. in generator sets.
On Tuesday, Haryana’s (energy department) additional chief secretary, Trilok C Gupta, wrote to the head of Epca, stating that up to 14,000 residents in Gurugram and Faridabad will be affected by this ban as their residential societies depend on generator sets. to stock up on energy. demands.
“They (Haryana) have not asked for an exemption. I responded to their letter asking what they expected from Epca and have not received any response, “Lal said Wednesday. Lal told ANI: “Epca is not happy with the situation. We wait a year … “
Agricultural fires and firecracker emissions during Diwali result in high concentrations of ultrafine PM2.5 particles in the air, which can lead to significant health problems as they can enter the bloodstream after penetrating deep into the lungs.
Responding to Epca’s instructions, DPCC issued its order stating that the ban will be strictly enforced throughout the capital. The regional pollution control body ordered all interested agencies to comply with the order and submit a daily report of the measures taken. Violators will be prosecuted under the Air Law (Pollution and Pollution Control), with fines depending on the size of the generator sets used.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and national spokesman Raghav Chadha said that the government’s “abject inaction” in neighboring Haryana was the main cause of Delhi’s increased pollution. “With Grap coming into effect from October 15, the use of diesel generator sets will be banned in the Delhi-NCR regions. While the Delhi government has diligently followed the rules set by Epca, our Haryana neighbors do not seem to want to take any action, “he said.
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Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy) of the Center for Science and Environment (CSE), said there could be challenges in implementing anti-pollution restrictions this year due to restrictions caused by the coronavirus disease (Covid) pandemic. -19). “We will work with certain limitations this year. This means that we will have to put into practice what we have learned from the shutdown (Covid-19) and make sure that the winter emergency action plan is not affected, ”said Roychowdhury.
“For example, the odd-pair vehicle rationing scheme might not be very easy to implement this time around because we have to ensure social distancing within public transportation systems and that is why buses and the Metro operate with limited passengers. Unless we provide a viable public transportation option for people, we cannot get private vehicles off the road. ”
According to Grap, which was implemented for the first time in 2017 through Epca, if air quality continues in the “severe” category for 48 hours, measures such as traffic rationing and a ban on the entry of trucks are put into effect. . Coal-fired industries are also asked to cease operations. In previous years, NCR schools were forced to close due to the dramatic increase in air pollution, and people, especially the elderly and young children, were asked not to go outside.
The Epca president admitted that there will be challenges this year. “This does not mean that we just sit back and let pollution levels increase. This only means that we will have to increase monitoring and action on the ground so that contamination levels do not rise to the levels at which we have the need to take these measures, ”Lal said.
A senior official from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) said on condition of anonymity: “Last year, the CPCB in its list of suggestions had proposed that private companies should introduce measures such as allowing employees to work from home and introduce staggered schedules; It seemed like an unattainable task then, but now we are all used to this setup. Schools are also getting used to online classes, so if necessary, they can be asked to continue with them, ”said the official.
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