20 more cities added to CPCB's 'polluted' list.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has added 20 more cities from eight states to the list of polluted cities which do not meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards and, therefore, require focussed attention on multiple fronts to deal with the hazards of dirty air.

These additions, including eight from Andhra Pradesh and six from West Bengal, have expanded the list of non-attainment cities (NACs) from 102 to 122 where different agencies are expected to take air pollution abatement measures under a dedicated action plan for each of them.

The CPCB recently submitted the list of additional 20 NACs to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) while complying with the latter’s direction in a matter which was considered suo motu based on a TOI report on pan-India clean air programme.

Though the previous list contained all major cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Patna and Hyderabad, the additional 20 are those which remained outside the ambit of the NACs despite being severely polluted

The Centre, under its National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) launched in January to take dedicated action in 102 cities, had set a national target of reducing key air pollutants PM10 and PM2.5 (particulate matters) by 20-30% by 2024 taking 2017 as the base year. Particulate matters are hazardous as these can get deep into lungs and some may even get into the bloodstream, causing serious health problems.

Analysis of high pollution levels in many NACs, including Delhi, Varanasi, Lucknow, Kanpur, Jaipur, Mumbai, Kolkata and Ahmedabad, showed that these cities will continue to remain polluted even if the target of reducing 20-30% of PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations is achieved in the next five years.

Hearing the matter in such a backdrop, the NGT’s principal bench headed by chairman Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, on August 6 issued 15-point directions for different agencies and asked the environment ministry to modify its NCAP target.

“Having regard to adverse impact on public health and constitutional mandate that right to clean air is a fundamental right, the MoEF&CC (environment ministry) may modify the NCAP by reducing the timelines and increasing the target for reduction of air pollution,” the tribunal said.

Referring to the existing target, it said violation of such “fundamental right cannot be allowed to be continued for such a long time”.

On the expanded list of NACs, it directed states to prepare action plans for these 20 additional cities on the pattern of 102 NACs within three months and get it approved by the CPCB within two months to initiate time-bound action.

The additional 20 cities are Anantapur, Chittoor, Eluru, Kadapa, Ongole, Rajahmundry, Srikakulam and Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh; Vadodara in Gujarat; Thane in Maharashtra; Kalinga Nagar in Odisha; Trichy in Tamil Nadu; Sangareddy in Telangana; Dehradun in Uttarakhand; and Asansol, Barrackpore, Durgapur, Haldia, Howrah and Raniganj in West Bengal.

As far as 102 NACs from the original list are concerned, the CPCB has already approved action plans for 92 cities. The remaining cities whose action plans need to be revised are Mumbai, Nasik, Solapur, Bengaluru, Dhanbad, Guwahati, Nagaon, Nalbari, Sibsagar and Silchar.

As part of its 15-point directions, the NGT on August 6 asked the CPCB to design a model ‘standard operating procedure’ for source apportionment study and carrying capacity assessment within two months which may be replicated for all the 122 NACs. These studies and assessment may then be considered for various actions on the ground.

It also said the CPCB and states may have robust ‘Emergency Response System’ and preparedness by way of “mock drills” and measures to be taken in the scenario when air pollution levels become ‘severe plus’ and ‘severe’.

On issue of crop burning that contributes to air pollution during winter, the Tribunal directed that the activities like “crop burning and burning of trash wood/leaves/debris for heating in winters to be strictly regulated and violations penalized” as has been done by notifications for Eco-Sensitive Zone, Coastal Regulation Zone and Ganga Flood plains.

The central and state pollution control boards were also asked to ensure installation of requisite number of real time Online Continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations within six months and indicate progress in this regard before the next date of hearing in November.

The CPCB informed the NGT that about 1,500 more real time Online Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (OCAAQMS) are required to be installed to compile air quality data in the country.

“At present number of such stations is inadequate and consequently the correct picture/status with regard to number of NACs is not been reported and that the number could be more than what has been reported,” it said.

The NGT in its order said the CPCB may evaluate existing air quality monitoring mechanism of all States and UTs and furnish a report to it before the next date in terms of capacity of its scientific and technical personnel both in terms of number of personnel and skill/competence and outreach programmes on public awareness and suggestions for improvement.