Focus on on-ground implementation, Epca tells Delhi govt

The Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution Prevention and Control Authority (Epca) on Monday said that the action plan launched by the Delhi government to combat winter pollution was welcome. The focus, however, needs to be on strict implementation of the proposed measures on the ground.

Epca chief Bhure Lal said that any step to reduce pollution is welcome at a time when the city is also grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic. Both air pollution and the Covid infection affect the lungs, which could complicate the situation for those infected. Hence, extra effort was required to keep pollution levels from spiking this winter.

The Epca is tasked by the Supreme Court with enforcing the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) that was formulated in 2017. Grap essentially entails measures to deal with different levels of pollution and usually comes into effect from October 15. It comprises measures such as sprinkling of water and mechanical sweeping of roads, ban on construction activities as well as on operation of diesel generator sets in Delhi-NCR, among others.

“The state government’s action plan is welcome. Even with Grap, it is the states have to ensure the implementation. This year with the pandemic, extra vigil is required on part of government agencies. What is important is the enforcement on the ground — be it curbing dust pollution or taking action against industries using unapproved fuels. It has to be ensured that citizens are also roped in the drives so that they feel responsible and comply with green norms,” said Lal.

He added that the Epca will meet representatives from the governments of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan on Thursday to discuss implementation of Grap.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday launched a mega campaign against pollution. The action plan involves 10 government agencies — including municipal corporations — that will work on reducing the sources of pollution.

The CM said that a war room will be created to monitor the action on the ground. Besides, an app — Green Delhi — will be launched to address pollution-related complaints on a daily basis.

Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment, said that this year the state government must change its implementation strategy. “It is good that a plan is being discussed. It shows the government’s intent and seriousness on tackling the issue. The new steps, such as the creation of a war room and launching of a citizen app, will be successful only if it’s linked with implementation on the ground, which has been lacking in several sectors over the past years,” she said.

The government this year also plans to launch site-specific action plans to contain pollution at the city’s 13 major hotspots. In Delhi, 13 areas — Okhla phase-II, Dwarka, Ashok Vihar, Bawana, Narela, Mundka, Punjabi Bagh, Wazirpur, Rohini, Vivek Vihar, Anand Vihar, RK Puram and Jahangirpuri—were identified as hotspots by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) last year based on particulate matter (PM) concentrations. Pollution levels in these areas were found to be higher than the city’s average.

In an inspection of the hotspots carried out by the EPCA last month, it was found that dumping and burning of waste as well as dust pollution at several sites were rampant.