NEW DELHI: The Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA), a Supreme Court constituent body, has issued additional measures to contain air pollution levels in the coming weeks.
The body has recommended monitoring 19 hotspots in Delhi and neighbouring states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Fourteen hotspots are identified in the city and different agencies are directed to work on them including the Public Works Department (PWD). The EPCA plan will undertake tasks, taking into account every street, road, avenue, sub-area and industry. It has also asked for day and night patrolling.
“Based on these plans, areas will be constantly monitored to ensure that there are no instances of waste and garbage burning and that there is full compliance with approved fuel notification and no pollution is created from stacks and that there is all effort made to mitigate all sources of pollution,” the EPCA said.
The body has been advised by the Task Force of Central Pollution Control Board’s Graded Response Action Plan that, beginning from 12 October, the city is projected to have adverse weather conditions which will exacerbate the potential for pollution. EPCA has also directed ban of diesel generator sets in Delhi and areas in its vicnity — Ghaziabad, Noida and Greater Noida, Faridabad and Gurgaon, Sonipat, Panipat and Bahadurgarh.
It has also asked the Delhi Government to implement the parking policy by October 15 as per the directions of the Supreme Court. It has directed all the pollution control boards to increase frequency of monitoring around crushers, RMC plants and prepare a list by October 15 to monitor their compliance. Mechanised cleaning of the roads has been advised both day and night to control dust.