NEW DELHI: A Supreme Court-mandated pollution control authority on Thursday said stricter measures to fight air pollution will come into force in Delhi and its neighbourhing areas from October 15 as part of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). It, however, told the governments of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to “try and avert” the need to take emergency’measures, such as ban on construction and industries using fuels other than piped natural gas, as the economy is already under stress post-lockdown.
The Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority directed the governments of Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to ban use of diesel generators, except for essential and emergency services, in the national capital region.
The EPCA will soon issue a list of ‘exclusions and emergency services’ where the use of diesel generators will be allowed to operate.
“We should try and avert the need to take other emergency measures for pollution control. The economy is already under stress post-lockdown.Therefore, our combined effort is to ensure that there is no further disruption,” the pollution watchdog said in a letter to the states. Measures such as ban on construction activity, industries using non-PNG fuels, and closure of thermal power plants kick in when air quality in the region hits ‘emergency’ levels.
The pollution watchdog also stressed that co-morbid health conditions are a huge challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic and there is enough evidence that pollution will make them more dangerous.
“Therefore, we must have a zero-tolerance for air pollution in this period as it will come at huge human health cost,” EPCA chief Bhure Lal said in the letter to the states.