Here's what India has planned for cleaning Delhi’s air

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Here's what India has planned for cleaning Delhi’s air
  • CPCB has directed the Delhi NCR to implement the plan which includes stricter control of pollution caused by vehicles and industries.
  • According to the document, the Badarpur Thermal Power Plant needs to be closed soon.
  • The state has also been ordered to undertake satellite-based monitoring and conduct research work regarding similar issues.
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Delhi’s air pollution problem seems to be a persistent one. The capital has often ranked 999 on the Air Quality Index even without the excuse of ‘Diwali’, which can easily lead to health problems.

However, in order to make the air breathable, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recently directed the Delhi NCR to implement the entire plan created to curb pollution, officially called “Comprehensive Action Plan (CAP) for Air Pollution Control in Delhi and NCR”.

This has been done under Section 5 of the Environment Protection Act and therefore, it is a legally binding document which is mandatory to be implemented.

This order was given by CPCB after the Union government had notified the implementation of CAP in March. However, a lot of important points were left out since there was no agreement on the timeline of their implementation. The points that were left out included tightening pollution under control (PUC) norms for post 2000 vehicles, on-board diagnostic systems in vehicles and enforcement of air pollution control norms in all industries. These are now mandated to be implemented in the Capital.

According to the document, the Badarpur Thermal Power Plant is to be closed by mid-2018 after the Tughlakabad substation is commissioned. The 900 acres of fly-ash ponds at the Badarpur Plant will also be restored. Along with the plant, the plan mandates strict enforcement of air pollution control measures in all industries even if they are located in the 110 unauthorised colonies of Delhi.

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Delhi is also mandated to get 10,000 buses by the end of this year. However, to minimise the peak movement of the vehicles on the street, the government is also expected to introduce staggered traffic timings by mid-year. Penalties are also to be imposed on visibly polluting vehicles. Long term plans include the expansion of the CNG programme across NCR by ensuring conversion of bus and auto fleets.

The Delhi NCR Metro was also supposed to make changes and has already submitted a proposal to get 602 new coaches which the Delhi government is examining right now.

Apart from these rules, the plan lays down norms for the government too. The state had been ordered to undertake satellite-based monitoring for tracking agriculture waste burning and enforcing policies to stop them. It is also expected to undertake research work regarding the health impacts, exposure impacts, source apportionment amongst others. The expertise of various institutions will be sought by the government to develop protocols for assessment of the research proposals. The government in the Capital has also been mandated to support any research works or scientific studies being done by academic and research institutions about similar issues.
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