Ignorance might be bliss in many other cases as it is famously said on various occasions. But this ignorance of the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB) that the air quality of capital city is no better than that of panicking NCR on PM2.5 level has dragged the city on the verge of disaster, which NCR has been suffering from.
Average Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM2.5) in the air during week ended on Wednesday stood at 429 in Ranchi, indicated India Spend Air Quality Index that analyzes air quality of more than a dozen city in country including Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Chandigarh and others on daily basis with air quality testing machines installed by the government or private players on various locations in those cities. The index clearly indicated that air quality of Ranchi is only better than NCR which recorded average PM2.5 at 450 during the week under consideration.
Ironically, the air pollution testing machine installed in Hatia indicated PM2.5 level at 551 which is well ahead of many locations even in Delhi whose poor air quality left few Sri lankan cricket players vomiting in the ground itself during last Cricket Test Match they played against India in Firoz Shah Kotla Ground in Delhi.
Even on monthly level, PM2.5 level in Ranchi remained stable above 200 which is not very good keeping monthly PM2.5 level in Delhi air at 320 on same index.
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“It is only after we got two of the air quality testing machines installed in Ranchi, one at Hatia and another at Albert Ekka Chowk, that we came to know about such bad condition of Ranchi as far as involvement of Particulate Matter in air is concerned. We used to believe that Jharkhand is a forest rich State, hence other than few intensive mining cites and cities, air quality must be healthy. But situation is totally different here,” said Centre for Environment and Energy Development (CEED) Senior Programme Officer (Bihar-Jharkhand) Ankita Jyoti on Wednesday. Notably, CEED after installing air quality testing machines on those two locations in Ranchi is in process of getting machines installed in at least all district headquarters in State.
Ironically, JSPCB is completely unaware with to-be-turned-disastrous air quality of city and around. Board Member Sanjay Kumar Suman had nothing more to say on the day than that the Board was in process of getting air quality testing machines installed through NTPC which has been assigned for the job. “NTPC has won the tender of installation of air quality testing machines. We are getting them installed at three locations in Ranchi out of five suggested and two in Dhanbad, and entire work is being taken care by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) itself,” said Suman.
Though Suman admitted that burning garbage in open was adding in deterioration of air quality, he threw the ball in RMC’s court. “The civic body has to look after this issue and they are the once having answers related to the questions regarding this,” said Suman. Notably, burning garbage in open has been declared a punishable offence by National Green Tribunal (NGT).
Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) on the other hand said that though it could have been a case, the agency was waiting for formal complaint. “We are not aware of anyone burning garbage in open. Until we receive a formal complaint, we can’t take action against anyone,” said RMC Deputy Mayor Sanjeev Vijayvargeeya on the day.
