Even as the increasing pollution level is becoming a grave threat to the green city of Chandigarh, the authorities seemed to have blissfully turned a blind eye to the problem.
The UT Administration has neither adopted proposals of Administrator’s Advisory Council nor has it finalised its climate change action plan to address the environment related concerns including the emissions of greenhouse gases in Chandigarh.The State of Environment Report-Chandigarh, released last year had identified the increasing number of vehicles here as a grave threat to the city. The report had stated that the major reason for decreasing quality of air in Chandigarh is the ever-increasing vehicular density on city roads. Petrol and diesel vehicles are major contributors to the air pollution in the city.
So far, a large number of proposals including providing better public transport facility, levying congestion tax, limit per household vehicles number, high parking fee, promotion of bicycles and green vehicles among others have been deliberated upon by the UT Administrator’s Advisory Council in last three years but not a single proposal has seen the light of the day.
Surprisingly, the authorities concerned have been working from past three years to ascertain the viability of various proposals to control increasing vehicular population, but has failed to take any policy decision in this regard as yet.On the other hand, the draft for State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC) for Chandigarh has been gathering dust from past two years. The SAPCC for Chandigarh was prepared and submitted by UT Environment department to the UT top brass in the year 2012, however, the Administration is yet to take a final call on the policies proposed in the action plan to address various environment related concerns.
Sources in the UT said that not a single meeting to discuss the SAPCC has been convened by the UT Administration is last ten months.The Administration had also failed to meet the last year’s deadline to submit the SAPCC draft to the Centre. In past two years, the higher authorities has also received several reminders from the Centre regarding the submission of SAPCC but has not yet finalised it.
According to the latest World Health Organisation (WHO) study on pollution levels in 1,600 cities across the world, Chandigarh has high PM10 concentration of 105 micrograms per cubic meter. In terms of fine particulate matter PM2.5, which originates primarily from vehicular and industrial emissions, Chandigarh’s air recorded concentration of 46 micrograms per cubic metres.
PM 2.5 (particles with diameter of 2.5 microns) are considered most serious and can cause respiratory diseases and other health problems.When contacted, Santosh Kumar, UT Director Environment said, “The draft of climate change action plan had already been submitted to the UT Administration. But it is yet to be finalised.”“We are waiting for finalisation of the action plan and then, it will be submitted to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) for final nod. After its approval, the plans chalked out to improve air quality in Chandigarh will be implemented,” he added.
Notably, a Department-Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science & Technology, Environment & Forest had last year met UT senior officials to review the preparation of SAPCC and other measures taken by the Administration to control pollution levels here.In its report submitted recently, the Parliamentary Committee has expressed its serious concerns over the rapid rise in all types of pollution and has recommended that a zonal office of CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board), proposed to be opened in Chandigarh must be expedited and made functional at the earliest possible.
As per the latest data of Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee (CPCC), Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) and Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) exceeds the permissible limit at several primary locations in the city. CCPC’s air quality monitoring shows that several locations have become pollution hotspots. These include Sector 17, Industrial Area I and Kaimbalwala village in Chandigarh.