Statistics on pollution level received from the Uttarakhand Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board (UEPPCB) has revealed that the pollution level keeps on rising over the years on the occasion of Diwali.
The regional officer UEPPCB SS Rana said that the level of pollution remains above the permissible limits in the city.
The quantum of Nitrogen Oxides and Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) in the air increases as compared to the usual level in Dehradun during Diwali.
He, however, declined to comment whether the State Government should intervene in the matter. Another department official said that over the past few years, there has been an increase in Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM), level of Sulphur Dioxide and Nitrogen Dioxide during Diwali as compared to the normal RSPM (100), and Sulphur Dioxide and Nitrogen Dioxide (80) in the State capital.
RSPM machine has been installed at Clock Tower, Raipur Road and Nehru Colony to measure air ambient quality standard, he said. “As per the National Ambient Air Quality Standard, 100 micrograms per cubic meter is moderate. RSPM higher than that is critical,” he added.
Notably, UEPPCB came into existence on May 1 2002, headquartered in Dehradun. It has four regional offices in Dehradun, Roorkee, Haldwani and Kashipur.