Not just the vehicular emission but ready mix concrete plants situated on Nelson Mandela Marg in South Delhi have a debilitating impact on locals’ health residing in the green belt area of the city. The two plants of Hindustan Construction Company limited at RK Puram were set up without the mandatory Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) certification, said residents.
Sumedha Raguvanshi, a resident of RK Puram, said, “The pollution control agencies should visit in green belt areas to know the real situation. The overnight constructions and day-by-day growing industrialisation are covering the residential areas. It is hard to calculate the numbers of trees that have been felled by the contractor for the setup of these two plants.”
According to environmentalists, production of concrete and its ingredients does require energy that in turn results in the generation of carbon dioxide, or CO2. The amount of CO2 produced during material manufacturing is high which cannot be neglected in city like Delhi.
Dr Kafeel Ahmad, Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Jamia Millia Islamia said ready mix plants should be well separated from residential and green belt areas. “From loading and manufacturing to transportation, the concrete material, like sand or cement should be covered as they are the primary contributor to Particulate Matter (PM) in air,” said Ahmad.
When enquired with an official of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), he declined to comment on the subject and said the matter is sub judice with the Delhi High Court.