New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) — one of the richest urban bodies in the world — has claimed to make “clean” Connaught Place (CP) “pollution-free zone” while announcing “illogical” move to prohibit entry of vehicles in Inner and Middle Circles of CP. Shockingly, one of the most popular markets in India, CP has no air quality meter to assess pollution level in the area. The big question is how the agency has made an assessment on pollution levels in the area while they do not have any pollution database. Moreover, the nearest area to CP, Mandir Marg, where the levels of primary pollution never crossed 200 microgram per cubic metre, is the cleanest area of the city.
Interestingly, the concerned agencies never implemented the ban on vehicles from entering Anand Vihar area, which has been declared a “Red Zone” area due to constant high concentration of pollutants.
On January 6, NDMC chairman Naresh Kumar had announced that there will be no entry of vehicles in CP for next three months starting February. When asked about the reason, Kumar told the media that the move has been taken in a bid to make CP pollution free and beautiful. However, ground report on pollution levels in CP area is entirely different.
To monitor the air quality in different zones of the Capital, Delhi has four major pollution watch bodies: Central Pollution Control board (CPCB) (Ministry of Environment and Forest), Delhi Pollution Control Board (DPCC) (Delhi Government), Real time ambient air quality meters of US Embassy and System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), a unit of Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
Since CP is the part of New Delhi district, the air quality of the respective area can be assessed with respect to its nearby Mandir Marg which is barely 2.1 km from CP.
The Pioneer has accessed the one month pollution data of Mandir Marg area from US Embassy database.
The meters recorded levels of Particulate Matter (PM) 10 between 67 µg/m3 and 150 µg/m3 and that of PM 2.5 between 160 and 200 µg/m3. However, the prescribed standards of the Suspended Particulate Matters (SPMs) are 60 and 100 in µg/m3 respectively.
More interestingly, concentration of secondary pollutants — nitrate oxides, sulphur dioxide, ozone and carbon dioxide — were recorded negligible. levels of above pollutants were 2, 10, 3 and Nil in micro gram per cubic metres respectively.
Gopal Krishna, environmentalist, said, “The agencies concerned should focus on other highly polluted area.”
According to him, CP area is relatively greener. “Increase in pollutant levels is not due to vehicular emissions. There are other factors also, for instance; constructions, volume of loose soil parallel to road stretch,” said the environmentalist.
“Why the focus is only on Inner Circle and Middle Circle areas of CP. If pollution is major problem, then the agencies concerned should include outer area where pollution levels are extremely high,” he added.
While the authorities have no clue about pollution levels in CP, pollution concentrations in RK Puram, South Moti Bagh, Punjabi Bagh, Shadipur, Delhi University, Anand Vihar, South Extension, Civil lines and Dwarka are very high.
“Why is no such initiative taken in these areas, where population graph is higherIJ” asked Krishna.