At a time when the national Capital is gasping for breath due to rising concentration of noxious pollutants and gases from the smouldering fire at Bhalswa landfill site in North Delhi, Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussian on Tuesday directed the authorities to remain on “standby”. A day after conducting a meeting with corporation top brass, Hussian said the Delhi Government has keep Delhi Fire Service (DFS) on its toes.
The air quality in the national Capital had shown some signs of improvement on Monday as it moved from “very poor” to “poor” category, but experts said it could deteriorate in the coming days due to toxic fume coming out of Bhalswa landfill site.
It may be noted that due to fire at Bhalswa landfill site in past two days, the harmful noxious gases — Sulfur oxide, nitrogen oxides, CO2 — are being recorded high on the National Air Quality Index (NAQI).
To tackle the ground situation at the landfill site, Hussain said corporations have been directed to be prepared for water sprinkling. “Garbage and its management is the subject of corporation. Our Government has directed the commissioners of all three corporations to deal with garbage issue in order to avoid such circumstances in near future,” Hussain told the media at Delhi Secretariat.
“They (commissioners) can have high-level meetings to tackle garbage issue,” said the Minister, adding, “City is not facing such circumstances in which we need to implement odd-even car-rationing scheme.”
According to Delhi Government’s environment division, from Public Work Department (PWD) to corporations, all have been informed to submit plans to mitigate road dust problem.
Considering all aspects of air pollution contributors, the Delhi Government will soon issue guidelines for the installation of generator sets.
“As per the Graded Response Action Plan, we will issue guidelines further,” said Hussian.
It is pertinent to mention here that levels of harmful pollutants and other noxious gases have escalated many times.
At one side, non-supportive climate conditions (wind speed and directions) and fire at the landfill site has been considered reason behind rising pollutants, Gurfan Beige, Director, SAFAR, Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) said, “Due to low temperature combustion, fire at landfill sites is bound to happen.
“Combustion process emits harmful pollutants but it is also necessary to understand the level of fire, with this one can analyse whether emission has local effect or affecting entire Delhi,” Beige added.
Meanwhile, air quality recorded in the poor category day after it had improved from very poor. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recorded the city’s overall AQI at 252 at 11 am, and SAFAR recorded PM 10 at 246 and PM 2.5 at 117 in micro cubic per gram.
An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”.
Anumita Roychowdhury of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Monday said, as winter approaches, toxic air emanating out of such landfill fires is likely to affect the air quality.
“If the wind speed is lower and the temperature dips, the polluted air coming out of landfill fires will get trapped, which would severely affect the air quality,” she said.
The Supreme Court-appointed Environment Protection Control Authority (EPCA) had last week held a meeting with officials of Punjab, Haryana and the Delhi governments to discuss the pollution situation in the national capital.