The Chhattisgarh Environment Conservation Board (CECB) on Saturday rejected the findings of the World Health Organisation (WHO) that ranked Raipur as one of world’s most polluted cities.
The Board officials said that the report and the news related to the report are baseless.They claimed that the Board has been taking measures to ensure that the industries and others strictly follow the environmental laws.The Board has served notices to 23 prominent government and private hospitals during the last one week for not following the environment protection acts, they added.The Board has also filed cases against 44 industries under the environment protection Act. Similarly, the Board has taken measures to check air pollution in the industrial area.
As many as 47 industries have been served notices between Jan 2012 and May 2014 by the Board under the air (prevention and control of pollution) Act, 1981. During the period, power supply stopped to six industries and they had been asked to shut their plant, the officials stated.They said the Board has been regularly monitoring pollution level in the industrial area of Raipur and other such areas in Chhattisgarh. They are also monitoring and controlling the dust levels and other emission at different blast furnaces.
Special meters have been installed in each blast furnace to check the level of emission, they informed.The officials said some waste is being sold for use as fuel by power plants and brick kilns. Some ESP dust is being used by brick kiln and for landfill.Fly ash generated from thermal power plants are being used by cement factories and brick kilns, the Board officials further informed.All medium and large industries have been making their internal roads concrete and have carried out plantation in their respective area.
The officials admitted that the air pollution level in Raipur is a little higher than the prescribed limit but they said the figures given by the WHO is not true. The air pollution level in the city is 50 per cent less than what the WHO has said in its recent report, they said.The claim by the WHO that the Raipur city is one of the most polluted cities in the world is baseless and wrong. It is based on wrong data, the Board officials maintained.