Air pollution alarming in NE, CPCB asks stakeholders to take steps

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Aug 20: Alarmed at the rising air pollution in eight towns and cities of the Northeast, including five in Assam, the Central Pollution control Board of India (CPCB) has asked all stakeholders for adopting preventive measures.

As many as 96 Indian cities have not met tiol air quality standards. In so far as the Northeast is concerned, Guwahati, gaon lbari, Silchar, Sivasagar, Byrnihat in Meghalaya and Kohima and Dimapur in galand are in the list. According to CPCB, these towns and city are polluted places and have recorded higher than permissible particulate matter (PM 10).

PM10 monitoring includes monitoring of sulphur and nitrogen dioxide in the air. It is known that CPCB will start monitoring PM2.5 which includes smaller particulate matter.

“Parameters of additiol toxic substances will be tested by a station in Guwahati. Other Monitoring stations will be updated when new instruments come in. Talks are also going on to increase monitoring stations to 30,” senior environmental scientist Manoj Saikia told The Sentinel.

In a recently held meeting the CPCB has asked Assam, Meghalaya and galand to make an action plan by August 30.

The CPCB head of the Air Quality Magement Division Dr. P Gargava said that to control air pollution identification of the sources have to be identified followed by evaluation of control options and sensitization and consultation of stakeholders. He said that operatiol plan with clear roles and institutiol framework will be chalked out before monitoring and review. 

Gargava said there is lack of coordition between different stakeholders having different priorities and no mechanism to monitor results of action plans.

State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority Professor KG Bhattacharya said hill cutting and road construction works are major factors contributing to pollution in the state. He called for a collected effort by various government departments and agencies to control the mece.

CPCB would approve the joint action plan to be formulated by the three states. The board would make interventions in the interstate border areas.