Recalibrating Guwahati’s Clean Air Strategy

Winter months come with the apprehension of worsening air quality in Guwahati. A public interest litigation filed before the Supreme Court seeking declaration of air pollution as a national public health emergency has also drawn attention to the city’s air quality. Even though the air quality of the city remains satisfactory, there is little room for complacency, with a number of ongoing construction activities adding to the dust pollution in the capital city. Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC), mentioning a key finding of the IIT, Guwahati, that road dust – rather than vehicular emissions – is a primary contributor to air pollution in the city, alongside its call for proposals for municipal waste management project management, points to the mitigation priorities the city needs to focus on. The IIT Guwahati study titled “Emission Inventory, Source Apportionment, Carrying Capacity & Emission Control Strategy for Guwahati” carried out by its Air and Noise Pollution Research Lab, Civil Engineering Department, highlighted that road dust “significantly contributes to the ambient levels of particulate matter” and recommended that it is crucial to adopt suitable mitigation measures to reduce particulate matter contributions from this sector.” The study also found that vehicles indirectly contribute to road dust by resuspending dust particles deposited along the roads. “When comparing the sub-sectors, road dust and construction activities emerged as the most critical sources, followed by vehicular and industrial emissions,” the report states, which underscores the urgency in keeping the roads clean for cleaner air quality in addition to reducing pollution caused by transportation, commercial, industrial and domestic sectors. The IIT study team headed by Prof. Sharad Gokhale identified open burning of solid waste to be a common practice in the city, both at the source and in dump yards, and found that emissions from burning of municipal solid wastes are notably higher in low-income areas due to inadequate infrastructure for waste collection and disposal. Apart from improving segregation of wastes at source during door-to-door collection of household garbage, the city building its capacity of waste processing is pivotal to reducing dust and open burning of waste in different localities and dumping yards. Ironically, the processing capacity continues to be abysmally low, with several projects initiated by GMC still to be commissioned. While the awareness about segregation of biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste at households and other sources remains poor, the waste collectors are ill-equipped to transport segregated garbage. As a result, segregated wastes also get mixed up during door-to-door collection. In some wards, the waste collector comes with vans with separate compartments for dry and wet waste, but due to a lack of awareness on the part of residents as well as waste collectors, the utility of the garbage pickupvans has not been realised. The dust mitigation strategy suggested by the IIT Guwahati calls for regularly sweeping and cleaning roads, particularly in urban areas and construction zones, to minimise dust accumulation. The Study Team also recommended immediate planting of trees and vegetation along roadsides and in public spaces to improve air quality and reduce dust. Tree planting in individual campuses alongside the roads can significantly increase green cover, but often, this is often seen as a task to be carried out by city authorities. Enforcement of the condition of planting of trees in campuses, newly constructed houses and buildings as stipulated in building permission can increase the number of trees in the city, but it is often overlooked. One of the short-term mitigation measures for reducing dust pollution recommended in the report which deserves focused attention of the city authorities is enforcing stricter regulations on dust management at construction sites, including water sprinklers and dust suppression techniques. While water sprinkling activities are observed at construction sites, the volume of water sprinkled appears to be inadequate and fails to suppress dust effectively. Strengthening monitoring and oversight mechanisms is critical to address the issue. Implementing regular emission testing for vehicles, ensuring adherence to pollution norms and promoting the use of public transport and reduced use of personal vehicles is another important mitigation measure listed in the report, but its implementation requires building strong awareness among the general public about the implications of deteriorating air quality levels due to a rise in particulate matter so that they volunteer to reduce use of personal vehicles. The city authorities ensuring an efficient public transport system is critical to sustain the momentum of public awareness and willingness to reduce use of personal vehicles. Lack of efficient and reliable public transport often compels the daily commuters in the city to depend on personal vehicles. It is not the number of city buses plying the roads; instead, it is the quality of services they provide. Sticking to the timetable and covering all localities is essential to bring about the desired transformation. Guwahati recalibrating its strategy to ensure clean air through all seasons is an urgent necessity.