AGRA Regardless of a slight enchancment within the Air High quality Index (AQI) on Tuesday, Agra’s district authorities have emphasised the necessity to adhere to the advisory issued by the Uttar Pradesh Air pollution Management Board (UPPCB) diligently, warning of penalties for any violations.
Agra’s AQI, averaged during the last 24 hours, was recorded at 128, in response to the day by day bulletin on AQI launched by the Central Air pollution Management Board (CPCB) at 4 PM on Tuesday. This marked a noticeable discount from the AQI of 165 recorded on the day gone by’s bulletin.
In response to the escalating air air pollution disaster in Agra, the Graded Response Motion Plan (GRAP) was put in force on Monday and can stay in place till February 2024. Agra’s district Justice of the Peace convened a gathering on Monday night to guage the measures taken by numerous departments to fight air pollution.
The assembly got here within the wake of a extreme decline in air high quality, with even the long-lasting Taj Mahal disappearing from the bare eye as a consequence of hovering AQI ranges. Officers from quite a few departments, together with the UPPCB, Public Works Division (PWD), Nagar Nigam, UP Metro Rail Company, Jal Nigam, and Transport, attended the gathering on Monday.
In the course of the assembly, DM Bhanu Chandra Goswami requested AQI studies from numerous Automated Monitoring Stations within the metropolis. Vishwanath Sharma, the regional officer from UPPCB, offered a report highlighting the alarming enhance in AQI, which rose from 117 in October 2022 to over 200 this yr. DM Agra expressed deep concern about this drastic rise and underlined the need of strict air pollution management measures.
Vishwanath Sharma defined through the assembly, “In anticipation of additional will increase in AQI through the upcoming winter months in Agra, the GRAP has been applied till February 2024. The GRAP is split into 4 levels, every aligned with AQI ranges, and advisories are being issued to Agra’s residents to take particular actions to fight air air pollution within the coming winters.”
“In Stage One, which corresponds to average and poor AQI (between 101 to 300), residents are suggested to stop rubbish burning, cut back using diesel mills, guarantee automobiles have up to date Air pollution Beneath Management (PUC) Certificates, enhance using public transport, and prioritize using Hybrid and Electrical Automobiles,” mentioned Sharma.
“Within the case of average and poor AQI indices, residents are additionally suggested to not use prohibited coal and wooden as gasoline, promote highway mud sweeping with water spray, guarantee correct disposal of highway mud, and chorus from utilizing petrol and diesel automobiles older than 15 years,” Sharma added.
The UPPCB regional officer additional mentioned that advisories have been issued regarding development actions, together with using water spray, anti-smog weapons, windbreaking partitions, and the promotion of Inexperienced Web utilization.
Moreover, measures like black topping on broken roads, transporting constructing supplies underneath cowl, and conducting shock checks on automobiles to watch emissions have been instructed as actions to be taken when dealing with average and poor AQI ranges. These AQI ranges could be monitored by way of the “Sameer” app developed by the Central Air pollution Management Board.
DM Goswami instructed Nagar Nigam officers attending the assembly to make sure correct waste disposal inside the metropolis and strict compliance with development norms. He identified the necessity to penalise these violating rules, significantly these discovered burning rubbish or transporting constructing supplies with out enough cowl. “Nagar Nigam and hearth brigade ought to make sure the removing of mud accrued alongside roads and the watering of crops alongside the roadsides,” he added.
Pic Caption: A hazy view of the Taj Mahal from the Tajganj locality across the monument on Monday. HT Photograph