Delhi reeling, PMO seeks new study on pollution source, flags dust control (Directions issued in meeting before reliance on old studies flagged in NGT), Pg5

Key Highlights:

• The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has directed the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to expedite a new emission inventory and source-apportionment studies for Delhi-NCR.
• A task force meeting on October 23 addressed major air pollution sources including dust, vehicular emissions, municipal solid waste, stubble burning, industries, and thermal power plants.
• The meeting highlighted that Delhi holds over half of all vehicles in NCR, with 37% still adhering to outdated BS I to BS III emission norms.
• Approximately 8,000 tonnes of construction and demolition waste are generated daily in Delhi, but processing capacity is inadequate.

Detailed Insights:

• The PMO has emphasized the need for a time-bound action plan with funding for redeveloping urban and industrial roads, focusing on paving and greening road shoulders to control dust pollution.
• IIT Kanpur is developing stricter emission norms for select industrial sectors, as around 11,000 out of 50,000 industries in NCR are considered polluting.
• While many industries have switched to Piped Natural Gas (PNG), the installation of air pollution control devices and continuous emission monitoring systems is still in progress.
• Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD) systems are being installed in thermal power plants to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions, with 14 out of 35 units within 300 km of Delhi having implemented these systems.
• The National Green Tribunal (NGT) was informed that despite a 2023 real-time source-apportionment study, the action plan to combat air pollution has not been updated.
• The CPCB has been tasked with collaborating with IITs and other institutions to study key sectors contributing to pollution, including transboundary pollution.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Emission Inventory: A comprehensive list of air pollutants released from various sources within a specific area.
• Source Apportionment: The process of identifying and quantifying the contribution of different sources to air pollution.
• Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD): Technology used to remove sulphur dioxide from exhaust flue gases in power plants.