NOIDA: The Central
Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has found that presence of harmful
pollutants in air within a range of 15km from Noida, which includes Mayur Vihar
and portions of Ghaziabad, is more than seven times the normal limit. The
report was submitted to the National
Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday in the case regarding a stay order on
establishing new industries or extending existing ones in Noida without the
tribunal's approval due to unbridled pollution caused by industries in the region.
The new CPCB report, a copy
of which is with TOI, was presented to the tribunal after the central pollution
monitoring body was asked to further analyse air-quality data collated by it in
April-June this year. The new report is an analysis of composition of
particulate matter in air over residential areas including Noida, Gazipur,
Vasundhara, Indirapuram and Mayur Vihar Phase-I.
As per the report, the
average level of Benzo(a)Pyrene, a hydrocarbon mostly found in coal tar, in the
air over these regions is 7.82 nanograms (ng) per cubic metre of air as
compared to the permissible limit of 1ng per cubic metre.
The substance is listed as a
Group-I carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, an
inter-governmental agency under the World
Health Organization. CPCB has noted in the report that the presence of the
compound can be attributed to "vehicular emission and fossil fuel
burning".
However, the analysis has not
traced any significant presence of heavy metals like arsenic, nickel and lead
in the same air. CPCB has also conducted a rapid assessment of the list of
air-polluting industries in Noida submitted to the tribunal by the Uttar
Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB).
As per the findings of the 12
industries inspected, the CPCB has found that particulate matter emissions were
within permissible limits in five industries while six did not have adequate
monitoring facilities. "Between November this year and February, 2013, an
extensive survey would be conducted of areas including Noida, Ghaziabad and
Faridabad to assess the impact of the action plans initiated by respective
state governments to reduce pollution levels," said an official of CPCB.
Industries in Noida have,
meanwhile, maintained that the main sources of pollution in Noida and adjoining
regions are automobiles and construction works.
Causes of pollution have also
been attributed to drains flowing through Noida by industrialists.
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