Parliament Question:- Special Cell for Pollution
The Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in Writ Petition (Civil) 13029/1985: M.C. Mehta v/s Union of India & Ors., vide order dated 11.11.2024 directed the Commissioner of the Delhi Police to set up a special cell for implementation of the order of ban on the manufacture, storage and bursting of all categories of firecrackers. Air pollution in Delhi – NCR is a collective result of multiple factors including high level of anthropogenic activities in the high-density populated areas in NCR, arising from various sectors viz. Vehicular Pollution, Industrial Pollution, Dust from Construction and Demolition Project activities, Road and Open Areas Dust, Biomass Burning, Municipal Solid Waste burning, Fires in Landfills, air pollution from dispersed sources, etc. During post-monsoon and winter months, lower temperature, lower mixing heights, inversion conditions and stagnant winds lead to trapping of the pollutants resulting in high pollution in the region. This is further aggravated due to the emissions from episodic events like stubble burning, firecrackers, etc. As per TERI-ARAI Source Apportionment study (2018), the contribution of major sources of PM2.5 & PM10 for Delhi is given below: Sectors PM 2.5 PM 10 Winters Summers Winters Summers Residential 10% 8% 9% 8% Agricultural Burning* 4% 7% 4% 7% Industry 30% 22% 27% 22% Dust (soil, road, and const.) 17% 38% 25% 42% Transport 28% 17% 24% 15% Others 11% 8% 10% 7% * It is to be noted that the contribution of agricultural burning is not fully accounted for in this study as the monitoring and modelling periods did not include the month of October, when the burning activities are generally at their maximum. Moreover, the sectoral contributions are averaged for the whole modelling/monitoring period, and hence, do not highlight the contribution of agricultural burning, which happens during a certain number of days and cause episodically high pollutant concentrations. The Government has taken several initiatives to address the issue of paddy straw burning in Northern India and these are as follows: This information was given by Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Kirti Vardhan Singh in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today. ***** VM/GS The Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in Writ Petition (Civil) 13029/1985: M.C. Mehta v/s Union of India & Ors., vide order dated 11.11.2024 directed the Commissioner of the Delhi Police to set up a special cell for implementation of the order of ban on the manufacture, storage and bursting of all categories of firecrackers. Air pollution in Delhi – NCR is a collective result of multiple factors including high level of anthropogenic activities in the high-density populated areas in NCR, arising from various sectors viz. Vehicular Pollution, Industrial Pollution, Dust from Construction and Demolition Project activities, Road and Open Areas Dust, Biomass Burning, Municipal Solid Waste burning, Fires in Landfills, air pollution from dispersed sources, etc. During post-monsoon and winter months, lower temperature, lower mixing heights, inversion conditions and stagnant winds lead to trapping of the pollutants resulting in high pollution in the region. This is further aggravated due to the emissions from episodic events like stubble burning, firecrackers, etc. As per TERI-ARAI Source Apportionment study (2018), the contribution of major sources of PM2.5 & PM10 for Delhi is given below: Sectors PM 2.5 PM 10 Winters Summers Winters Summers Residential 10% 8% 9% 8% Agricultural Burning* 4% 7% 4% 7% Industry 30% 22% 27% 22% Dust (soil, road, and const.) 17% 38% 25% 42% Transport 28% 17% 24% 15% Others 11% 8% 10% 7% * It is to be noted that the contribution of agricultural burning is not fully accounted for in this study as the monitoring and modelling periods did not include the month of October, when the burning activities are generally at their maximum. Moreover, the sectoral contributions are averaged for the whole modelling/monitoring period, and hence, do not highlight the contribution of agricultural burning, which happens during a certain number of days and cause episodically high pollutant concentrations. The Government has taken several initiatives to address the issue of paddy straw burning in Northern India and these are as follows: This information was given by Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Kirti Vardhan Singh in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today. ***** VM/GS