Delhi-NCR: EPCA shuts industries, bans construction activities for 3 days
The Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) today imposed a three-day ban on industrial activities in pollution hotspots and construction work across Delhi-NCR in view the national capital's severe air quality. Delhi is facing its highest pollution level since Diwali. The city's air quality remained in the severe category for the third consecutive day today. Read the details here.
Industries located in hotspot industrial-areas of Wazirpur, Mundka, Narela, Bawana, Sahibabad, and Faridabad will remain closed until Wednesday, EPCA Chairperson Bhure Lal said in a letter to Delhi Chief Secretary Vijay Kumar Dev. The EPCA has also banned all construction activities in Delhi, Faridabad, Gurugram, Ghaziabad, and Noida till Wednesday. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee said the ban comes into force from today itself.
The Committee said it is sending letters to industries and construction authorities to immediately halt the activities. The EPCA directed the traffic police to deploy special teams and ensure congestion-free traffic flow, particularly in identified high traffic corridors in Delhi-NCR.
"Concerned police department to strictly ensure that non-destined heavy-duty vehicles travel through eastern, western peripheral expressways," said EPCA in its direction. The concerned agencies have also been asked to ensure strict action against illegal industries, intensify ground action and make all efforts to control polluting activities, particularly waste-burning. "The ventilation index which allows dispersion (of pollutants) is extremely poor," said Lal in the letter.
Commenting on the ventilation index in the national capital, Lal said it is expected that these conditions will prevail for the next two days. In light of this and the expected weather conditions for the coming few days, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) task force has made these recommendations, which, the EPCA directs, should urgently be complied with, he further said.
Today, Delhi's air quality was recorded at 449 which falls in the severe category, the CPCB said. Thirty-two areas in the city recorded severe air quality while it was very poor in five areas, it said. Delhi's air quality turned 'severe' on Saturday. The national capital recorded its second-highest pollution level of the year on Sunday with an AQI of 450.
