GURUGRAM: A survey to map out all hot spots where air pollution levels exceed safe limits has begun, officials said on Sunday, adding that the exercise will allow them to take remedial measures such as setting up of new monitoring stations.
“We are in the process of finalising such sites,” said P Raghavendra Rao, chairman of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) and member of the body’s expert committee.
The decision comes days after Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced in his annual budget that the state will get 100 new air monitoring stations.
Haryana currently has 29 Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) – out of which 21 are located in the National Capital Region (NCR) districts of the state. These include Bhiwani, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Jhajjar, Jind, Karnal, Panipat and Sonipat.
Air pollution has become one of the talking points of governance in NCR as cities in the region annually turn into a dome of toxic haze with the onset of winter. Pollution levels across most of the remaining year are relatively better but still not in the safe zone.
Apart from Gurgaon, districts such as Faridadad, Jhajjar, Rohtak, Mewat, Sonipat, Panipat and Rewari are considered to be highly polluted in Haryana.
The new problem areas shortlisted by the state will be monitored for pollution levels after the CAAQMS stations are installed. The aim will be to turn these into green hot spots, officials said.
Separately, data from such spots will help the government address local sources of pollution, undocumented emissions from small-scale industry units and open waste-burning in the areas. “We are preparing a plan so that these areas can be monitored continuously,” said S Narayana, secretary of the HSPCB.
State officials also said their action plan will make way for night patrolling and other other responses to stem pollution.
Experts welcomed the move on Sunday, saying that the process will allow the government to take targeted action.
“Mapping air pollution hot spots was long pending in Haryana. This will bring more clarity about the sources of pollution and localised emission inventories. If a robust network can be created then it will also help in taking strong decisions for controlling specific sources. Quantifying pollutants at hot spots also brings more clarity on priority pollutants to be addressed,” said Sachin Panwar, an independent air quality researcher.
Others pointed out that this approach can be particularly useful in industrial areas and in regions with high population densities.
"Mapping pollution hot spots will help prioritise regions that need immediate attention. Cities can begin by conducting city-wide reconnaissance exercises. Targeted interventions can then be rolled out to ensure that areas where people are more likely to be exposed to pollution are addressed first,” said LS Kurinji, programme associate at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW).
According to officials, some of the major polluting stretches of Gurgaon are: Sirhol border, Givo Cut, IMT Manesar, Kapriwash Chowk, Sohna Road, Sadar Bazar, Mahaveer Chowk, Atul Kataria Chowk, Dhankot, Daultabad flyover, Basai Chowk, Khandsa Road and Wazirpur Chowk.
Kurinji said such mapping exercises are usually carried out through physical reconnaissance, satellite data, dense sensor networks or a combination of these. For instance, studying satellite data for Haryana indicates rampant farm fires in Fatehabad, Sirsa, Karnal and Kaithal districts, she said.
Previously, Delhi carried out a similar mapping study in 2019.
