APCB, iForest launch ‘Guwahati Clean Air Plan’ to curb pollution

Guwahati, Dec 19: As the earlier action plan gathers dust, Assam Pollution Control Board (APCB) has tied up with iForest (International Forum for Environment Sustainability & Technology) to come up with another plan to clean the city’s air.

The ‘Guwahati Clean Air Plan’ was released on Wednesday in Guwahati, and the tie-up is part of an MoU agreed upon during the Advantage Assam 2.0 summit.

According to the report prepared in collaboration with Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, road dust and transport are the highest contributors of air pollution in the city.

Of the total estimated PM10 emission 1071 T/yr, dust (both construction and road dust) is the largest contributor (37 per cent), while industries contribute about 25 per cent and road transportation 21 per cent. Cooking and heating emissions from the domestic and commercial sector contribute to around 12 per cent of emissions.

Of the total estimated PM2.5 emission of 435.3 T/yr, road transport is the largest contributor to PM2.5 (52 per cent), followed by road dust (16 per cent), emissions from industries (6 per cent), construction dust (4 per cent), and commercial and domestic and commercial cooking (16 per cent).

The report flagged that Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) guidelines for dust management, like no green net cover in construction sites, no barricading around flyover works, construction materials left uncovered, multiple agencies digging roads without coordination, excavated sites left open without barricades, dumping of materials and waste on road-sides were not followed here.

Ironically, the 2018 Action Plan had laid down steps to mitigate the rod and construction dust, but all remained on paper with the agencies responsible doing little to implement it.

The iForest plan suggested that authorities should issue a show-cause notice for the first violation, halt construction on the second, and impose a ban on the third.

The report also highlighted that gaps like the absence of a structured parking system, heavy on-street parking causing congestion, operation of large buses on narrow roads, encroachment along roadsides, poor intersection geometry, etc., were leading to high emissions from vehicles, and it called for a traffic congestion plan to deal with it.

On the industrial front, the iron and steel industries are the dominant polluters. Most emissions from the steel sector come from coal-fired furnaces, though these units have pollution control devices in place.

The report also expressed concern over the poor solid waste management system in the city. Of the total generated 884 TPD of waste, only around 650 is collected, of which around 50 per cent is processed. The rest goes to landfills.

“About 7 per cent of the total generated waste is burnt. Emission from burned waste is estimated at around 61 tonnes per day (22,349 tonnes per year), with a share of 179 T of PM10 and 122T of PM2.5 per year,” it noted.

The report further said that the Brahmaputra riverbed on the northern side of the city also contributes to natural dust re-suspension. Improved soil stabilisation measures and increased green cover along the riverbanks are required to mitigate this source. Green cover on open and barren patches across the city is required to reduce dust generation.

The event was attended by APCB chairman Arup Kumar Mishra, MLA Mrinal Hazarika, musician Joi Baruah, Aaranyak’s secretary general Bibhab Talukdar, CEO of iForest DR Chandra Bhusan, Cotton University VC RC Deka and others.