Tamil Nadu cities get that choking feeling – Times of India

Chennai News
CHENNAI: As clear skies turn smoggy and clean air and water become scarce, the ambient air quality in cities across India becomes a matter of concern for not just activists, but for central and state agencies as well. With the focus on particulate matter — PM10 and PM2. 5 and several cities exceeding the permissible levels, the agencies have started to crack down on such cities with an aim to contain the level of air pollution and prevent it from further affecting public health.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has been checking the ambient air quality through its network of around 800 manual monitoring stations and about 250 continuous monitoring centres.
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Based on data collected between 2015 and 2019, the central agency identified 124 cities and termed them non-attainment cities — where the ambient air quality parameter exceeds permissible values specified in the National Ambient Air Quality Standards over a period of three years. These include cities in Tamil Nadu — Tuticorin, Madurai and Trichy, and Chennai added later as part of eight other cities termed ‘non-attainment’ due to its growing population in excess of a million people and more.
CPCB wanted a study to be undertaken and come out with an action plan for all the identified cities, even as the National Green Tribunal (NGT) mounted pressure through its additional push. With the yearly average of PM10 values exceeding beyond the stipulated annual average standard for the period, CPCB urged the respective state agencies to undertake ‘source apportionment’ study.
Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) too initiated such a study in March 2019 for Tuticorin as per directions of NGT. The results of the monitoring stations in Tuticorin indicate that PM2. 5, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide were within the prescribed limit, but PM10 is the main air pollutant that is higher than the prescribed limit. Hence NGT instructed state pollution control board to chart out the action plan for controlling respirable dust matter.
Subsequent to various directions from NGT to TNPCB, Tamil Nadu government constituted the Air Quality Monitoring Committee (AQMC) on January 10, 2019, under the chairmanship of principal secretary to the government — environment and forests department for the preparation and implementation plan for improving the air quality in Tuticorin. TNPCB initiated the source apportionment study in February 2019 through the Centre for Climate Change and Adaptation Research, Anna University in Chennai.
Source apportionment study is the identification of sources causing ambient air pollution and the quantification of their contribution to pollution levels. This task is accomplished using different approaches including emission inventories, sourceoriented models and receptororiented models. The study revealed that the main contribution of PM10s was the road dust containing silica. The dust particle characterisation showed the heavy metals were within limits. The water soluble organic matter and elemental carbon present in all the stations indicate the other source to be burning of fuel, emissions from vehicles and biomass.
It also recommended steps to be implemented to control the particulate matter emission in Tuticorin by carpeting both sides of the roads with black topping and mechanised sweeping to control and reduce road dust, encourage use of public transport and reduce private transport vehicles and retrofitting of particulate filters in the used diesel vehicles for reducing the organic particulate emission.
It further suggested planting of trees on roadsides, monitoring of industrial emission, use of CNG/LPG and increasing the number of air quality monitoring stations. Based on it the action plan was prepared by TNPCB for Tuticorin. It was approved by AQMC and sent to CPCB on April 29, 2019.
Though the recommendations were approved by CPCB on May 16, 2019, but for some unknown reason it was kept under wraps and made public through an affidavit only after the Madras high court’s verdict on Sterlite Copper smelter closure case. The delay raises questions, especially because had the study been undertaken when directed by NGT, the real reason for the pollution in Tuticorin had been explained to the people, it would not have led to the opposition among the public to industrial projects in the town.
“The CPCB sanctioned a sum of ?3. 06 crore for the implementation of the action plan for Tuticorin. In addition, the revised action plans for Chennai, Trichy and Madurai were approved by the AQMC of Tamil Nadu and forwarded to the CPCB on December 16, 2021. CPCB approved the plan for Trichy and recommended minor revisions for Chennai and Madurai on January 7, 2022, for implementation by the urban local bodies. The action plan contains short, mid and longterm components by various stakeholders,” a senior official with TNPCB said, on condition of anonymity.
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Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/tamil-nadu-cities-getthat-choking-feeling/articleshow/89234827.cms