In the News
June 5, 2019
Multiple reports over the past year have shed light on the city’s degrading air quality. In March, a study by an international non-profit found Gurugram the most polluted city in the world (with respect to PM2.5 pollution), and triggered concerns among residents who wondered if enough was being done at policy level to tackle the issue. Other studies have suggested that life expectancy in the city has decreased by almost nine years, and that air pollution is increasing at a far higher rate than the national average.
Despite these concerns, which have persisted for years, no major policy interventions have been made by either the Haryana government or various administrative bodies in Gurugram.
While basic pollution control measures, such as dust management and construction ban, among others, have been taken by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) and the Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP), experts said these steps are mandatory under the Centre’s Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to curb air pollution in the National Capital Region (NCR), and are not the result of local initiatives or political will.
Moreover, Gurugram continues to fall behind on many targets set in last year’s Comprehensive Action Plan (CAP) for NCR, which includes setting up robust air quality monitoring systems, improving sustainable mobility, and implementation of emission norms for industries.
“Some of these targets, such as introducing bus services, banning furnace oil and pet coke, and regulation of brick kilns have started. But these are mainly under the influence of a central policy. Going by available numbers, GRAP and CAP implementation has not had much effect on ground in Gurugram,” said Sachin Panwar, a city-based air quality scientist.
What the studies say
In May 2018, a study by The Energy and Resources Institute and Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT-D) said the average annual concentration of PM2.5 in the city increased by over 80ug/m3 between 1998 and 2017. The study also noted that the city’s population was highly vulnerable to health impact from this added exposure, given the state of existing healthcare infrastructure and mortality rates.
In November, a study by the Energy Policy Institute at University of Chicago said life expectancy in Gurugram has reduced by almost nine years due to exposure to PM2.5. The report, titled ‘Air Quality Life Index’ also found that the average annual level of PM2.5 in the city increased by 41ug/m3 between 1998 and 2016, which experts said is alarming compared to the national average rise of 22.1ug/m3 recorded during the same period.