Loni town’s high AQI is making Ghaziabad figure among top polluted cities: UPPCB
Loni’s AQI was way above Ghaziabad’s overall air quality index (AQI) over past eight days since Diwali on October 31
The Loni town of Ghaziabad district has become a major pollution hot spot, contributing significantly to the declining air quality in the city even before the cold has set in this winter, officials of the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) said on Friday, pointing to the air quality index (AQI) readings of above 300 (very poor) recorded in the town.
According to figures of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Loni’s AQI was way above Ghaziabad’s overall air quality index (AQI) over past eight days since Diwali on October 31.
CPCB figures show that from November 1 to November 8, Ghaziabad’s average AQI was 302.5 while Loni’s AQI for these seven days was 375. Loni’s AQI figure on November 5 could not be computed due to insufficient data available due to some technical issue.
In fact, experts say that if Loni’s AQI is excluded from Ghaziabad’s overall AQI, then Ghaziabad city would not figure among the highly polluted cities in the country.
Loni, a predominantly industrial town, is a municipal council located adjacent to Delhi and has high population density. Residents said the town is a “dust bowl” owing to bad and broken roads and traffic congestion. Also affecting its air quality are numerous small factories operating out of residential areas besides activities such as burning of scrap wires for extraction of metal.
“There are many areas in Loni which are affected by the operations of illegal factories. There is also the issue of e-waste burning and setting of fire to garbage dumps. All these factors severely impact Loni’s air. Officials are hardly seen taking action against violators and there is no strong will to deal with such issues,” said Yashpal Kasana, a resident.
On Friday, Ghaziabad’s overall AQI stood at 315 under “very poor” category and this included the contribution of Loni which had an AQI of 397, according to the CPCB’s 4pm daily bulletin.
According to AQI scale, the AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, 401 and 450 “severe” and above 450 “severe plus”.
Officials of the UP pollution board said Loni’s AQI generally remains higher than Ghaziabad’s overall average AQI.
“Loni’s AQI remains higher than the city’s overall AQI and the difference is often about 100 points. Loni is close to Delhi and we do not rule out that many scrap dealers operate there and they often resort to burning wires for extraction of metal. In this connection, we have written to different departments, including the police, to crack down on violators,” said Vikas Mishra, regional officer, UPPCB Ghaziabad.
The CPCB figures indicate that Loni during the period from November 1 to November 8, recorded AQI figures ranging between 344 and 402, while Ghaziabad’s overall AQI figures ranged between 268 and 330 during the same period.
The officials overseeing the development activities in Loni said bad roads and dust on the Delhi-Saharanpur Road which passes through the Loni town and connects Ghaziabad to other western UP districts are one of the major reasons for pollution.
“Our primary work here is water sprinkling on major roads and for this we have deployed 12 tankers and three sprinkler machines. Earlier, the Delhi-Dehraun highway work was in progress and this year, a majority of the work has been completed. Further, Loni is adjacent to Delhi which is already having high AQIs in the ranges of ”very poor”,” said KK Mishra, executive officer, Loni municipal council.