On Saturday, the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) slapped a fine of ₹5 lakh on a builder developing a group housing project in Greater Noida for not taking adequate anti-pollution measures during construction. This is the 2nd time in the past 2 days that the UPPCB has slapped a fine on entities over irresponsible construction activities leading to air pollution.
On Thursday, another builder has imposed a penalty of ₹5 lakh over the same reason. Officials said Thursday’s fine was the first in the district after construction was allowed to restart from May 4, following weeks of lockdown to curb the spread of the COVID-19 disease.
Archana Dwivedi, regional officer, UPPCB said that “We had received a complaint through social media that construction activities in a Greater Noida sector were creating inconvenience & generating a lot of dust. Upon inspection, it was found construction was leading to dust. Construction materials like sand were also not covered. There were no dust controlling measures taken by the builder, that’s why an environmental compensation of ₹5 lakh was imposed".
Dwivedi added that “An official letter has been sent to the city magistrate to collect the fine of ₹5 lakh each from both builders".
As construction activities restarted in Gautam Budh Nagar, the district has been seeing a slight drop in air quality. The air quality index (AQI) during the national lockdown had come down to the ‘satisfactory’ category (AQI of 50 to 100). However, the current trend of air quality is under the ‘moderate’ category, which is an AQI of 100 to 200.
Shambhavi Shukla, programme officer (air quality), Centre for Science & Environment (CSE) said that “The air quality in the region is a cause of concern again as it’s deteriorating slowly with construction activities resuming in the region. At some places in NCR, the air quality is back to the ‘poor’ category & the volume of both PM2.5 & PM10 is increasing. Also, during summers, dust from construction activities contributes to PM2.5 levels. It is highly advised to ensure that C&D (construction & demolition) & dust mitigation guidelines are adhered to".
Earlier this month, it was revealed in an RTI that only 10 out of 45 major construction sites & industries have installed anti-smog guns -- a major pollution control measure. The anti-smog gun, as directed by the Apex Court in Jan, should be used in the NCR at project sites dealing with excavation, material handling & other dust-generating activities.
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