Ahmedabad: The State Government and the Gujarat Pollution Control Board got the notices from The Gujarat High Court in response to a PIL seeking steps to reduce air pollution levels in the state. The court also directed factories to use natural gas instead of coal as fuel. The base of the PIL was the report prepared by CPCB.
“The CPCB has categorized four regions of the state — Vadodara, Ankleshwar, Vapi and Bhavnagar — as having ‘critically polluted’ air. Four other regions — Vatva, Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Morbi — are identified as being ‘severely polluted’. Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara find a place in the list of 122 ‘Non-Attainment Cities’ of the ministry of environment, forest and climate change. Cities are declared non-attainment if they consistently do not meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) over a 5-year period,” said advocate Amit Panchal, who appeared as party-in-person, in the PIL. The CPCB had prepared a comprehensive report after a complaint was filed by Panchal in the National Green Tribunal about the deteriorating air quality in the city and the latter had asked the CPCB to submit a report.
“In July 2019, the air quality status of various cities (for the years 2016, 2017 and 2018) was submitted in the Lok Sabha. Ahmedabad was ranked third in the list of PM10 (Particulate Matter) pollution and 6th in PM 2.5. Rajkot ranked ninth in the country in terms of PM10 pollution and seventh in PM2.5 pollution. Vadodara was ninth in PM2.5 pollution,” the PIL stated
It said, “A 2016 report by Greenpeace, Out of Sight: How coal burning advances India’s Air Pollution Crisis’’, shows that Gujarat has a high concentration of SO2 emissions. Data shows that there has been a 30% increase in SO2 concentration between 2009 and 2015.”
It demanded emission standards and parameters for industries in a way that pollution levels in the state are maintained within acceptable limits and ensure that all factories/plants/sites be allowed to function only if they are operated on natural gas and not with the use of coal.