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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Pollution levels of PM10 up in Delhi, 5 other cities: Govt
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Pollution levels of PM10 up in Delhi, 5 other cities: Govt

Less than 10 micrometers in diameter, PM10 particles are so small they can enter lungs easily and cause trouble

Environment minister Prakash Javadekar said levels of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen were in control during 2011-13, but (PM10) has shot up in the period. Photo: HT (HT)Premium
Environment minister Prakash Javadekar said levels of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen were in control during 2011-13, but (PM10) has shot up in the period. Photo: HT
(HT)

New Delhi: The level of particulate matter (PM10), which can cause serious health problems, has exceeded the prescribed limits in the air of Delhi and five other neighbouring cities, the government on Thursday said.

Environment minister Prakash Javadekar told the Rajya Sabha that the levels of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen were in control during 2011-13, but (PM10) has shot up in the period.

Ambient air quality in Delhi and the National Capital Region is monitored by the pollution control boards of Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and NEERI under the national air monitoring programme at 20 locations in Delhi, Faridabad, Gaziabad, Meerut, Noida and Alwar.

“As per the analysis of data for last three years (2011-13), the levels of sulphur dioxide (annual averages of 50ug/m3) and nitrogen (annual averages of 40 ug/m3) were within norms.," Javadekar said. “However, PM10 has exceeded the prescribed norms in all six cities."

PM10 particles are less than 10 micrometers in diameter and are so small that they can get into the lungs, potentially causing serious health problems. He said that the provision of Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1981 to prevent and control air pollution are implemented by the DPCC in Delhi through its officials. “The laboratories of DPCC and CBCB are adequately equipped to monitor emissions from industries," Javadekar said.

The government had yesterday said it has decided to put in place a unified air quality monitoring system to ensure that “authenticated" information is available to people. Green bodies asked the government to make their intent behind “re-evaluating" the pollution data public. The union environment minister said the CPCB, the DPCC and the IMD have also developed a standard operating procedure (SoP) of data “validation, analysis and dissemination" and gave comprehensive details as to how it would work.

Concerns were raised on Wednesday in the Rajya Sabha over the rising air pollution in Delhi, with a Congress member saying that many countries have reduced the tenure of their diplomats here due to the problem.

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Published: 12 Mar 2015, 09:39 PM IST
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