Delhi pollution: Centre orders closure of 191 industries for lack of emission control equipment

The Union government on Saturday ordered the immediate sealing of 191 industrial units across Delhi and the adjoining National Capital Region for failing to install air pollution control equipment despite repeated instructions, The Indian Express reported.

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav also asked Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to appoint secretary-level officers to oversee pollution-control measures in 15 cities across the National Capital Region. The officers will conduct field inspections and submit weekly reports to the Commission for Air Quality Management.

Yadav issued the directions during a high-level review meeting on Saturday with officials from the four states.

The minister also directed the authorities to enforce the particulate matter emission limit of 50 milligram per cubic metre or mg/Nm3 for industrial units, that was prescribed in February.

Under the directive, large and medium industries were ordered to meet the new limit by August 1, while the remaining identified industries were given until October 1 to comply.

The norm replaced the March 2022 standards, which set a maximum permissible particulate matter emission limit of 80 mg/Nm³ and an advisory target of 50 mg/Nm³.

The environment minister also directed action, including criminal prosecution, against transport department officials who fail to install Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras by November 30, The New Indian Express reported.

Further, the Union government directed the authorities to take immediate action at 233 identified traffic congestion points across the national capital.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has been asked to install Multi-Lane Free Flow systems at 154 entry points to the capital by December 31, 2026, to reduce traffic congestion.

The authorities were also directed to physically inspect more than 3,000 active construction and demolition sites to check compliance with dust-control measures, The Indian Express reported.

The directions come as Delhi continues to record very poor air quality.

At 8.05 am, the average AQI in the national capital was 351, which is categorised as “very poor”, according to data from the Sameer application, which provides hourly updates published by the Central Pollution Control Board.

Eight of the 58 active monitoring stations in the national capital recorded AQI levels above 400.

The reading at the Indian Institute Of Technology, Delhi, was the worst in the city at 426, which is categorised as “severe”.

According to the government standards, an index value between 0 and 50 indicates “good” air quality, between 51 and 100 indicates “satisfactory” air quality and between 101 and 200 indicates “moderate” air quality. As the index value increases further, air quality deteriorates. A value of 201 and 300 means “poor” air quality, while between 301 and 400 indicates “very poor” air.

Between 401 and 450 indicates “severe” air pollution, while anything above the 450 threshold is termed “severe plus”.

Air quality deteriorates sharply in the winter months in Delhi, which is often ranked the world’s most polluted capital. The lighting of firecrackers during Diwali along with stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana, vehicular pollution, falling temperatures, decreased wind speeds and emissions from industries and coal-fired plants contribute to the problem.

On November 6, the Commission for Air Quality Management imposed Stage 3 restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan in Delhi and the National Capital Region as a precautionary measure after air quality deteriorated towards the “severe” category.

GRAP is a set of incremental anti-pollution measures that are triggered to prevent further worsening of air quality once it reaches a certain threshold in Delhi-NCR.

Stage 3 measures include a ban on non-essential construction work and the closure of stone crushers and mining activities, in addition to the measures already imposed under Stage 1 and Stage 2.

Edited by Sara Varghese.