Delhi briefly bans some construction to cut pollution

(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The Central Pollution Control Board has temporarily banned some construction activity in New Delhi and called for stringent measures to stop farm fires causing air quality to plummet and leaving a toxic haze.
The Indian capital has been facing one of the worst spells of air pollution in years, which doctors and environmentalists say is worsening the health effects of a third wave of coronavirus infections. Delhi's air quality index was 'very poor at 334 on a scale of 500 yesterday.
That was an improvement from severe conditions in the past three days after wind picked up and dispersed pollutants. But air quality is forecast to deteriorate closer to the festival of Diwali this weekend, the CPCB said in a notice.
The CPCB ordered a shutdown of asphalt mixing plants and stone crushers until November 17 in the capital and satellite cities, and told city authorities to ensure stricter enforcement of dust control at all construction sites and penalise violators.
Other measures included stepping up mechanised cleaning of roads and checks on rubbish burning.
Beyond the capital itself, the pollution board ordered the state governments of Punjab and Haryana to take 'immediate stringent actions to curb stubble burning, which has been a major source of air pollution this season.
'These are temporary measures where the big challenge would be enforcement, said Anumita Roy Chowdhury, an executive director of research and advocacy at the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment.
'But, the awareness level among people needs to go up dramatically this year because of Covid-19.
On Monday, the National Green Tribunal forbid the sale and use of firecrackers, a traditional part of Diwali celebrations.
Unlike the southern parts of the country, most arid regions of northern India, including New Delhi, struggle with dust, a common air pollutant.
Environmental experts say New Delhi's topography hobbles efforts by authorities to stave off the spike in pollution.
Also, large-scale mining for rocks and sand, used in construction, has hollowed out the Aravalli mountain range, a natural barrier that used to protect New Delhi from dust coming from the Thar Desert.
Activists warn the fast disappearance of the Aravalli range will make New Delhi more vulnerable to its pollution woes.

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