PM10 level high around incineration & thermal plants in Delhi

The level of particulate matter PM10, an indicator of pollution, is high around incineration and thermal power plants in the capital but the poor air quality cannot be conclusively attributed to these plants, a report placed in the National Green Tribunal said today.
A high-power inspecting team, constituted by the green panel to inspect incineration and thermal power plants here, submitted an inspection report which said PM10 (fine respirable particles) around Badarpur Thermal Power Station, Timarpur-Okhla Waste plant and Ghazipur plant exceeded the prescribed ambient air quality standards as notified by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
"The analysis results of the ambient air quality monitoring carried out at different locations reveal that PM 10 exceeded the ambient air quality standards notified by CPCB under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981...

"With above findings, no direct conclusions can be drawn regarding impact on ambient air quality at the monitored locations due to the operation of the plant. The results indicate that air quality at different locations may have been influenced by local factors like vehicular traffic, dust, industrial sources etc," the inspection report said.
On February 5, NGT had directed CPCB to submit its inspection report on the waste-to-energy and thermal power plants in the capital in a bid to address the growing waste management problem. Waste-to-energy is the process of generating energy in the form of electricity from the primary treatment of waste.

On December 17 last year, NGT had constituted the experts' team consisting of the Environment and Power Secretary, NCT Delhi, the Member-Secretary of CPCB, Delhi Pollution Control Committee, senior scientist from MoEF, senior officer from Irrigation Department of UP (for Ghazipur plant) and chief engineers of municipal corporations.
The tribunal was hearing a petition filed by NGO Centre for Wildlife and Environmental Litigation, through advocate Gaurav Bansal, seeking a scientific analysis of all the three landfill sites at Ghazipur in East Delhi, Bhalaswa (North West Delhi) and Okhla (South Delhi).