The National Green Tribunal has imposed a complete ban on burning waste in open including garbage, leaves, plastic and crop residues in Delhi-NCR region. Those who violate will be fined with Rs. 5,000. The NGT has taken this step to tackle the heavy air pollution in Delhi-NCR. Earlier the NGT banned running of diesel vehicles which were more than 10 years old in the region.
A bench headed by National Green Tribunal Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar has asked the civic authorities and state governments of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh to “immediately” spread mass awareness regarding ill-effects of burning waste materials in open areas.
A recent report prepared by the World Health Organisation pointed out Delhi’s air as the worst in the world. The air quality levels measured in 2014 by WHO in more than 1600 cities all over the World showed New Delhi as the most polluted city in the world. The estimates showed that the air pollution in the New Delhi is 10 times higher than acceptable standards.
Tidbits
- Particulate matter (PM) is an air pollution term for a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air.
- The pollutant comes in a variety of sizes and can be composed of many types of materials and chemicals.
- Based on size, PM is classified into Coarse Particles (less than 10 micro meter in diameter) and Fine Particles (less than 2.5 micro meter in diameter).
- These inhalable particles are responsible for Asthma, Chronic Bronchitis, Irregular Heartbeat, and also some cancers.etc.
- These particles reduce visibility, causes damage to crops and forests, reduce levels of nutrients in soils..etc
- The National Green Tribunal has been established on 18.10.2010 under the National Green Tribunal Act 2010.
