NOIDA: The readings of PM 10 and PM 2.5 on August 27 and 28 revealed a sharp rise in pollution levels, nearly eight times at Parsvnath Prestige between 2pm and 10pm on Sunday, as the twin towers fell. On Monday, as rain swept the city and Noida Authority implemented dust mitigation measures, air quality started heading back towards the pre-demolition levels. The Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board regional office had installed six ambient air quality monitoring stations at Parsvnath Prestige, City Park and Barat Ghar Gejha in Sector 93A, Omaxe Forest Spa in Sector 93B, Ace Capitol in Sector 132, and Parx Laureate in Sector 108. The pollution department said the stations recorded PM 10 and PM 2.5 data in eight-hour shifts (6 am-2 pm, 2 pm-10 pm, and 10 pm-6 am), with the data shared within 24 hours. Data for Saturday and Sunday shows nearly similar pollution levels from 6 am-2 pm, but the pollution levels rose in the 2 am-10 pm period. The thick dust cloud from the demolition site had swiftly spread around, with the wind blowing it towards Parsvnath Prestige, where the air quality station recorded the highest PM 10 at 676 (ug/m³) from 2pm-10 pm against Saturday’s 81 (ug/m³) — an 8.34 times rise. The PM 2.5 on Saturday at this station was 17 (g/m³), which increased to 141 (g/m³) on Sunday — an 8.29 times rise. The second nearest station at Omaxe Forest Spa in Sector 93B also saw a rise in pollution levels from 2pm-10pm. During this time on Saturday, the station had recorded 78 (ug/m³) PM 10, which increased to 417 (ug/m³) on Sunday — a 5.34 times rise. Saturday’s PM 2.5 level was 38 (ug/m³), which increased to 120 (ug/m³) on Sunday — a 3.15 times rise. Praveen Kumar, UPPCB Noida officer, said, “We monitor the air quality and share the information with Noida Authority, which takes dust mitigating measures,” he said. The department will keep up the monitoring till August 31. Vikrant Tongad, an environmentalist, said, “Construction and demolition waste is lying in open against the rules. The officials must get it removed swiftly”.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/noida/noida-twin-towers-pollution-spikes-in-immediate-vicinity/articleshow/93864714.cms