By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Jan 31: Environmental experts are of the opinion that declaring Byrnihat as one of the most polluted towns of the country by taking readings from the Assam side calls for a correction.
They suggested a joint pollution load study by both states with the monitoring and technical aspects preferably undertaken by NABET and the Ministry of Environment and Forest-empanelled consultants.
Chairman of the State Expert Appraisal Committee, Naba Bhattacharjee, said, “Byrnihat, as the most polluted town being under red zone, is a paradox of sorts. When you start from Byrnihat bridge and proceed towards Assam, right is in Assam and left is in Meghalaya.”
Stating that while both sides have industries but the polluting ones fall mostly on the Assam side, he said,
“To say that Byrnihat is the most polluted does not depict a correct picture as far as Meghalaya is concerned. Combine both and that may be the cause and maybe true, but if my information goes correctly, the measurement of ambient air quality station readings is mostly taken from the Assam side.”
He said there are air monitoring stations installed by the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB) but when the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB, New Delhi, conducts the studies, it does not consider the readings of MSPCB stations.
“Readings are from Assam side but when you declare the same, you say Byrnihat in Meghalaya. This needs a correction,” he added.
Bhattacharjee recommended that a pollution load study has to be undertaken on both Meghalaya and Assam sides of Byrnihat, preferably by a neutral agency like IIT Guwahati or an accredited consultant of the Ministry of Environment and Forest.
He said this study can be done individually but it will be more feasible and successful if a joint study is undertaken with representatives from both Meghalaya and Assam.
He said readings and recordings should be taken at least thrice a year over three seasons to find out which are the industries polluting maximum, followed by mitigation measures.
“In my knowledge, the pollution control devices, which need to be installed, are absent in most of the industries located in the area. This is one of the reasons behind the spike in the air quality,” he added.
Byrnihat is the only town among 231 across India placed under the “severe” category with an air quality index of 412, a CPCB bulletin said on Wednesday. Previous reports also suggested that Byrnihat is under a red zone as one of the most polluted in terms of air quality.