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Ghaziabad most polluted industrial cluster in India
Date: 26/09/2013

The Capital’s neighbouring town of Ghaziabad has earned the dubious distinction of being the most polluted industrial zone in the country, calling for the environment ministry to impose a ban on allowing new industries in the township.The country’s pollution watchdog, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), evaluated air, land and water pollution in 47 critically polluted clusters. It found that eight of these clusters still have high levels of pollution despite implementation of environment management plan more than two years ago.

“Our evaluation shows that the plans have more or less remained on paper,” a senior pollution board official said. More than that, it also presented a sorry state of CPCB failing to monitor implementation of the plan to reduce pollution levels.

Industrial Cluster CEPI store

85.13 Ghaziabad

84.13 Vapi Gujarat

73.31 Jharsuguda 1 (Orissa)

75.72 Ludhiana (Punjab)

81.27 Panipat (Haryana)

76.05 Patancheru-Bollaram (A.P)

The ministry had imposed a moratorium over new industry in 47 clusters in 2010 on basis of Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI) based on air, water and land pollution evaluation. The moratorium on most of the clusters was lifted within a year after the state governments assured of improving the environment.

The CBCB in a new assessment in February to April this year found that pollution levels in some of these clusters including Ghaziabad, have not changed. In Fact, Ghaziabad in 2013 edged out Vapi in Gujarat as the most polluted industrial cluster in 2010.

Ghaziabad got 85 marks on the 100 mark index as compared to 84.5 for Vapi

It was because Vapi made some improvement since 2010 whereas Ghaziabad maintained its status quo.

Source: HT

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