In an order issued recently, the CAQM said that industries in the NCR which have not shifted to PNG or biomass fuel, despite the availability of natural gas infrastructure and supply, are to switch over completely by September 30, “failing which such industries shall be closed down and not permitted to schedule operations thereafter.”
Early in December, the commission had restricted operations of such industries not running on PNG or cleaner fuel to eight hours per day for five days a week, on account of deteriorating air quality in the NCR. These restrictions were in place till Friday, when the CAQM lifted them.
In its order, the commission noted that apart from those in Delhi, a majority of industries in the industrial areas across the NCR, where gas infrastructure and supply are available, are still not fully operating on PNG or cleaner fuels and continue to run on coal or high-speed diesel.
The commission also noted in its order that in those industrial areas where PNG infrastructure and supply is not available, industries shall plan and switch over to running on biomass fuel at the earliest.
In August last year, the commission had directed Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to prepare a time-bound action plan to supply gas in the industrial areas within the NCR districts to ensure that industries run on PNG in all industrial areas. It also noted then that out of 1,469 industrial units identified for switching to gas in Haryana, only 408 had made the shift, while in Uttar Pradesh, the figure was 1,161 industrial units that had shifted to gas out of 2,273 identified in the NCR districts.
A senior official of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board said that some industries that have access to gas supply were still reluctant to make the shift considering the initial cost to change their equipment to that compatible with gas, and the operating cost that some units are saying is higher. “There are a lot of places where infrastructure and gas connectivity are not available,” he said.
“Industrial contribution to particulate matter in the NCR is significant. Oil that is burnt leads to emissions of polyaromatic hydrocarbons which immediately converts to organic soot or aerosols. Burning LPG or CNG would also lead to some emissions of volatile organic carbons, but combustion is far more efficient and direct emissions of polyaromatic hydrocarbons which immediately transform into soot or aerosols will not happen. The switch to gas should make a difference,” said Sachchida Nand Tripathi, Professor, IIT-Kanpur.