APPCB Convenes Emergency Meeting as Vizag Air Quality Worsens
Sector-specific sources of pollution and identified hotspots were examined in detail, alongside a review of compliance status and pollution control measures adopted by industries.
Visakhapatnam:An urgent review meeting was held by the state Pollution Control Board on Friday to address the sudden deterioration of ambient air quality in Visakhapatnam.
The meeting brought together senior officials and representatives from multiple departments and industries across Visakhapatnam and Anakapalli districts, underscoring the need for immediate and coordinated action. The meeting was presided over by state PCB chairman, P Krishnaiah.
District collector, GVMC commissioner, deputy transport commissioner, regional manager of APSRTC, superintending engineer of roads and buildings, project director of NHAI, assistant commissioner of police (traffic), board member Panchakarla Sandeep, S Bala Prasad of Andhra University, and representatives from major industries, including VPA, HPCL, CIL, RINL, Rain Carbon Ltd., AMNS Ltd, Visakha Pharma City, and NTPC participated in the discussions.
The chairman expressed serious concern over the worsening air quality, with AQI levels slipping into the “Moderate to Poor” category. Data from Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) and manual monitoring points revealed elevated concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5.
The rise in particulate matter was attributed to a combination of factors, including vehicular emissions, road dust resuspension, construction and infrastructure activities, industrial and port operations, bulk material handling, and unfavourable meteorological conditions.
Sector-specific sources of pollution and identified hotspots were examined in detail, alongside a review of compliance status and pollution control measures adopted by industries.
District collector Harindara Prasad said industrial emissions, vehicular pollution, road excavation for underground cable laying, indiscriminate disposal of construction and demolition waste, open burning of garbage, spillage during waste transportation, and congestion at traffic junctions were among the major contributors to the city’s declining air quality.
He said committees would be formed to assess dust concentrations at various sources and hotspots and to implement immediate corrective measures.
GVMC commissioner Ketan Garg said special task force teams would be constituted to tackle dust pollution at identified hotspots. Sandeep highlighted the urgent need to expand monitoring infrastructure, noting that only one CAAQM station is currently operational near the RTC complex.
He recommended installing additional stations across the city to capture representative data and called for surprise inspections to verify PUC certificates for RTC buses and government vehicles.
The APPCB chairman urged all stakeholder departments and industries to adopt emergency measures without delay and ensure strict compliance with prescribed air quality standards. He said coordinated, time-bound action was essential to restore and safeguard the ambient air quality of Visakhapatnam.