Regularly monitoring air quality at Khrew, Pulwama, Khonmoh: Govt

Jammu, Mar 25: The Jammu and Kashmir government reported on Tuesday that air quality is regularly monitored across the Union Territory, with Khrew currently classified as moderately polluted.
Replying to a question from MLA Justice Hasnain Masoodi, the Minister for Forest, Environment, and Ecology, said the government, through the Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Committee, regularly monitors the air quality at various locations in the UT of J&K, including Khrew, Pulwama, and Khonmoh, Srinagar, to avoid any threat to human life, flora and fauna, agriculture, horticulture, livestock and wildlife in the area.
He stated that based on the data of the air quality index at Khrew, the average air quality falls under the “Moderately Polluted Category”.
“The J&K Pollution Control Committee has taken legal action against 86 defaulting industries, which includes the imposition of environmental compensation and closure of the units,” he added.
The minister added, “As per the environmental standards, the cement plants are required to install On-line Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems (OCEMS), and the real-time data on emissions is uploaded to the Central Pollution Control Board server. The Health & Medical Education Department, through the Directorate of Health Services Kashmir, is exploring interventions under the National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health (NPCCHH) under NHM to strengthen preventive, diagnostic, and treatment services at PHC Khrew.”
He said strengthening the healthcare system to address the associated ailments and establishing an NCD (Non-communicable Disease) clinic is being considered under NPCCHH.
To keep air pollution under control, the government, through J&K PCC, has imposed a moratorium on the establishment of air-polluting industries, as per No. 41 JKPCC of 2021 dated 22.01.2021, which includes cement plants, stone crushers, brick kilns, hot mix plants, and mining blocks, the minister said.
“The moratorium has further been reviewed in the year 2023, wherein the moratorium on the establishment of new units shall remain in force concerning cement plants, stone crushers, brick kilns, mining, and hot mix plants until such time the annual average Air Quality Index (AQI) falls below 100 or the Comprehensive Environment Pollution Index (CEPI) score falls below 60,” he added. (KNO)