CPCB should help industry meet green norms: Environment Minister 

Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav said  his ministry’s August 29 notification to set up a system of registered environmental auditors (EAs) to “supplement, not replace” pollution control boards is being done to encourage industry to self-regulate and end inspector Raj, reported the HT. 

The minister said The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) should help in capacity building in environmental matters, and become a mentor to ensure compliance with regulations, Union, reported the HT. 

Speaking at the 51st Foundation Day of CPCB, he said the agency will play a  role in achieving “Make in India” in manufacturing. 

He stressed on “behavioural change” for rules and regulations to be effective. “These rules are designed to supplement the existing monitoring and inspection framework of the government, not to replace it” Yadav had said.

The newspaper explained: “Tier-1 comprises existing government regulator-based review of compliance, including by government agencies like CPCB, State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) and regional offices of the ministry; and tier-2 comprises environment auditor-based mechanism.”

“Because when we establish an industry, then they should produce and self regulation should be in place. For environmental norms, we have talked about environmental audits so that our inspector raj is reduced, people can submit their audit reports through a system of environment auditors,” Yadav said. 

Delhi, Mumbai record highest level of ground level ozone pollution : CPCB 

Delhi and Mumbai are the top two of 10 Indian cities that breach the safe levels for ground-level ozone, the Central Pollution Control Board recently informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT), reported the Telegraph. The CPCB analysed safety limits of ground ozone levels at 178 monitoring stations across 10 cities in 2023.

A total of 25 stations of the 57 in Delhi, and 22 of 45 in Mumbai reported ozone levels beyond the safe limit of 2% for eight hours, the newspaper reported. 

Out of all 178 monitoring stations, the safe limit was breached at 65. The CPCB said the elevated ozone levels might be attributed to emissions from the transport sector, power plants and industrial activities.

Over 60% of 125 villages in Greater Noida has no sewer system 

In UP’s Greater Noida over 60% of villages have no sewer system, Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) informed the National Green Tribunal, TOI reported. The waste management is being carried out by de-sludging, for which 35 de-sludge vehicles are used, the newspaper added. GNIDA said out of 124 villages in its command area, only 115 were identified as requiring some sort of sewer management, and 46 villages are connected to sewage treatment plants (STPs), but 100% household connections have been achieved in 25 of them, and connections in 21 more villages are underway, the report said.

Air pollution causes shorter sleep finds global study  

Air pollution causes shorter, lower-quality sleep, according to the findings of an international evidence review that published the global meta study, the Guardian reported.  Dr Junxin Li, of the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, who led the review, said: “long-term exposure to outdoor pollutants such as particle pollution, nitrogen dioxide and even carbon dioxide was linked to shorter or lower-quality sleep.”

Cutting average particle pollution (PM2.5) in half – from typical levels found alongside busy London roads down to the World Health Organization guidelines – could trim the likelihood of poor sleep in middle-aged and older adults by roughly one in 10, she said. 

People who used solid fuel, such as wood or coal, had worse sleep quality, including insomnia and short sleep duration.

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