Bihar and Meghalaya left Delhi behind in terms of pollution, why is the air of small cities becoming poisonous?

New Delhi: When we think of small towns, images of open roads, blue skies and clean air emerge in our mind. It is believed that pollution is a problem of big cities. But recently a surprising report has come out. This report is based on pollution in the cities of the country. According to the report, from 2023 till this year, Burnihat, a small town in Meghalaya, has been more polluted than any other city in Delhi and the plains.

How did Burnihat reach the top in pollution?

But how is there so much pollution in a city of Meghalaya, famous for its greenery and beauty? This question comes in everyone’s mind. Actually, this city situated on the Meghalaya-Assam border is an industrial area, where there are many small and big factories manufacturing ferroalloy, tyre-tube, cement and polythene products. There is so much pollution in Burnihat due to the close proximity of these industries.

Located on the border of Assam and Meghalaya

Sunil Dahiya, an expert at the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), said, ‘Since it is situated on the border of two states, a large number of trucks keep coming and going here. For this reason, the pollution caused by vehicles is very high here. Most of the people working in this city have migrated. There is continuous construction work going on here, due to which the problem of pollution increases even more.

Begusarai of Bihar is at second place

Burnihat is an example of the problem of pollution that has not been addressed in other cities of India apart from Delhi, especially Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. Delhi was at eighth place in the total pollution index for the year 2023. After Burnihat, Begusarai of Bihar was in second place. GD came to Begusarai from Munger in 2017. Ravi Kant Anand, assistant professor at the college, says, ‘It has been a very bad experience. Here there is often suffocation and burning sensation in the eyes.

In the year 2023, all the cities which are ahead of the capital Delhi in terms of pollution, are counted among small cities. Of these, Greater Noida is the only city which is in NCR. The trend continues for Burnihat in 2024, with the northeastern city continuing to hold the number one spot.

How is the pollution level increasing?

Anirban Banerjee, a senior expert working in the air quality team at the Center for the Study of Science Technology and Policy (CSTEP), says pollution in Burnihat may also be due to its hilly terrain, which traps pollutants. he/she said that further study is needed to find out the real cause of pollution.

Although the Central Pollution Control Board has repeatedly warned about high levels of air pollution in Burnihat, there is a need to create a joint monitoring system by the governments of Assam and Meghalaya. But no one has done this.

People learned to live with pollution

However, many people in Burnihat have learned to live with pollution. he/she says that this is better than no income. Take, for example, Mehbooba Khatoon, who runs a dhaba along the main road in Burnihat. She says, ‘Pollution doesn’t matter to us. It is because of these polluting industries that we are sustaining our food. Many of the people working in these are our customers.

The workers are also not complaining. Their salary may be less, but at least they get it on time. A large part of the workers in the industries here come from flood-affected districts of lower Assam like Barpeta, Dhubri and Kamrup. his/her land has been destroyed due to erosion of the Brahmaputra river and now he/she is forced to work as a labourer.

Imran Hussain, who works in a coke plant, says, ‘Women laborers here get around Rs 200 per day, while men get around Rs 350 per day. Pollution affects health, but the management provides masks inside the plant. Due to lack of employment in our villages, people agree to work here.

Whose pollution is this?

Traveling from Guwahati, the capitals of Assam and Meghalaya, to Shillong, the lush green surroundings gradually transform into smoke-emitting industries as you approach Burnihat. This is a city where the air quality does not meet the national environmental standards.

Although there are industries on both sides of the border, a central initiative Export Promotion Industrial Park (EPIP) was established on the Meghalaya side in 1996. Currently, 21 industries are running from EPIP, out of which six have been established in the last two years. To run industries here, approval has to be taken from the State Pollution Control Board.

Many factories received notice

The Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB) had this year issued notices to half a dozen ferroalloy manufacturing units in Burnihat for not meeting pollution standards and breaking rules. These shortcomings included the absence of suitably calibrated meters to measure local pollution which industrial units must mandatorily install.

What are the officers saying?

Ri Bhoi deputy commissioner Abhilash Baranwal claimed that there is no ‘red category’ (most polluting) industry in the Meghalaya part of the Burnihat industrial area. Officials from Meghalaya side claimed that the number of factories is more on Assam side. The Times of India asked the Assam PCB to find out the number of polluting industries in its favor across the border. Contacted, but was told the data was not available.

Manoj Saikia, senior scientist, Assam Pollution Control Board, said, “Pollution by industries cannot be ruled out, but dust and vehicular pollution are also a factor in Burnihat. Forest fires are another problem on the Meghalaya side.

Although neither Assam nor Meghalaya is ready to take full responsibility, both sides are now advocating joint efforts to identify and stop pollution. Saikia said that keeping an eye on a central agency can prove helpful for this.

need to take immediate action

In February, the CPCB issued a serious warning over the AQI in Burnihat, which often falls into the ‘very poor’ and ‘severe’ categories, posing a serious threat to the health of the general public. This is the level that is usually seen in Delhi at the beginning of winter when stubble is burnt in Punjab and Haryana.

CREA scientist Manoj Kumar said, ‘Air data analysis of Burnihat shows that its PM2.5 levels are much higher than NAAQS (National Ambient Air Quality Standards) and WHO (World Health Organization) guidelines.’ Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a senior CPCB official said there is an urgent need to control the sources of pollution to help improve the AQI in the area. CPCB has already issued a warning to the State Pollution Control Board about severe pollution in Burnihat.