New Delhi, Oct 6 (IANS) The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) has issued an order mandating expansion of Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) cameras at industries in the National Capital Region (NCR) to ensure real-time monitoring of fuel consumption and compliance with its directions to check pollution, an official said on Tuesday.
The measure is aimed at strengthening vigilance, monitoring and compliance by industries, particularly in view of the adverse impact of industrial emissions on air quality in the NCR and adjoining areas, which assumes greater significance during the winter months, the official said in a statement.
Considering the poor air quality in Delhi-NCR and with a view to ensure strict vigilance, monitoring and compliance through self-regulation, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had earlier directed installation of PTZ cameras along with real-time Online Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems (OCEMS) by industries.
The prescribed locations for installation of PTZ cameras include capturing the OCEMS port-hole as well as flue gas emissions from the stack in case of textile and food processing units having boilers and capturing fume extraction system areas and furnace feeding areas in metal units, the statement said.
In view of the persistent use of unapproved fuels, the Commission has expanded the areas to be captured by PTZ cameras at industrial units to make the coverage comprehensive and for effective monitoring and compliance.
Apart from the locations of PTZ cameras already prescribed by CPCB, the Commission has directed that industries will now also install additional PTZ cameras by October 31, as per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), the statement said.
The order also mandates CPCB and the concerned State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs)/Delhi Pollution Control Board (DPCC) to develop portals and other necessary infrastructure to capture the real-time streaming of video feeds. This will facilitate remote monitoring of fuel-use practices by industries and help in ensuring the compliance of Commission’s statutory directions.
The status of implementation of the said measures must be submitted to the Commission by the concerned SPCBs/DPCC by November 1.
In the light of pollution caused by industrial emissions, the Commission had also prescribed a standard list of approved fuels for NCR for various applications, including industrial use.
“However, the Flying Squads of the Commission, during incognito inspections of industries across the NCR, have reported use of unapproved fuels in multiple instances. In view of the persistent use of unapproved fuels, the Commission has considered real-time monitoring of fuel consumption by industries necessary,” it said.
–IANS
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