Lok Sabha Question No. 811 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-02-05
Subject: Pollution in Cities
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Prataprao Govindrao  Patil Chikhalikar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UN-STARRED QUESTION N0. 811

TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.02.2021

## Pollution in Cities

## 811. SHRI PRATAP RAOP ATIL CHIKHLIKAR:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware that Faridabad, NCR is one of the most polluted cities of the country followed by Mumbai and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether several factories in the country are not complying with the pollution control norms;
- (c) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (d) the details of the rules applicable to the factories regarding environmental protection and health checkups; and
- (e) the norms fixed by the Government to provide safety and healthcare facilities to such factory workers affected by pollution?

## ANSWER MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO)

- (a) Ranking  of  cities  based  on  Air  Quality  is  not  done  due  to  complexity  of  various parameters and their influence on the air quality of individual cities. Air quality index for Faridabad and Mumbai observed during 2020 is given below:
- (b) &  (C)  There  are  total  4,279  highly  polluting  industries  across  the  Country,  out  of which,  3,678  industries  are  operational  and  601  units  are  self-closed.  Out  of  3,678 operational  units,  3,376  units  are  complying  with  the  environmental  standards  and 302 units are non-complying. Show-cause notices to 177 units and closure directions to  84  units  were  issued  for  non-compliance.  Legal  actions  were  initiated  against  6 units.
- (d) For environmental protection, three acts of Parliament viz. The Water (Prevention and Control  of  Pollution)  Act,1974,  The  Air  (Prevention  and  Control  of  Pollution)  Act, 1981  and  The  Environment  (Protection)  Act,1986  and  Rules  made  there  under  are applicable.
- (e) The  Safety  and  Health  aspect  of  factory  workers  comes  under  The  Factories  Act, 1948.The  Factories  Act,  1948  and  the  State  Factories  Rules  framed  there  under  are enforced by the respective States/UTs. In case of violation any of the provisions of the said Act and Rules framed thereunder, there are penal provisions under section 92 general penalty for offences and for violation of the provisions of sections 41B, 41C and  41H prescribed  under  the 'provisions  related  to  hazardous  processes'  under  the Act, stringent penal provisions are provided under section 96A of the Act.

| Number of Days under Various Categories of AQI   | Number of Days under Various Categories of AQI   | Number of Days under Various Categories of AQI   | Number of Days under Various Categories of AQI   | Number of Days under Various Categories of AQI   | Number of Days under Various Categories of AQI   | Number of Days under Various Categories of AQI   |
|--------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|
| City                                             | Good                                             | Satisfactory                                     | Moderate                                         | Poor                                             | Very Poor                                        | Severe                                           |
| City                                             | (0-50)                                           | (51-100)                                         | (101-200)                                        | (201-300)                                        | (301-400)                                        | (>401)                                           |
| Faridabad                                        | 1                                                | 80                                               | 138                                              | 80                                               | 45                                               | 14                                               |
| Mumbai                                           | 119                                              | 104                                              | 123                                              | 20                                               | 0                                                | 0                                                |

***