Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, JUNE 5
STUDIES conducted by the Nagaland Pollution Control Board (NPCB) central office, which has its base in Dimapur, have revealed disturbing figures – ranging from ‘high level” to “critical level” content of Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) – in the quality of air with respect to two stations identified in Dimapur.
Under the National Air Monitoring Programme (NAMP), there are four stations identified in Nagaland, two each in Kohima and Dimapur, from which the experts from NPCB monitor the air quality of the particular localities.
In Dimapur, the NPCB has identified Bank colony and Dhobinullah as the two localities to conduct their studies from. Bank colony represents a residential area whereas Dhobinullah is considered as a commercial locale.
The annual standard, or the permissible level of RSPM content in the air, is said to be 60% by national criteria. NPCB studies for 2013 shows that the RSPM content in Bank colony (residential area) was 89% while the figures for Dhobinullah (commercial area) showed an even more disturbing percentage of 116%.
This mean figure, known as Excedence Factor (EF), is the ratio of annual mean concentration of a pollutant with that of a respective standard.
Member Secretary of NPCB, Rusovil John told Eastern Mirror on Thursday that the figures from Bank colony represented a “high level” content of respirable air pollutants while the Dhobinullah mean percentage was that of a “critical level.”
There are four categories of air quality, under this research by the NPCB. When the EF is more than 1.5, it is considered critical. For High level pollution the EF stands at 1 to 1.5, the other two categories are called moderate and low, respectively.
According to Rusovil John, the monthly average concentration of RSPM (the air pollutants that we end up taking in through respiration) was highest in the month of December for Bank colony while in Dhobinullah station the highest reading was recorded in November.
A data comparison for the last four consecutive years, from the year 2010, showed an increasing trend for both the monitoring stations. He attributed this disturbing trend various factors like bad road conditions, unregulated mushrooming of stone crusher units, “sand mahols, burning of waste, vehicle exhaust etc.”
“The increasing population and increased number of automobiles and industries and improper waste management area also the cause behind the increasing air pollution level. Higher levels of the particulate matters were observed mostly during the dry season,” he said.
The concept of environment in Nagaland is limited only to that of forest, trees and animals, he regretted while underscoring that it is much more than that. “This all comes down to our lack of awareness and civic sense,” Rusovil shared.
He cited an interesting, (to say the least), comparison. “If you go to Kohima, you get zutho. And you will notice that, on the surface (inside the mug) lots of foams are formed but beneath it everything is still. Nagas are like that. We make lots of noise outside but when it comes down to our inner understanding we are blank.”
In another perspective, Rusovil also cited the recent Gloria Patria cleanliness drive in Dimapur. “I was happy with the initiative and so I decided to drive around the town one morning.
“But what I noticed was that after the youth have cleaned the town and the streets, the shopkeepers simply started dumping their wastes on the streets later on,” he explained. The NPCB, on its part, has been involved in joint mission with schools all over Nagaland to spread awareness on hazards and threats of pollution, in all forms. It is currently sponsoring 2500 eco-clubs across different schools in Nagaland.
