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Cse In News

Cse In News

'Honeygate': CSE alleges most top brands sell adulterated honey

everal brands of honey in India, including leading names such as Dabur and Patanjali, sell honey laced with sugar syrup, an investigation by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) claims. CSE is the firm that had brought to light the issue of pesticides in cola and antibiotics in honey in the past. At a press conference, CSE chief Sunita Narain said the firm had sent samples of 13 labs for testing at a German lab for advanced Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (NMR), where only three brands Saffola, Markfed Sohna and Societe Naturelle passed the adulteration test. One batch of Nature's Hectar passed the test while another failed it. The brands that failed the test, including those whose multiple batches were tested, are Dabur, Patanjali, Apis Himalaya, Baidyanath, Zandu, Dadev, Hi Honey, Societe Naturelle, Hitkari and Indigenous Honey. CSE said its probe also reveals that the Indian standards for honey purity cannot detect the adulteration. “Our research has found that most of the honey sold in the market is adulterated with sugar syrup. Therefore, instead of honey, people are eating more sugar, which will add to the risk of COVID-19. Sugar ingestion is directly linked to obesity, and obese people are more vulnerable to life-threatening infections,” said Narain. CSE food researchers also tested the samples at the Centre for Analysis and Learning in Livestock and Food (CALF) at National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) in Gujarat, where almost all the top brands (except Apis Himalaya) passed the tests of purity. “What we found was shocking,” says Amit Khurana, programme director of CSE’s Food Safety and Toxins team. “It shows how the business of adulteration has evolved so that it can pass the stipulated tests in India. Our concern is not just that the honey we eat is adulterated, but that this adulteration is difficult to catch. In fact, we have found that sugar syrups are designed so that they can go undetected.” As of August 1, 2020, NMR tests have been made mandatory in India for honey that is meant for export. Over the past few years, FSSAI has revised norms for honey quality several times. Narain said that CSE's findings suggest that more needs to be done to tell apart pure honey. CSE said it also tracked down Chinese trade portals like Alibaba which were advertising fructose syrup that can bypass tests. It also found that the same Chinese companies that advertised this fructose syrup that can beat C3 and C4 tests also exported to India. CSE added that it also conducted an undercover operation where it imported batches of sugar syrup designed to beat normal tests. After mixing the syrup with pure honey in various proportions, CSE got the products tested, which passed purity tests to the point where sugar syrup was laced with honey for up to 50 percent. Besides, CSE also tracked down a factory in India, in Jaspur in Uttarakhand, which manufactures the 'all pass' syrup, which when mixed with honey, helps it clear tests. CSE said it has asked the government and industry to stop the import of syrups and honey from China and strengthen enforcement in India through public testing so that companies are held responsible. "The government should get samples tested using advanced technologies and make this information public so that consumers are aware and our health is not compromised. It will also hold companies responsible," Narain said. Narain added that the rampant adulteration of honey mixing has resulted in a sharp drop of price of honey from Rs 150 odd a kg in 2014-15 to about Rs 60-70 now, hurting local beekeepers. She added that consumers must become more aware of the honey they consume. "We often assume that if honey crystallises, it is not pure. This is not correct. We must start learning the taste, smell and colour of the honey that is natural,” she said.

New Delhi-based CSE says its probe found nefarious honey adulteration in top brands

New Delhi: Investigations by New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) with laboratory studies in India and Germany revealed rampant adulteration in honey sold by major brands in India, the non-profit research and advocacy group said. It claimed that 77 per cent of samples found adulterated with sugar syrup with only three out of 13 brands passing the internationally accepted Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (NMR) test. “It is a food fraud more nefarious and more sophisticated than what we found in our 2003 and 2006 investigations into soft drinks; more damaging to our health than perhaps anything that we have found till now– keeping in mind the fact that we are still fighting against a killer COVID-19 pandemic with our backs to the wall. This overuse of sugar in our diet will make it worse,” said Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) director general Sunita Narain today, while releasing a new CSE investigation into honey adulteration.

Local emissions, weather push air to ‘very poor’ zone

According to government agencies, it is likely to remain there throughout the week owing to the wind speed calming down and wind patterns changing in the coming days. While the farm fires in neighbouring states of Haryana and Punjab have drastically reduced — it contributed just 4% to Delhi’s PM 2.5 levels on Tuesday, according to System for Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research — the national capital’s air quality plunged further to the upper end of the very poor zone of the air quality index (AQI) on Tuesday. According to government agencies, it is likely to remain there throughout the week owing to the wind speed calming down and wind patterns changing in the coming days. As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI on Tuesday was 367, even worse than Monday’s 318, though both are in the very poor category. On a scale of 0 to 500, an AQI value between 300 and 400 is considered very poor, and those above 400 are considered severe. The air quality continued to deteriorate further Tuesday evening, with most of the hot spots slipping into the ‘severe’ zone. By 9pm, 11 of the 35 monitoring stations recorded severe air quality — Anand Vihar (414), Ashok Vihar (437), Bawana (413), DTU (409), Jahangirpuri (443), Mundka (413), Nehru Nagar (404), Patparganj (410), Punjabi bagh (405), Rohini (414) and Vivek Vihar (425). The CPCB, which is in charge of implementing the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap), said it is taking measures to control local pollution levels. “We are monitoring the situation closely. Measures under the very poor zone are already being enforced. Patrolling teams are carrying field inspections regularly,” said a senior CPCB official. Despite repeated attempts, MM Kutty, chairperson of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR and adjoining areas, could not be reached for a comment. Scientists at the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the average wind speed during the day reduced to 7-8 kmph from 10-12 kmph on Monday. “The wind speed will further reduce from December 4 or 5 and the direction is likely to change to easterly, from the present north-westerly. Whenever there is a change in pattern, winds turn calm and trap pollutants,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, head of IMD’s regional weather forecasting centre. He said easterly winds are also likely to bring in moisture, which when combined with calm winds allow pollutants to accumulate. There is also a forecast of shallow fog on December 4 or 5. “Besides, the change in wind pattern will also lead to a rise in minimum temperature between December 4 and 7,” Srivastava further said. On Tuesday, the Safdarjung Observatory — the official marker for the city’s weather— recorded a minimum temperature of 8.1 degrees Celsius, two notches below normal. The maximum settled at 27.2 degrees Celsius, two notches above normal. Sagnik Dey, associate professor, IITDelhi, said, “In October and November, farm fires contribute about 25% to the overall pollution in Delhi. In December, we record the same pollution level even without stubble burning because of reduced dispersion of pollutants,” Dey said. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said at present, the only factors at play are meteorological and local pollutants. “Even though there has been a declining trend in the overall pollution levels since 2017, Delhi still has to reduce its PM 2.5 concentrations at least by 60% to mitigate these peak episodes. Also, on-ground monitoring of waste burning and emissions from illegal industries need to be stepped up to have some real impact,” she said.

Save Power For More Power: Five Easy Ways To Conserve Energy And Be Energy Efficient

In India, thermal power plants are both a major source of energy and the largest contributors to air pollution, globally. This is not widely known, by generating one unit of energy from coal, we emit 525 milligrams of dust, 5,250 milligrams of sulphur dioxide which can potentially trigger more dust generation, 1,400milligrams of oxides of nitrogen, and 0.23 kg ash or waste is generated whose disposal again creates problems of dust and water contamination due to improper disposal in predominant cases. Also, we need 3.5 to 4 litres of water to generate one unit of power, said Soundaram Ramanathan, Researcher, Industrial pollution control unit at Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)

Faecal coliform levels 660 times desirable limit in the Yamuna

The level of faecal coliform (microbes from human and animal excreta) is above the desirable limit at all points tested in Yamuna in Delhi, except for Palla where the river enters the city, as per a Delhi government report. For bathing in a river, the desirable level of faecal coliform is 500 MPN/100 ml or lesser, as per the Central Pollution Control Board. Near ITO Bridge the level was 3,30,000 MPN/100 ml, which is 660 times the desirable level. In eight of the nine locations, the level was higher than the safe limit. The report is a ‘Monthly Progress Report’ submitted by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee to the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti on cleaning Yamuna. The report also said that levels of different pollutants are above permissible limits in ground water samples from different points near the four landfills in Delhi. The report further said that in September no sewer lines were laid and notified in unauthorised colonies, work that is part of the effort to clean the Yamuna. The report also pointed out that the New Delhi Municipal Council processed all 272 Tonnes Per Day (TPD) of solid waste generated in its area and none of the waste goes to landfills in the city. However, around 2,100 TPD of waste from the North Corporation finds its way to the landfills; 2,000 TPD of waste from East Corporation; and 1,750 TPD of waste from the South Corporation. Ground water samples from four different points near Ghazipur landfill showed that the hardness of water was higher than the desirable limit of 300 mg/l. The levels of chlorine and calcium were also above the desirable limit in all four samples. The level of sulfate was higher than the desirable limit of 200 mg/l in three of the four samples. Data from the other three landfills showed similar trends. “All the landfills in Delhi are overcapacity. They were not built as scientific landfills and are just dumping grounds. The waste ends up polluting both the surface and the groundwater,” said Suresh Kumar Rohilla, director of water programme, Centre for Science and Environment. “This results in higher than permissible levels of pollution in nearby areas,” he said, but added scientific interventions were made to resolve some issues. Regarding faecal coliform levels, Mr. Rohilla said: “Almost no stretch of the Yamuna in Delhi is safe for bathing. Water with such high level of fecal coliform can lead to skin infection on external contact and water borne diseases if ingested.”

Air quality in November worse than last year

The air quality of Delhi in November this year was worse than in 2019, as per an analysis of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. This year had more days in the ‘severe’ category compared to the last two years, CPCB’s studies observed. In November this year, there were nine days when the air quality was in the ‘severe’ category, but the same was only seven days in 2019 and five days in 2018. There were two days when the air quality was in the ‘moderate’ category in the same period this year, but there were three such days in 2019. Also, there was one day when the air quality was satisfactory in November 2019, but there was no such day this year during the same period.Besides, the average daily AQI (Air Quality Index) of November this year was higher than 2019, though lower than 2018, the data shows. Vivek Chattopadhyaya, senior programme manager at Centre for Science and Environment, Delhi said that Deepavali being in November this year and higher number of farm fires in the end of October in neighbouring States and low temperature are the possible reasons for the high pollution in 2020 compared to 2019. “There was higher number of farm fires towards the end of October and the effect of farm fires stays in Delhi for a few days after it gets transported from other States,” he said. AQI ‘very poor’ The air quality of Delhi and Noida was in the ‘very poor’ category and that of Gurugram’s was in the ‘poor’ category on Monday, as per CPCB data. It is expected to further deteriorate and stay in the ‘very poor’ category on Tuesday. “Air quality is likely to worsen in north India due to cold waves and low temperatures. The AQI is forecast to deteriorate to the middle-end of the very poor category for the next two days,” said a statement by the government-run monitoring agency SAFAR.

Pollution in November 2020 up from last year, shows CPCB data

The average pollution levels this November, when air quality was a dip due to a combination of factors such as farm fires, firecracker bursting on Diwali and adverse meteorological conditions, were higher than last year during the same time. An analysis of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) air quality data shows that the monthly average air quality index (AQI) this November was 327.9, as compared to 312.2 in November 2019. However, it was slightly better than the monthly average of 334.9 in 2018, 360.93 in 2017 and 374.06 in 2016. This November saw nine ‘severe’ air quality days, as compared to seven last year. Also this year, Delhi had six consecutive ‘severe’ days from November 5-10, the longest ‘severe’ spell seen in the city since 2016. Besides, only two ‘moderate’ air days were recorded this year -- November 17 (171) and November 27 (137). In November 2019, three ‘moderate’ days were seen -- November 27 (134), November 28 (106), November 30 (193) -- as well as a ‘satisfactory’ day (84) on November 29. While the year 2018 saw one ‘moderate’ day on November 4 with an AQI reading of 171, the years 2017 and 2016 did not record a single ‘moderate’ day. On Monday, the average air quality index (AQI) plunged to ‘very poor’ after remaining in the ‘poor’ to ‘moderate’ range over the past three days. The average AQI on Sunday was 256. It was 231 on Saturday and 137 on Friday. According to experts, a combination of factors playing up at the same time was behind the high pollution levels this November, including a prolonged and intensive stubble burning season that coincided with firecracker bursting and unfavourable meteorological conditions. “This year, farm fires started early on and continued till late November. The number of fires was much higher than last year. Besides, last year, Diwali was early (October 27) as compared to this year (November 14). This season starting from October itself was drier, as compared to last year. Only one instance of rainfall was seen this November, which helped clear the post-Diwali pollution. All these factors combined contributed to higher particulate matter (PM) concentration this time,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy), Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). V K Soni of the India Meteorological department’s environment research centre, said this October -November, the number of fire counts were at least 50% more than last year. Besides, a late Diwali impacted the air quality. “All these factors, with meteorological conditions not being favourable for dispersal at the same time, did not allow the pollutants accumulated in the air to disperse. Since the accumulation was higher, it took longer to disperse, resulting in a long spell of bad air,” said Soni.

Stubble burning incidents rose by over 20% in 2020, says Air quality commission official

Stubble burning incidents saw a steep rise of more than 20 per cent this year in comparison to the last two years, a factor which plays a significant role in spiking pollution levels in the Delhi-NCR, K J Ramesh, member of the newly formed commission for air quality management, said on Friday. Ramesh said the 'Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas' has started discussions with stakeholders and he exuded confidence of coming up with an "acceptable and suitable solution" to combat air pollution by next year. He said 2018 recorded 51,751 incidents of farm fires from mid-October to November end. This figure was the highest between 2010-2018, he said. The number dropped marginally to 50,738 a year later. "This year, 73,000 cases of farm fires were reported until November 17," Ramesh, who was the former director general of the India Meteorology Department, said citing a study done by the Air Pollution Action Group. Ramesh was speaking at a webinar on 'Clean Air Management for Public Welfare'. The webinar was organised by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, a research body under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. IITM has launched several initiatives like SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research) to track air pollution. Farm fires or stubble burning post-harvest season during October-November in the states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan significantly contribute to the pollution levels in Delhi-NCR. Last month, the Centre announced formation of the Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas. The members include a chairperson, a representative of Environment secretary and five ex-officio members who are either chief secretaries or secretaries in charge of the environment departments of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. It also has two full-time members who have been joint secretaries to the central government, three full-time independent technical members who have specific scientific knowledge regarding air pollution, one technical member from Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), one technical member nominated by ISRO and three members of NGOs having experience in matters concerning combating of air pollution. Ramesh, who is the one of the technical members, said the commission began its work from November 16. "Our work is to develop a common understanding on the issues of concern for Delhi's (Delhi-NCR) air quality by taking all states and central government ministries into assessment, understanding the process and evolving the most acceptable approach to emission reduction in Punjab, neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh...." He said the commission has started interactions with various groups in Delhi, with the Central Pollution Control Board, IMD and Indian Agricultural Research Institute's microbiology group where the bio-decomposer option is being talked about and tested at selected field sites. "We had a very detailed briefing from member of the EPCA (Environment Pollution [Prevention and Control] Authority), Sunita Narain. "With everybody's effort, the most acceptable and suitable solution for air quality improvement would emerge, definitely by next year. The target is to show some substantive changes with which the commission is working," he said.

Stubble burning rose by over 20% this year: Air quality commission official

Stubble burning incidents saw a steep rise of more than 20 per cent this year in comparison to the last two years, a factor which plays a significant role in spiking pollution levels in the Delhi-NCR, K J Ramesh, member of the newly formed commission for air quality management, said on Friday. Ramesh said the 'Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas' has started discussions with stakeholders and he exuded confidence of coming up with an "acceptable and suitable solution" to combat air pollution by next year. He said 2018 recorded 51,751 incidents of farm fires from mid-October to November end. This figure was the highest between 2010-2018, he said. The number dropped marginally to 50,738 a year later. "This year, 73,000 cases of farm fires were reported until November 17," Ramesh, who was the former director general of the India Meteorology Department, said citing a study done by the Air Pollution Action Group. Ramesh was speaking at a webinar on 'Clean Air Management for Public Welfare'. The webinar was organised by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, a research body under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. IITM has launched several initiatives like SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research) to track air pollution. Farm fires or stubble burning post-harvest season during October-November in the states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan significantly contribute to the pollution levels in Delhi-NCR. Last month, the Centre announced formation of the Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas. The members include a chairperson, a representative of Environment secretary and five ex-officio members who are either chief secretaries or secretaries in charge of the environment departments of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. It also has two full-time members who have been joint secretaries to the central government, three full-time independent technical members who have specific scientific knowledge regarding air pollution, one technical member from Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), one technical member nominated by ISRO and three members of NGOs having experience in matters concerning combating of air pollution. Ramesh, who is the one of the technical members, said the commission began its work from November 16. "Our work is to develop a common understanding on the issues of concern for Delhi's (Delhi-NCR) air quality by taking all states and central government ministries into assessment, understanding the process and evolving the most acceptable approach to emission reduction in Punjab, neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh...." He said the commission has started interactions with various groups in Delhi, with the Central Pollution Control Board, IMD and Indian Agricultural Research Institute's microbiology group where the bio-decomposer option is being talked about and tested at selected field sites. "We had a very detailed briefing from member of the EPCA (Environment Pollution [Prevention and Control] Authority), Sunita Narain. "With everybody's effort, the most acceptable and suitable solution for air quality improvement would emerge, definitely by next year. The target is to show some substantive changes with which the commission is working," he said.

Smog towers: After Supreme Court barb, more air purifiers in the Delhi pipeline

On November 12, 2020, a first of its kind giant air purifier was installed in Gandhi Nagar market, famous as Asia’s largest readymade garments and textile hub. The 12-ft-high air purifier which will cover an area of 1,000 sq m and deliver two lakh cubic metres of clean air everyday, was funded by East Delhi MP Gautam Gambhir. Two more air purifiers will be installed. Central Market. Following a positive response from people there, Gambhir decided to instal more air purifiers in markets across East Delhi. In terms of technology, the new purifiers are more advanced and have additional features like high mast lights. It was in January that the Supreme Court had given its nod to the centre’s proposal of installing smog towers to curb rising pollution levels in the NCR. On January 13, the Court asked the Central Pollution Control Board to instal smog towers in Connaught Place and Anand Vihar within three months. But no proper steps were taken to do so. This was noted by the Court, which said: “Since steps are being taken and undertakings have been furnished, we have not proceeded for violation of the order passed by this court, only on the basis of the action taken and undertakings furnished to complete the project. Let the project be positively completed within 10 months.” On August 31, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, the Department of Environment and Forests and the Delhi government submitted undertakings before a bench of Justice Arun Mishra of the Supreme Court that they would complete the task within a fixed time frame. The bench said: “Undertakings are taken on record. Any violation on any ground whatsoever shall be treated as contempt of the order passed by this court as there is already huge unjustified delay in making the compliance of the order.” Four decades ago, India passed the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, which aimed at preserving air quality and controlling pollution. The law gave enormous powers to central and state governments to take necessary action to improve air quality by enforcing pollution control measures, shutting down errant industries and sending culprits to jail. Unfortunately, very few cases were filed under the Act. According to the World Health Organisation, 4.2 million people die every year as a result of exposure to outdoor air pollution, with nine out of 10 people on the planet breathing polluted air. Even large scale adoption of green energy won’t be enough to immediately reduce the risk of lung disease, stroke and heart disease due to polluted air. In 2018, the world’s largest air purifying tower was unveiled in Xian, China. The 328-foot tower produces clean air and uses solar power to heat polluted air that is sucked into glass rooms that function as greenhouses. The hot air moves up the tower, passing through a series of filters before finally being emitted as clean air. Since then, the tower has produced 353 million cubic feet of clean air per day, drastically improving air quality in the area. Apart from China, smog towers have been experimented with in recent years in cities in the Netherlands, South Korea and Poland. In fact, the first such tower was erected in 2015, in Rotterdam, Netherlands, created by Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde. However, smog towers are not the ultimate solution to deal with pollution as the initial costs are very high. It would require large funding to mass produce them. It also covers only a small area. But they can be useful in areas of very high air pollution. These towers can be used in open public places such as gardens and green areas where people gather for fresh air. It also works on less power so there is no need for any special arrangements for a power source. According to TERI, the following are the sources for air pollution within Delhi: transport sector (39 percent in PM 2.5 emissions), biomass burning (seasonal open fires, cooking, heating that adds to 20 percent), industries (up to 20 percent), soil and road dust (15 percent), diesel generators and open waste burning (15 percent each) and power plants (5 percent). Some of the immediate measures that can be taken include stopping usage of all diesel generators, driving strict policies to curb construction dust and force industries to adopt methods that don’t release any pollutants into the air. All these measures can bring down at least 50 percent of air pollution in Delhi. In addition, there should be more emphasis on adoption of electric vehicles that can reduce vehicular emission by a significant margin. While there has been a lot of discussion on stubble burning as a major source of pollution, this phenomenon is only a seasonal activity. The air quality in north India is bad and polluted more or less throughout the year. There is continuous increase in emissions, and no matter how many smog towers are installed, there will be negligible reduction in air pollution. Dealing with air pollution requires better measurement of air quality, awareness about sources of pollution, tracking of changing patterns of air quality in cities, installation of air quality monitors, consistent efforts towards reducing emissions and good governance. In 2016, the Centre for Science and Environment published a study wherein it stated that air pollution laws in India were “more than adequate” to improve air quality. Therefore, their proper implementation is imperative to emerge from this deadly menace.

Toxic cocktail of pollutants in air near Delhi's Ghazipur

NEW DELHI: While the capital is already reeling under “severe” air, those residing in the vicinity of the Ghazipur landfill site got a double blow with the waste mound going up in flames on Tuesday night. Not only was the smoke visible several kilometres away, but those near the landfill could feel their eyes burning and also having difficulty in breathing due to the toxic cocktail of pollutants in the air. Track the pollution level in your city The two nearest ambient air quality monitoring stations of Central Pollution Control Board — Anand Vihar and Patparganj — showed an AQI above 400, which falls in the “severe” category. Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) data also showed the average hourly PM2.5 concentration at over 400 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) all through the night, when the fire raged on, which dropped below 300 µg/m3 only after noon on Wednesday. Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, at Centre for Science and Environment, said landfill fires pose a greater risk than a regular blaze owing to the huge amounts of mixed garbage. “The waste there is toxic and such fires are often continuous in nature, lasting for hours. This can cause a huge amount of toxic emissions to be released in the surrounding areas, exposing people of the low-income group living in the neighbourhood extremely vulnerable in terms of health. The smoke can also worsen underlying health conditions,” she added. DPCC data showed the average PM2.5 concentration at Anand Vihar touched 462 µg/ m3 at 4am, over seven times the safe standard, while the highest hourly PM2.5 concentration at Patparganj was 421 µg/m3. The standard for PM2.5 is 60 µg/m3.

Strand Road, Garden Reach… waste burnt at will

Burning of waste, which releases toxic gases in the air and can cause a range of critical diseases, is continuing unabated in Calcutta, The Telegraph has found. Heaps of dry leaves, paper cups and other waste were put on fire on the stretch opposite Judges Ghat on Strand Road on Tuesday morning. In the afternoon, a pile of wires was being burnt on Garden Reach Road, near Karbala Tank. The spiralling smoke rising up could be seen from some distance. The state government has filed an affidavit before the National Green Tribunal stating that it has banned waste burning to maintain healthy air in the city. But this newspaper could not spot anyone from the authorities to stop waste burning on Strand Road or Garden Reach Road on Tuesday. Environment activist Subhas Datta, who had moved the NGT about the deteriorating air quality of Calcutta, said it was the government’s responsibility to stop waste burning. “The government has given an affidavit to the tribunal that it has stopped waste burning. Merely issuing a circular is not enough. If the government says it has stopped waste burning, it becomes the government’s responsibility to see that no one is burning waste,” said Datta. The Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC) and police both were responsible for preventing open burning of waste, said Debabrata Majumdar, a member of the civic body’s board of administrators who is in charge of the solid waste management department. A senior officer of Calcutta police said they would look into the matter. Air quality management specialists said burning waste released tiny particulate matter like PM2.5, which can enter the lungs and cause respiratory problems. “Waste accumulating on open grounds releases PM2.5, PM10, oxides of nitrogen and carbon monoxide when burnt. These make the air toxic,” said Anumita Roy Chowdhury, an air quality management specialist and executive director of the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment. “During winter, this becomes more problematic as the air close to the ground becomes colder and heavier, hangs around for a longer duration than other seasons and more people end up breathing in the toxic air.” A scientist with the state environment department said the wires were put on fire to burn the insulating material and recover the metal from inside, which is then sold. “The insulating material is made of plastic. It releases gases like sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide. Some of the elements released are carcinogenic. Exposure to these gases can be harmful,” said the scientist. The civic solid waste management system would need to be more robust if waste burning has to be stopped, said waste management specialists. Burning is an easy way of disposing of the waste, especially the one that accumulates on public land and is not cleaned or transported for many days. During winter, burning of dry leaves is common as most trees shed leaves during the season. Dry leaves are gathered on the corner of a road or a ground and burnt. The CMC is empowered to fine those found burning waste in the open. The minimum fine amount is Rs 5,000 and the maximum Rs 25,000 according to the Solid Waste Management Bye-Laws, 2020. “If we do not get to know about an instance of open burning of waste, we cannot do anything. I would urge people to inform our control room (22861212/1313/1414) if they come across any instance of open burning of waste,” said Majumdar. The problem is plaguing New Town, too. Metro reported earlier that several New Town residents had got in touch with the New Town Kolkata Development Authority about the issue Avishek Chakraborty, a resident of a cooperative housing society near Eco Park, said he had spotted a fire on a field opposite Eco Park on Tuesday. The field is a popular destination for birders. “I went and checked but could not spot anyone who could have started the fire,” he said.