Air quality commission bans use of coal in Delhi-NCR from January 1, 2023

Delhi air quality index is predicted to be in the ‘very poor’ category at 345 on November 18 as well. (Image: ANI)

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has banned the use of coal in industrial, domestic and other settings in the entire National Capital Region (NCR), which includes Delhi, from January 1, 2023.

The use of low-sulphur coal in thermal power plants has, however, been kept out of the ban.

In the order issued on June 8, the panel said state governments in NCR and the Delhi government were advised through a communication on June 3 to phase out coal.

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“The  ban on use of coal shall come in force with effect from October 1, 2022 for regions where PNG infrastructure and supply is already available) and with effect from January 1, 2023 for other regions where the PNG supply is still not available. In full effect, use of coal as fuel shall be banned across NCR with effect January 1, 2023,” the panel said in a statement on June 8.

Established as a statutory body in August 2021, CAQM is an overarching body to carry out air quality management in Delhi NCR. The aim is to ensure better co-ordination, research, identification, and resolution of problems related to air quality in the national capital region (NCR) and adjoining areas in the states of Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh

The panel said that emissions from heavily polluting fuels like coal for various industrial, domestic and miscellaneous purposes contribute significantly to the degradation of air quality in the NCR and adjoining areas. Accordingly, a consistent need has been felt to switch over to lesser polluting and cleaner fuel in the NCR, it said.

The Union government and the state governments in Delhi- NCR have been making efforts to move towards cleaner fuels across various sectors contributing to the overall air quality in the region, it said.

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The panel had invited suggestions from the general public as well as the experts. Later, an expert group was constituted by the commission to examine all the suggestions and proposals. The expert group strongly recommended phasing out heavily polluting fossil fuels like coal and moving to cleaner fuels.

“The matter has been extensively deliberated in the commission. Coal dominates industrial fuels in the NCR and current estimates indicate that approximately 1.7 million tonnes of coal is consumed annually for industrial applications in NCR, with about 1.4 million tonnes being consumed in six major industrial districts of NCR alone,” the order said.

As the concerns of air pollution are uniform across NCR and from the standpoint of a common airshed approach for the entire region, the commission decided to phase out coal as a fuel from the entire NCR in industrial, domestic and miscellaneous applications (barring the use of low-sulphur coal in thermal power plants), towards aiming for an overall improved air quality in the region, the panel said.