Pollution level on Diwali much lower this year

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Nov 14 : The pollution level in Imphal remained lower than usual on Diwali this year, said Manipur Pollution Control Board (MPCB) Chairman Usham Deben.
This as Imphal celebrated the darkest Diwali ever. Yesterday, on Diwali, people didn't decorate their houses and shops with lights and didn't light candles. Almost all lights were switched off for 10 minutes from 6 pm to 6.10 pm in solidarity with the people who have been displaced by the present conflict.
At his office at Lamphelpat, MPCB Chairman Usham Deben said air and noise pollution levels in Imphal spike every year on Diwali. However, the pollution levels remained low this year, he said.
He said the Manipur Pollution Control Board monitors the pollution level on Diwali every year.
Last year, noise pollution level at Thangal Keithel and Raj Bhavan area was between 75-80 decibel (dB).
Yesterday, the noise level at Thangal Keithel and Raj Bhavan area were 63-64 dB and 67-75 dB respectively, which are much lower than the previous year, he said.
The MPCB Chairman, however, stated that the permissible limit is to 60 dB.
He continued that the air pollution level also remained favorable yesterday.
Usham Deben informed that air quality monitoring stations have been opened at the Manipur University campus and Dhanamanjuri University campus.
Efforts are also on to install these stations at Lamphel, Lamsang, Awang Sekmai, Porompat, Sawom-bung, Thoubal, Bishnupur, Kakching, Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, Jiribam and Moreh, he said.
He said as per an order of the Supreme Court, vehicles older than 15 years except those in good conditions should be sent to scrapyard.
In Manipur there is confusion on whether the MPCB or the Transport Department should provide the Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUC) for fuel run vehicles. This confusion, however, will be soon resolved after consulting the Transport Department on the matter, he said.
On plastic pollution, he said single use plastics which have been banned by the Centre and the State Government are still in use in Khwairamband Keithel, and all over Manipur.
The single use plastics have filled land and reached the river banks polluting the soil and the rivers, he said, urging people to refrain from using single use plastics.
The Government and the Manipur Pollution Control Board (MPCB) alone can't solve the pollution problems. Cleaning the environment and making the State pollution free require the assistance and active participation of the people, he said.
People are aware that the air pollution level in National capital Delhi has gone up significantly and is causing serious problems. While knowing all the issues and problems related with pollution, people shouldn't pollute their surrounding and the environment, he said.