PPCB to gauge pollution around Golden Temple

AMRITSAR: Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has recently started a study during the current monsoon to know the level of chemical precipitation in rainwater affecting the Golden Temple building, informed PPCB chairman, KS Pannu, on Saturday.

He informed that rainwater measuring instruments had been installed at four sides of the Golden Temple complex and data was being collected and analyzed on a regular basis. “The water is being analyzed to see the amount of sulphate, chloride, magnesium, calcium, sodium, potassium, ammonium, pH and total dissolved solids (TDS),” he said.

Pannu also held a meeting with SGPC and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) members to review the ongoing study of the ambient air around the Golden Temple. RM Bhardwaj, Sharandeep Singh from CPCB, Birinderjit Singh, Kuldip Singh, Sandeep Gupta from PPCB and Jawinder Singh Advocate, Jaswinder Jassi, and Gurcharan Singh from SGPC participated in the meeting.

The PPCB chairman said that PPCB and CPCB had been monitoring the pollution levels for three critical factors -- level of sulphur dioxide (SO2), level of nitrous oxide (NO2) and the level of Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM). He informed that so far the study has shown that SO2 and NO2 were within the prescribed limit but the level of RSPM had been found to be on the higher side.