The world’s 100 worst polluted cities are in Asia — and 83 of them are in just one country

Helen Regan, CNN
Fri, April 26, 2024 



All but one of the 100 cities with the world’s worst air pollution last year were in Asia, according to a new report, with the climate crisis playing a pivotal role in bad air quality that is risking the health of billions of people worldwide.

The vast majority of these cities — 83 — were in India and all exceeded the World Health Organization’s air quality guidelines by more than 10 times, according to the report by IQAir, which tracks air quality worldwide.

The study looked specifically at fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, which is the tiniest pollutant but also the most dangerous. Only 9% of more than 7,800 cities analyzed globally recorded air quality that met WHO’s standard, which says average annual levels of PM2.5 should not exceed 5 micrograms per cubic meter.


“We see that in every part of our lives that air pollution has an impact,” said IQAir Global CEO Frank Hammes. “And it typically, in some of the most polluted countries, is likely shaving off anywhere between three to six years of people’s lives. And then before that will lead to many years of suffering that are entirely preventable if there’s better air quality.”

When inhaled, PM2.5 travels deep into lung tissue where it can enter the bloodstream. It comes from sources like the combustion of fossil fuels, dust storms and wildfires, and has been linked to asthma, heart and lung disease, cancer, and other respiratory illnesses, as well as cognitive impairment in children.

Begusarai, a city of half a million people in northern India’s Bihar state, was the world’s most polluted city last year with an average annual PM2.5 concentration of 118.9 — 23 times the WHO guidelines. It was followed in the IQAir rankings by the Indian cities of Guwahati, Assam; Delhi; and Mullanpur, Punjab.

Across India, 1.3 billion people, or 96% of the population, live with air quality seven times higher than WHO guidelines, according to the report.

Central and South Asia were the worst performing regions globally, home to all four of the most polluted countries last year: Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Tajikistan.

South Asia is of particular concern, with 29 of the 30 most polluted cities in India, Pakistan or Bangladesh. The report ranked the major population centers of Lahore in 5th, New Delhi in 6th and Dhaka in 24th place.

Hammes said no significant improvement in pollution levels in the region is likely without “major changes in terms of the energy infrastructure and agricultural practices.”

“What’s also worrisome in many parts of the world is that the things that are causing outdoor air pollution are also sometimes the things that are causing indoor air pollution,” he added. “So cooking with dirty fuel will create indoor exposures that could be many times what you’re seeing outdoors.”
A global problem

IQAir found that 92.5% of the 7,812 locations in 134 countries, regions, and territories where it analyzed average air quality last year exceeded WHO’s PM2.5 guidelines.

Only 10 countries and territories had “healthy” air quality: Finland, Estonia, Puerto Rico, Australia, New Zealand, Bermuda, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius and French Polynesia.

Millions of people die each year from air pollution-related health issues. Air pollution from fossil fuels is killing 5.1 million people worldwide every year, according to a study published in the BMJ in November. Meanwhile, WHO says 6.7 million people die annually from the combined effects of ambient and household air pollution.

The human-caused climate crisis, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, plays a “pivotal” role in influencing air pollution levels, the IQAir report said.

The climate crisis is altering weather patterns, leading to changes in wind and rainfall, which affects the dispersion of pollutants. Climate change will only make pollution worse as extreme heat becomes more severe and frequent, it said.

The climate crisis is also leading to more severe wildfires in many regions and longer and more intense pollen seasons, both of which exacerbate health issues linked to air pollution.

“We have such a strong overlap of what’s causing our climate crisis and what’s causing air pollution,” Hammes said. “Anything that we can do to reduce air pollution will be tremendously impactful in the long term also for improving our climate gas emissions, and vice versa.”
Regional rankings

North America was badly affected by wildfires that raged in Canada from May to October last year. In May, the monthly average of air pollution in Alberta was nine times greater than the same month in 2022, the report found.

And for the first time, Canada surpassed the United States in the regional pollution rankings.

The wildfires also affected US cities such as Minneapolis and Detroit, where annual pollution averages rose by 30% to 50% compared to the previous year. The most polluted major US city in 2023 was Columbus, Ohio for the second year running. But major cities like Portland, Seattle and Los Angeles experienced significant drops in annual average pollution levels, the report said.

In Asia, however, pollution levels rebounded across much of the region.

China reversed a five-year trend of declining levels of pollution, the report found. Chinese cities used to dominate global rankings of the world’s worst air quality but a raft of clean air policies over the past decade has transformed things for the better.

A study last year had found the campaign meant the average Chinese citizen’s lifespan is now 2.2 years longer. But thick smog returned to Beijing last year, where citizens experienced a 14% increase in the annual average PM2.5 concentration, according to the IQAir report. China’s most polluted city, Hotan, was listed at 14 in the IQAir ranking.

In Southeast Asia, only the Philippines saw a drop in annual pollution levels compared to the previous year, the report found.

Indonesia was the most polluted country in the region, with a 20% increase compared to 2022. Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand all had cities that exceeded WHO PM2.5 guidelines by more than 10 times, according to the report.

Last month, Thai authorities ordered government employees to work from home due to unhealthy levels of pollution in the capital Bangkok and surrounding areas, according to Reuters. On Friday, tourism hot spot Chiang Mai was the world’s most polluted city as toxic smog brought by seasonal agricultural burning blanketed the northern city.
Inequality… and one bright spot

The report also highlighted a worrying inequality: the lack of monitoring stations in countries in Africa, South America and the Middle East, which results in a dearth of air quality data in those regions.

Although Africa saw an improvement in the number of countries included in this year’s report compared with previous years the continent largely remains the most underrepresented. According to IQAir, only 24 of 54 African countries had sufficient data available from their monitoring stations.

Seven African countries were among the new locations included in the 2023 rankings, including Burkina Faso, the world’s fifth most polluted country, and Rwanda, in 15th.

Several countries that ranked high on the most polluted list last year were not included for 2023 due to a lack of available data. They include Chad, which was the most polluted country in 2022.

“There is so much hidden air pollution still on the planet,” said Hammes.

One bright spot is increasing pressure and civic engagement from communities, NGOs, companies, and scientists to monitor air quality.

“Ultimately that’s great because it really shows governments that people do care,” Hammes said.





20 Most Air Polluted Cities in Asia
Meerub Anjum
Fri, April 26, 2024



In this article, we will look into the 20 most air polluted cities in Asia. If you want to skip our detailed analysis, you can go directly to the 5 Most Air Polluted Cities in Asia.
Air Pollution in Asia

99 out of the 100 most air polluted cities in the world are from Asia. The UNEP reports that nearly 6.5 million people die due to poor air quality every year, out of which 70% of the deaths occur in Asia and the Pacific. According to the 2023 Air Quality Life Index report, countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and India account for more than 50% of the life years lost due to air pollution. South Asia is the most polluted subregion in Asia, where the average lifespan declined by 5.1 years. Bangladesh is the most air polluted country in Asia. Life expectancy declined by 6.8 years in Bangladesh, as of 2023.

In 2023, Asia dominated the countries with the worst air pollution in the world. According to the 2023 World Air Quality Report, East Asia showed a diverse outlook, with some countries experiencing an increase in PM2.5 concentration in 2023 while others facing a decline. Countries such as Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, and Hong Kong SAR surpassed the WHO's target 2 of 15 μg/m³. Mongolia continued its downward trend in PM2.5 concentration and recorded a 25% decrease in its PM2.5 concentration. Hotan, China stands out as the most air polluted city in 2023, with an annual average particulate matter concentration of more than 87 µg/m3. Whereas, Ibigawa, Japan is the least polluted city in the region, as of 2023.

The air quality in Southeast Asia deteriorated, due to many countries in the region experiencing a rise in PM2.5 concentration. Indonesia appeared as the most air polluted country in the subregion. While Phillippines saw improvement in air quality in 2023, recording a 10% drop in its particulate matter concentration. Cambodia's air quality worsened, with its PM2.5 concentration tripling in 2023. The top 4 countries with the worst air pollution in the world in 2023 are from Central and South Asia. The region also has the most number of air polluted cities, with the top 10 most air polluted cities from India and Pakistan. 31% of the region's cities had 10 times higher particulate matter concertation, compared to the WHO limit.
Green Tech and Clean Energy Solutions for India's Air Pollution Crisis

The third most air polluted country in Asia, India, has the most number of cities out of the 100 air polluted cities in the world in 2023. The country's annual PM 2.5 concentration increased to 54.4 μg/m³ in 2023. Delhi, the National Capital Territory of India, witnessed a 10% increase in its PM 2.5 concentration, with a peak monthly average of 255 μg/m³. 66% of the country's cities report annual averages higher than 35 μg/m³.

A startup in India, called Takachar, is working towards reducing the air pollution associated with stubble and crop residue burning. It develops small-scale and portable equipment that converts crop residue into bio-products, such as fertilizers, fuel, or activated carbons. Takachar claims that up to 100 million tons of carbon dioxide can be reduced every year, by providing price-competitive renewable biobased active carbon, as an alternative to fossil-based activated carbon. Stubble burning is one of the major causes of smog and air pollution in the country, especially in rural areas. The company provides processing of a diverse variety of crop and forest residues and converts them into bioproducts with a wide range of agricultural applications

Another major reason for air pollution is the emissions and PM2.5 released from the burning of fossil fuels for conventional energy production. Many corporations in India are providing clean energy solutions. Some of the prominent names in the market include Adani Green Energy Ltd (NSE:ADANIGREEN) and Suzlon Energy Ltd (NSE:SUZLON). Let's discuss them below in detail.

Adani Green Energy Ltd (NSE:ADANIGREEN) is a leading renewable energy company in India. It develops and operates utility-scale grid-connected wind, solar, and hybrid renewable energy power generation plants. On April 3, the company announced that it has become the first corporation in India to have surpassed 10,000 MW of operational capacity. Its portfolio consists of 1,401 MW wind, 7,393 MW solar, and 2,140 hybrid capacity. The total operational portfolio of Adani Green Energy Ltd (NSE:ADANIGREEN) will be able to provide energy to over 5.8 million homes and avoid nearly 21 megatonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually.

Suzlon Energy Ltd (NSE:SUZLON) is another major name in the renewable energy market in India. The company has a wind energy capacity of nearly 20.5 GW across 17 countries, with 14.5 GW of wind energy assets in India. On March 7, the company announced that it has won an order for developing a 72.45 MW wind power project for a Delhi-based independent renewable energy provider, Juniper Green Energy Private Limited. Suzlon Energy Ltd (NSE:SUZLON) will deploy 23 wind turbine generators with a hybrid lattice tubular (HLT) tower, along with a rated capacity of 3.15 MW each at Juniper's site in Dwarka district, Gujrat.

Air pollution continues to affect millions of lives globally. Green technology initiatives are emerging as a strategic path to reduce GHG emissions and control air pollution. With this context, let's have a look at the 20 most air polluted cities in Asia. You can also look at

20 Most Air Polluted Cities in Asia

Kekyalyaynen / Shutterstock.com

Methodology

To compile our list of the 20 most air polluted cities in Asia, we consulted the IQ Air's Air Quality Index (AQI) live ranking. We have ranked the cities in ascending order of their Air Quality Index, as of April 22. We have also mentioned the PM2.5 and other pollutant concentrations of the cities, where available. For cities with the same AQI, we have used their PM2.5 concentration to break the tie.
20 Most Air Polluted Cities in Asia
20. Shanghai, China

Live Air Quality Index (2024): 83

Shanghai is ranked among the 20 most air polluted cities in Asia. As of April 22, the city has an AQI index of 83. The PM2.5 concentration in the city is 27.5 μg/m³.
19. Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Live Air Quality Index (April 20, 2024): 84

Dubai ranks 19th on our list. The major air pollutant in the city is PM10. Its PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations are 29 μg/m³ and 132.9 μg/m³, respectively.
18. Yangon, Myanmar

Live Air Quality Index (2024): 86

Yangon is one of the most air polluted cities in Asia. The city has a particulate matter concentration of 35.9 μg/m³, which is 7.9 times higher than the WHO standard.
17. Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Live Air Quality Index (2024): 88

Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan. As of April 22, the city has an air quality index of 88. Its PM2.5 concentration is 29 μg/m³. It is ranked 17th on our list.
16. Karachi, Pakistan

Live Air Quality Index (2024): 94

Karachi is the largest city in Pakistan. The city has an air quality index of 94, as of April 22. The PM2.5 concentration in Karachi is 29.5 μg/m³, which is 5.9 times higher than the air quality standards set by the WHO.
15. Kolkata, India

Live Air Quality Index (2024): 95

Kolkata is one of the most air polluted cities in Asia. The city has a PM2.5 concentration of 33 μg/m³ and an AQI of 95, as of April 22.
14. Astana, Kazakhstan

Live Air Quality Index (2024): 99

The capital of Kazakhstan, Astana is ranked 14th on our list. It has a particulate matter concentration of 33 μg/m³. Its air quality index is 99, as of April 22.
13. Kuwait City, Kuwait

Live Air Quality Index (2024): 102

Kuwait City is ranked 13th on our list of the most air polluted cities in Asia. The PM2.5 concentration in the city is 36 μg/m³, which is over 7 times higher than the WHO PM2.5 guideline.
12. Manama, Bahrain

Live Air Quality Index (2024): 102

Manama is the capital and one of the largest cities in Bahrain. As of April 22, the city has an AQI index of 102 and a PM2.5 concentration of 36 μg/m³. It is ranked 12th on our list.
11. Bangkok, Thailand

Live Air Quality Index (2024): 104

Bangkok ranks among the most polluted cities for air quality in Asia. As of April 22, the city has an AQI of 104. Its PM2.5 concentration is 34 μg/m³, which is 6.8 times higher than the WHO standard of 5 μg/m³ PM2.5 in the air.
10. Chengdu, China

Live Air Quality Index (2024): 107

Chengdu is ranked 10th on our list. The city has a PM2.5 concentration of 38 μg/m³ and a PM10 concentration of 73 μg/m³.
9. Doha, Qatar

Live Air Quality Index (2024): 112

Doha is the capital of Qatar. As of April 22, the city has an air quality index of 112. Its PM2.5 concentration is 50 μg/m³. It is one of the most air polluted cities in Asia.
8. Medan, Indonesia

Live Air Quality Index (2024): 114

Medan is the capital of North Sumatra, Indonesia. It has a PM2.5 concentration of 41 μg/m³, which is over 8 times higher than the air quality standards.
7. Dhaka, Bangladesh

Live Air Quality Index (2024): 118

Dhaka is ranked 7th on our list. As of April 22, the city has an air quality index of 118. Its particulate matter concentration is 46.7 μg/m³.
6. Delhi, India

Live Air Quality Index (2024): 134

Delhi is ranked 6th on our list of the most air polluted cities in Asia. The major air pollutant in the city is PM10. The concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 in Delhi is 43 μg/m³ and 210 μg/m³, respectively.

Where has the dirtiest air in the US? Report ranks cities with best and worst air quality.

Eduardo Cuevas and Krystal Nurse, USA TODAY
Sat, April 27, 2024 



A new report revealed concerning findings about America's air, but some cities are doing better than others.

As part of the report, the American Lung Association ranked the 10 best and worst metropolitan areas for air pollution. While the best cities are scattered all over the U.S., the West Coast saw some of the worst rankings.

The report looked at daily and annual fine particulate matter averages and ozone pollution regulated under the Clear Air Act. Nearly 2 in 5 Americans live in areas that had a failing grade for at least one air pollution measure, the report stated.

Read more: Report says U.S. air pollution worst in 25 years as new environmental regulations finalized

“We're seeing the most days and the ‘very unhealthy’ or ‘hazardous’ air quality level due to spikes in particle pollution,” Paul Billings, ALA’s senior vice president of public policy, told USA TODAY.
'No safe level to particle pollution'

The below rankings focus on fine particulate matter, or PM 2.5, which created when things are burned. It can cause asthma attacks, strokes and a litany of long term health problems.

“There is no safe level to particle pollution,” Dr. Kari Nadeau, the John Rock professor of climate and population studies at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, told USA TODAY. “We were not meant to breathe this in as humans.”

The pollutants increase the risk of cardiovascular problems such as heart failure and arrhythmia, as well as respiratory ailments such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Breathing in high levels of particulate matter in the long term has been linked to brain damage that puts people at higher risk of Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementias.
Top ten US metro areas with worst air pollution: West Coast air gets bad marks

The western U.S. experienced the bulk of its pollution from roadways, agriculture, oil and gas industries and seemingly endless wildfires.

Bakersfield, Fresno and Visalia – hubs for agricultural production, shipping and warehouses where the population is predominantly Latino – make up the top five cities in each of the report’s measures for 24-hour particle pollution, year-round particle pollution and ground-level ozone pollution.

Other metro areas included are: Eugene-Springfield, Oregon; Los Angeles-Long Beach; Sacramento-Roseville; Medford-Grants Pass, Oregon; Phoenix-Mesa, Arizona; and Fairbanks, Alaska.

Dangerous smoke: Where is wildfire smoke and air quality at its worst? Here's a map of the entire US.
Top ten US metro areas with least air pollution: Residents skew white

Some of the communities with the best air quality included Bangor, Maine; Wilmington, North Carolina; and Honolulu. Except for Honolulu, most of the cities with the best air quality were majority white.

Areas with the least amount of particulate matter pollution include: Casper, Wyoming, Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, Hawaii; Cheyenne, Wyoming; Duluth, Minnesota-Wisconsin; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Anchorage, Alaska; and St. George, Utah.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Best and worst air in the US: Report ranks pollution in cities, metros

Doctors say breathing toxic air in Delhi is like smoking 10 cigarettes a day and urgent solutions are needed

By Charmaine Manuel

abc.net.au

1/1/2022

During December, Delhi's daily PM2.5 levels were, on average, nearly 14 times higher than the World Health Organization recommends.

(Reuters: Adnan Abidi)

Months after the Delta variant ravaged India's capital, Delhi, the city's residents are taking refuge indoors once more.

Key points:

Air pollution is a health concern for children and adults in Delhi

Experts say breathing toxic air is equivalent to smoking multiple cigarettes a day

Clean air activists say urgent solutions are needed


But this time, they aren't just shielding themselves from a dangerous virus. They're also protecting themselves from the city's toxic air.

Schools, construction sites and some workplaces were closed briefly in November due to heavy air pollution and the country's chief justice has asked the central government to take urgent action on the "very serious" problem in Delhi.

Delhi's air quality has been steadily deteriorating for years, and it is particularly bad during winter when the cool weather traps pollution and smoke, shrouding the city in a thick layer of smog.

This seasonal phenomenon has huge health costs for Delhi's residents, many of whom are now agitating for change.
No one knows what 'real blue skies' and 'real clean air' feels like

Jyoti Pande Lavakare has personally experienced the human cost of Delhi's air pollution crisis.

In 2017, her mother, Kamala, died from lung cancer which, she said, doctors told her was triggered by air pollution.

Jyoti Pande Lavakare's mother, Kamala, died from lung cancer in 2017. (Supplied)

"She got diagnosed and, in three months, she had passed on and that was a very traumatic time," she said.

Ms Lavakare, a clean-air activist and author, always knew that Delhi suffered from poor air quality, but it was only when she returned from years of living in California that she realised just how bad it was.

"I realised that people who were born and raised in India didn't really know what real blue skies looked like and what real clean air smelled and felt like," she said.

Worried about the impact on her young children, Ms Lavakare, a former journalist, threw herself into researching the health consequences of living in a polluted city.

Concerned by what she learned, she founded a not-for-profit called Care for Air to raise awareness of the health impacts of Delhi's dismal air, activism that became more personal after her mother's death.

"Although I knew myself about air pollution, it was all intellectualised in my head," she said.

"But to see her struggle to breathe and to die in that horrific way was something I felt in my heart."

Farmers in India traditionally burn their fields to improve soil fertility. 

(Reuters: Danish Siddiqui)

Why is Delhi's air quality so bad?

There are multiple contributing factors.

Siddharth Singh, an air pollution researcher and the author of The Great Smog of India, noted that while air pollution is a common problem in cities around the world, the kind of pollution seen in Delhi is "unique to India".

Delhi's air quality worsens when farmers in the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana burn their fields in the winter months after the harvest to prepare for the next agricultural cycle.

Siddharth Singh says there are several factors that contribute to India's "unique" air pollution. (Supplied)

Mr Singh explained that changing wind directions and slower wind speeds in winter mean that smoke gets trapped instead of being blown towards the sea.

Another factor was pollution emitted from road vehicles and a dependence on coal to generate electricity — India relies heavily on coal because it's readily available and cheap, Mr Singh said.

Northern India also has thousands of small-scale brick manufacturing businesses — which use fire, coal and simple chimneys — that release emissions and dust into the atmosphere and are a "major contributor to the problem", Mr Singh added.

On top of this, the burning of garbage and biomass such as leaves combine to create a "cocktail of air pollutants", Mr Singh said.
Toxic air means no one is a 'true non-smoker' in Delhi

India's government is changing the way it manages pollution by moving to an "airshed" approach.(Reuters: Adnan Abidi)

Breathing in the toxic air of New Delhi has dire consequences for the city's inhabitants.

It can lead to lower life expectancy and an increased chance of lung cancer, among other illnesses, according to professor and medical doctor Arvind Kumar.

As a chest surgeon at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram — a satellite city of Delhi — and founding trustee of the Lung Care Foundation, Dr Kumar has noticed a significant change in the profile of his patients over the past 30 years.

In 1988, 90 per cent of his patients were cigarette smokers and they were mostly men in their 50s and 60s, he said.

But, by 2018, 50 per cent of his lung cancer patients were non-smokers and from a younger demographic: Most were in their 40s, with some in their 30s and a few in their late 20s.

"When I used to operate on patients, I used to see black deposits on the lungs of known smokers. But, when I used to operate on patients for other chest diseases, in non-smokers, it was a rarity to see black lungs," he said.

These days, when he operated on people, finding a normal pink lung was "a rarity", he said.

Dr Arvind Kumar has witnessed a change in the profile of his patients over the past 30 years. (Supplied)

In a city as polluted as Delhi, "there is no true non-smoker", Dr Kumar added.

This is due to the tiny particulate matter known as PM2.5 (with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less), air pollution that is so small it can be inhaled into the lungs and enter the bloodstream.

"So, if today the level of PM2.5 is 220 — which is equal to 10 cigarettes — every newborn today will be smoking 10 cigarettes on day one of his or her life," he said.

Over December 2021, Delhi's daily levels of PM2.5 averaged around 205 micrograms per cubic metre, nearly 14 times higher than the threshold prescribed by the World Health Organization's air quality guidelines.

Ms Lavakare was particularly concerned about the impact on Delhi's children, saying the air is so polluted that "every newborn is a smoker from the day they're born".

"You're setting up your young and your youth for failure," she said.

A boom in air purifiers and oxygen bars

People are paying to breathe in fresh oxygen at oxygen bars in Delhi.

 (Reuters: Anushree Fadnavis)

One of the offshoots of the air pollution crisis is the rise in products and businesses catering to the need for clean, fresh air.

"Air purifiers are a booming industry today," Dr Kumar said.

Cities like Delhi have also seen a rise in oxygen bars, where customers can pay to breathe in pure oxygen.

At one oxygen bar in Delhi, customers can pay 700–1300 rupees ($13–$24) to breathe in flavoured oxygen for around 15 minutes.

Dr Kumar described these ventures as "opportunistic industries" that are trying to "cash in on this health crisis".

Mr Singh noted that, while wealthier residents have the option of staying indoors or purchasing air purifiers, lower socio-economic groups are more exposed to air pollution.

"The poor tend to work closer to the roads. They tend to work closer to the brick-manufacturing units. They tend to work at construction sites, so their exposure to pollution is obviously much, much higher," he said.
Solutions to avoid 'a dystopian future'

In response to the country's air pollution problem, India's central government launched the National Clean Air Program (NCAP) in 2019.

The NCAP targets air pollution in around 132 cities in India and aims to reduce pollution concentrations by 2024.

Mr Singh was not optimistic about NCAP's success because air pollution "is not just an urban problem".

Some experts say "smog towers", which are basically 20-metre-tall air purifiers, are ineffective.

(Reuters: Adnan Abidi)

The ABC contacted the Environment Minister in the Delhi government, Gopal Rai, as well as pollution control entities at the state and central government level but did not receive a response.

What was needed, Mr Singh said, was "a shift from an urban approach to an airshed approach".

An airshed, he explained, was a region with "common geographical and meteorological traits that make air pollution in that region very similar".

India's Environment Minister, Bhupender Yadav, recently announced the government would revise its approach to air pollution and would focus on airsheds instead of urban centres.

The Delhi government has also attempted to tackle air pollution in the city by building smog towers, which are designed to purify the air around them.

Both Dr Kumar and Ms Lavakare consider this solution to be ineffectual and a waste of money.

Dr Kumar said air pollution could not be solved by allowing the air to be polluted and then cleaning it.

It was the sources of pollution that needed to be controlled, he stressed.

But there was also the question of political will.

Air pollution was "not a major electoral issue", Mr Singh said, because there were more-pressing developmental challenges such as "poverty, economic growth, jobs, inflation" along with other political and cultural issues.

Jyoti Pande Lavakare became a clean-air activist and is worried about the impact of air pollution on her family. (Supplied)

Air pollution is the second crisis Delhi's residents have lived through in 2021 after the pandemic.

However, Ms Lavakare said that its government was not taking air pollution as seriously as COVID-19 and that it had fallen to civil society groups such as hers to do the government's job in spreading awareness.

"It's really a dystopian future unless the government gets its act together," she said.

Poor air inflicts billions of premature deaths in Asia

October 22nd, 2020, by Nivedita Khandekar

Traffic jam in Beijing: But China has made big strides towards air quality improvement. 

Image: By public domain, via Wikipedia Commons

Air pollution by tiny particles is among the world’s worst health risks. In South Asia, poor air is as bad as it gets.

NEW DELHI, 22 October, 2020 − Poor air costs lives, but finding out just how many of them will come as a shock to many residents of South Asia’s big cities.

In India’s capital, New Delhi, just going outside and breathing the air can shorten your life by more than nine years, according to a new report into the region’s air quality that measures the effects of pollution on life expectancy.

For millions of people across across north-west India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, it will be bad news − despite the Covid crisis − because of the current surge in air pollution in the region.

But none of the people of four countries, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal, will be happy with the prediction that their lives will be shortened unless their governments take air pollution seriously.

New Delhi is the worst single example in the four, but few of their citizens − a quarter of the world’s population − will escape.

Bangladesh worst hit

Averaged across the whole population, the people of Bangladesh suffer most from air pollution in any country, with their average life span cut short by 6.2 years.

An air quality index (AQI) provides daily air quality assessments, but not the actual health risk. An air quality life index (AQLI) goes further: it converts particulate air pollution into perhaps the most important air pollution metric that exists: its impact on life expectancy.

The report is the work of the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC), which has recently updated its AQLI, based on research by its director Michael Greenstone that quantified the causal relationship between human exposure to air pollution and reduced life expectancy.

While the report makes grim reading for nations south of the Himalayas, it does offer some hope, saying that the people of China can see marked improvements since their government began clamping down on polluting industries in 2013.

The report uses two measures to calculate lower expectations of life expectancy: the more stringent World Heath Organisation guidelines (WHO) and the limits imposed by the governments concerned.

“The threat of coronavirus is grave and deserves every bit of the attention it is receiving [but] embracing the seriousness of air pollution with a similar vigour would allow billions of people around the world to lead longer and healthier lives”

It says air pollution shortens Indian average life expectancy by 5.2 years, relative to what it would be if the WHO guidelines were met, but by 2.3 years relative to the rate if pollution were reduced to meet the country’s own national standard.

Some areas of India fare much worse than the average, with air pollution shortening lives by 9.4 years in Delhi and 8.6 years in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, the report’s India fact sheet 2020 says.

Similarly, the Pakistan sheet says the average Pakistani’s life expectancy has been shortened by 2.7 years, while air pollution cuts lives by more than 4 years in the most polluted areas.

Naming Bangladesh as the world’s most polluted country, EPIC’s report says air pollution shortens the average citizen’s life expectancy by 6.2 years, compared to what it would be if the WHO guidelines were met.

Again, some areas suffer far more, with lives cut by about 7 years in the most polluted district. In every one of the country’s 64 districts, particulate pollution levels are at least four times the WHO guidelines.

Possible underestimate

Surprisingly Nepal, which unlike its southern neighbours is not normally associated with air pollution, also had serious problems with its crowded and polluted cities. As a result, life expectancy there is cut by 4.7 years across the whole population.

“Though the threat of coronavirus is grave and deserves every bit of the attention it is receiving − perhaps more in some places − embracing the seriousness of air pollution with a similar vigour would allow billions of people around the world to lead longer and healthier lives,” says Professor Greenstone.

The science of air pollution, and the impact of poor air on the human body, is evolving rapidly, and some Asian scientists have expressed reservations about the accuracy of some of the calculations. However, none of them disputes the fact that millions are dying early because of the pollution.

The report concentrates on the effect of the smaller particulates that are known to do the most damage to lungs, and to enter the bloodstream, and it may in fact be underestimating the overall effects of poor air quality. − Climate News Network

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Nivedita Khandekar is an independent journalist based in New Delhi, covering development and the environment: nivedita_him@rediffmail.com and on twitter at @nivedita_Him

 

The Lancet Planetary Health: Meeting India's air quality targets across south Asia may prevent 7% of pregnancy losses, modelling study estimates

Modelling study suggests that pregnant women in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, who are exposed to poor air quality, may be at higher risk of stillbirths and miscarriages

THE LANCET

Research News

 

• Modelling study suggests that pregnant women in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, who are exposed to poor air quality, may be at higher risk of stillbirths and miscarriages.
• An estimated 349,681 pregnancy losses per year in south Asia were associated with exposure to PM2.5 concentrations that exceeded India's air quality standard (more than 40 μg/m³), accounting for 7% of annual pregnancy loss in the region from 2000-2016.
• First study to estimate the effect of air pollution on pregnancy loss across the region indicates that air pollution could be a major contributor to pregnancy loss in south Asia, so controlling air pollution is vital for improving maternal health.
• However, limitations in the survey data mean the study was unable to distinguish between natural pregnancy loss and abortions, which may have led to an underestimation of the effect of air pollution on natural pregnancy loss.

Poor air quality is associated with a considerable proportion of pregnancy loss in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, according to a modelling study published in The Lancet Planetary Health journal.

Previous studies have suggested a link between air pollution and pregnancy loss in other regions, but this is the first study to quantify the burden in south Asia, which is the most populous region in the world and has the highest rate of pregnancy loss. [1,2,3] Therefore, understanding the risk factors for pregnancy loss in south Asia is crucial to improving maternal health regionally and globally.

Lead author on the study, Dr. Tao Xue, Peking University, China, says, "South Asia has the highest burden of pregnancy loss globally and is one of the most PM2.5 polluted regions in the world. Our findings suggest that poor air quality could be responsible for a considerable burden of pregnancy loss in the region, providing further justification for urgent action to tackle dangerous levels of pollution." [1]

One of the co-authors, Dr. Tianjia Guan, is from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China. She says "We know losing a pregnancy can have knock-on mental, physical and economic effects on women, including increased risk of postnatal depressive disorders, infant mortality during subsequent pregnancy, and increase the costs related to pregnancy, such as loss of labour. Therefore, reducing pregnancy loss may also lead to knock-on improvements in gender equality." [1]

To carry out their analysis, the authors combined data from household surveys on health from 1998-2016 (from women who reported at least one pregnancy loss and one or more livebirths) and estimated exposure to PM2.5 during pregnancy through combining satellite with atmospheric modelling outputs. They created a model to examine how exposure to PM2.5 increased women's risk of pregnancy loss, calculating risk for each 10 μg/m³ increased in PM2.5 after adjusting for maternal age, temperature and humidity, seasonal variation, and long-term trends in pregnancy loss.

Using this association, they calculated the number of pregnancy losses that may have been caused by PM2.5 in the whole region for the period 2000-16 and looked at how many pregnancy losses might have been prevented under India's and WHO's air quality standard (40 μg/m³ and 10 μg/m³, respectively).

In the study, they included 34,197 women who had lost a pregnancy, including 27,480 miscarriages and 6,717 stillbirths, which were compared to livebirth controls. Of the pregnancy loss cases, 77% were from India, 12% from Pakistan, and 11% from Bangladesh.

Gestational exposure to PM2.5 was associated with an increased likelihood of pregnancy loss, and this remained significant after adjusting for other factors. Each increase in 10 μg/m³ was estimated to increase a mother's risk of pregnancy loss by 3%.

The increase in risk was greater for mothers from rural areas or those who became pregnant at an older age, compared to younger mothers from urban areas.

From 2000 to 2016, 349,681 pregnancy losses per year were associated with ambient exposure to air pollution exceeding India's air quality standard-- accounting for 7% of the total annual pregnancy loss burden in this region. For air pollution above WHO air quality guideline, exposure may have contributed to 29% of pregnancy losses. [4]

Although WHO's guidelines aims for a safer level of air pollution, the authors note that India's standard is a more realistic target level, given the high average levels of air pollution in the region and the need to balance practical governance and public health.

Pregnancy loss associated with air pollution was more common in the Northern plains region in India and Pakistan. Although the total burden of pregnancy loss was predominantly borne by rural women aged under 30 years old in recent years, the burden attributable to PM2.5 also affected older mothers (aged 30 years or over) in rural areas because of their high susceptibility to the adverse effects of PM2.5.

The authors note several limitations of their study. In the surveys, they were not able to distinguish between natural pregnancy loss and abortions and there was under-reporting of pregnancy losses because of stigma or ignoring very early pregnancy losses. They also note that the survey data is subject to recall bias, therefore, recommending the causality of the association should be further examined in longitudinal studies. In addition, satellite-based estimates of PM2.5 were used, this was necessary because insufficient local monitoring is available.

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NOTES TO EDITORS

This study was funded by Chinese Natural Science Foundation and Ministry of Science and Technology of China. It was conducted by researchers from Peking University, China, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, China, Tsinghua University, China, University of Connecticut, USA.

The labels have been added to this press release as part of a project run by the Academy of Medical Sciences seeking to improve the communication of evidence. For more information, please see: http://www.sciencemediacentre.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/AMS-press-release-labelling-system-GUIDANCE.pdf if you have any questions or feedback, please contact The Lancet press office pressoffice@lancet.com

[1] Quote direct from author and cannot be found in the text of the Article.

[2] Association between pregnancy loss and ambient PM2·5 using survey data in Africa: a longitudinal case-control study, 1998-2016: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(19)30047-6/fulltext

[3] During 2010-15, 178 million (25·5%) of 698 million babies born globally were born in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh combined, but 917 800 (35·0%) of 2 620 000 stillbirths occurred in these countries.

[4] For the WHO guideline scenario, the authors only calculated the percentage of pregnancy losses associated with PM2.5, so unlike for the India's air standard scenario, the total number of pregnancy losses is not available.

Peer-reviewed / Mo

Millions of Indians set Diwali world record as air pollution worries rise

Homes decked with lights as annual Hindu festival celebrated across country

 

 

Devotees light earthen lamps on the banks of the Saryu river in Ayodhya on Saturday. AFP

AP
Nov 12, 2023


Millions of Indians celebrated Diwali on Sunday, setting a Guinness World Record for the number of bright earthen oil lamps, as concerns about air pollution soared in the country.

Across the country, dazzling multi-colored lights decked homes and streets as devotees celebrated the annual Hindu festival of light symbolizing the victory of light over darkness.

But the spectacular and long-awaited lighting of the oil lamps took place as usual on the banks of the Saryu river in Ayodhya, the birthplace of the Hindu deity Rama.
READ MORE
When is Diwali 2023 and how will the festival of lights be celebrated this year?

At dusk on Saturday, devotees lit more than 2.22 million lamps and kept them burning for 45 minutes as religious hymns filled the air at the banks of the river, setting a new world record. Last year, more than 1.5 million earthen lamps were lit.

After counting the lamps, Guinness World Records representatives presented a certificate to Uttar Pradesh state’s top elected official, Yogi Adityanath.


More than 24,000 volunteers, mostly college students, helped prepare for the new record, said Pratibha Goyal, vice chancellor of Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Avadh University in Ayodhya.

Diwali, a national holiday across India, is celebrated by socialising and exchanging gifts with family and friends. Many light earthen oil lamps or candles as fireworks are set off as part of the celebrations.

A Hindu woman holds a clay lamp during a ceremony to celebrate Diwali at Krishna temple in Lahore, Pakistan, on Sunday. AP

In the evening, a prayer is dedicated to the Hindu deity Lakshmi, who is believed to bring luck and prosperity.

Over the weekend, authorities ran extra trains to accommodate the huge numbers trying to reach their home towns to join in family celebrations.

Air quality concerns

The festival came amid rising worries about air quality in India.

A “hazardous” 400-500 level was recorded on the air quality index last week, more than 10 times the global safety threshold, which can cause acute and chronic bronchitis and asthma attacks.

But on Saturday, unexpected rain and a strong wind improved the levels to 220, according to the government-run Central Pollution Control Board.

Fireworks light up the night sky in Mumbai on Sunday. AFP

Air pollution levels are expected to soar again after the celebrations end on Sunday night because of the fireworks used.

Last week, officials in New Delhi shut down primary schools and banned polluting vehicles and construction work in an attempt to reduce the worst haze and smog of the season, which has posed respiratory problems for people and enveloped monuments and high-rise buildings in and around India’s capital.

Authorities used water sprinklers and anti-smog guns to control the haze and many people used masks to escape the air pollution.

Almost every year, New Delhi is named as India's city with the worst air quality, particularly in the winter, when the burning of crop residues in neighbouring states coincides with cooler temperatures that trap deadly smoke.

Some Indian states have banned the sale of fireworks and imposed other restrictions to stem the pollution. Authorities have also urged residents to light “green crackers” that emit less pollutants than normal fireworks. But similar bans have often been disregarded in the past.

This year's Diwali celebrations took place as authorities prepared for the January opening of a temple to Rama at former the site of the 16th-century Babri mosque in Ayodhya.

The mosque was destroyed by a Hindu mob with pickaxes and crowbars in December 1992, sparking violence between Hindus and Muslims that left about 2,000 people dead, most of them Muslims. The Supreme Court’s verdict in 2019 allowed a temple to be built in place of the demolished mosque.

 

Smoke clouds Indian capital on Diwali as revellers defy firecracker ban

Revellers lighting firecrackers on the night of Deepavali in New Delhi on Nov 12

. PHOTO: AFP

NEW DELHI – A toxic haze began to circulate in New Delhi on Sunday as people in the city of 20 million, which has struggled with heavy pollution recently, defied a ban on firecrackers on the night of Diwali, the annual Hindu festival of light.

Smoke plumes were visible across the sky as revellers let off firecrackers in the evening to mark the country’s biggest festival.

Every year government authorities or India’s Supreme Court impose bans on firecrackers – but only rarely do those bans appear to be enforced.


The Air Quality Index (AQI) across all 40 monitoring stations in the capital averaged 219 on a scale of 500, according to the federal pollution control board data, indicating “poor” conditions that can affect most people on prolonged exposure.

The AQI data also showed that the concentration of PM2.5 poisonous particulate matter was around 100 microgrammes per cubic m of air – 20 times higher than the World Health Organisation’s recommended maximum.

Globally, air pollution was the worst in India’s eastern city of Kolkata, while Delhi was the fifth-most polluted, according to Swiss group IQAir.

Doctors say the air quality is likely to worsen on Monday as smoke from firecrackers lingers in the air, potentially causing itchy eyes and irritation in the throat.

“I can see my patients are getting distressed. As a society, we have not understood the value of clean air,” said senior consultant Desh Deepak at Delhi’s Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.

Some Hindus resent the Diwali firecracker bans, which they see as an attempt to interfere with their observing their religious festivals.

Earlier in the day, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai had urged citizens to steer clear of firecrackers to prevent citizens from having breathing problems later.

Just before the weekend, a spell of rain had brought some relief to the city, where the AQI dipped below 160 after hovering around the 400-500 level over the past week.

The world’s most polluted capital typically experiences heavy smog in the winter months as particulate matter gets trapped in the cold air, leading to spikes in cases of respiratory distress. 

REUTERS

India’s Yearly Air Haze Carnival is Here!

D Raghunandan | 12 Nov 2023

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The real worry for the country should be the high baseline AQI of around 200-250 in almost all major Indian cities.

A thick smog blankets the capital city of Delhi, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. Air pollution level is Delhi-NCR has started rising owing much to stubble (parali) burning in adjoining states. Image Courtesy: PTI Photo/Arun Sharma

So here we are once again, regular like the seasons, with Delhi and the entire Indo-Gangetic plains right down to West Bengal, shrouded in a grey haze of pollutants as visible in photographs from space.  As many as 13 of the world’s 20 worst polluted cities or towns in the world are in India, including Delhi, satellite towns and other urban centres in northern and eastern India. This has now become such a hardy and recurrent annual feature that it may as well be declared yet another festival of which we already have so many in this country.

As with other Indian festivals, this one too has by now acquired ritual trappings. The press carries daily articles on different aspects, but really only provides snippets of information with little or no meaningful analysis leading to effective policies. The media discourse has utterly confused the issues, and obscured the basic causes behind high levels of air pollution and its major sources, thereby preventing a clear understanding of the problem and a focused policy direction for a long-term and permanent solution.

The same holds true for establishment political parties. The Union government and the ruling dispensation, which daily clamour for control over the administration of Delhi, now only maintains a studious silence, leaving things to a committee and to the different states, while taking pot-shots at Opposition-rules states.

The Delhi government and its ruling party, which used to cry hoarse against the neighbouring states, especially Punjab and Haryana formerly governed by the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party, respectively, now only speaks against pollutants coming from Haryana, obviously because Punjab is now ruled by the Aam Aadmi Party!

Even the august Supreme Court, which often shies away from important decisions which it says may cross the line separating it from executive or legislative jurisdictions, now questions the basis for different executive decisions, but then proceeds to itself pass orders directing this or that policy or executive action, which too have no basis in science or empirical evidence!

Marx said that history repeats itself, the first time as tragedy, and the next time as farce. But what does one say when a sorry history repeats itself annually?  

THE BASICS OF AIR POLLUTION IN DELHI
(AND OTHER INDIAN CITIES)

Let us first get to a basic understanding of the problem of air pollution in urban centres in India.

There is much talk of seasonal or other variations, weather conditions, wind flows, seasonal or other spurts in one or another pollution source, but not clearly identifying the major sources of pollution. Extensive discussions about farm fires in north-western states, the inversion phenomenon in winter wherein cold air stays close to the ground gets trapped, make it appear as if the problem is more acute in North India than in peninsular and southern India. In major coastal cities such as in Mumbai, Chennai and even to some extent Kolkata, sea-breezes regularly flush out air pollutants over these cities, ensuring lower ambient pollution and beguilingly low air quality indices. 

It needs to be clearly understood that total pollutants released into the air, especially over cities, come from specific sources in quantities that can be determined by scientific studies and models. The major sources of air pollution in any urban centre in India would mostly comprise vehicle exhaust, coal-fired power plants in the vicinity, brick and other kilns in the region, construction and ambient dust, domestic, industrial or commercial burning of solid fuels such as coal and firewood, open burning of garbage or waste, industrial air pollution including and especially from burning of highly polluting fuels such as rubber and poor grades of furnace oil etc in boilers or other equipment, diesel generators and some other sources.

Of all these, as numerous studies have shown, vehicular pollution, construction and ambient dust, and industrial pollution are the major sources which account for most of the baseline or uniform, underlying air pollution in almost all Indian cities.

The main point here, however, is that, besides these variations and seasonal factors, a finite and determinate quantity of pollutants are emitted from these sources in or near any given city. Out of this total quantity of pollutants, some will stay over these urban centres and their surrounding areas, and some will be blown away or otherwise diffuse through the air due to seasonal and daily variations including rainfall, winds, summer and winter etc.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) is a measure of pollutants determined by sensors placed at different points in the city, and often cited and used to categorise conditions as “good,” “poor” or “severe.” AQI is a good indicator of air pollution under current conditions including as influenced by seasonal and weather patterns, and can help guide additional seasonal or other variable responses. But we need to look closer at the main, or baseline, total air pollutants emitted in and around the city in order to determine, plan and implement long-term strategies to curb air pollution on a permanent basis.

So, if one looks at the numbers, Delhi, surrounding National Capital Region or NCR and other Indo-Gangetic belt cities are being driven to panic by AQI numbers of close to 500 due to seasonal spikes in farm fires and winter conditions. While farm fires etc. can be tackled, the real worry should be the high baseline AQI of around 200-250 in almost all major Indian cities.

KNEE-JERK REACTIONS, FALSE SOLUTIONS
This is certainly not what is being done, or even being addressed, in any city in India or in the country as a whole. 

There is a National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in existence which aims at a 20-30% reduction of PM 2.5 and PM 10 (particulate matter of 2.5 or 10 microns or thousandths of a millimetre size), of which the former is particularly dangerous since it can easily penetrate into the lungs and cause serious respiratory diseases, as compared to 2017 levels. The needle has barely moved on these indicators, and funds have mostly been spent only on providing sensors to different cities. No strategy as such is visible, and no effective inter-departmental coordination mechanism has been set up.

Instead, what the country is witnessing is panic-driven knee-jerk reactions and false solutions offered by all and sundry without any scientific basis or evidence-based reasoning based, among other things, on valuable experiences of other countries which have successfully tackled air pollution in cities over decades resulting in steady and continuing low air pollution today. We shall learn about these in the next section.

In the current tragi-comedy in Delhi, there is first the over-concentration on farm fires in Punjab and Haryana, which have been discussed ad nauseam, including in these columns. Stubble burning is, of course, worrying, but the problem is not amenable to short-being caught between high costs and the urgent need to clear fields of straw to enable planting of winter wheat within an extremely short window of two-three weeks.  Various interventions of providing machines and subsidies to various user industries have indeed shown some results, but not enough.

The Centre's Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has reported a substantial decrease in stubble-burning incidents in Punjab and Haryana between September 15 to October 29, of around 56% and 40%, respectively, compared with the same period last year. Yet, as harvest time neared, this has risen again and spiked.

Clearly, more holistic, end-to-end solutions, which cannot simply be left to market forces, are required by state governments with pro-active support and coordination by the Centre. It is pointless for the Supreme Court to peremptorily order the state governments concerned to ensure that all farm fires should be stopped forthwith, as it did earlier this week.

Besides this, the Delhi government decided to introduce its vehicle-rationing “odd-even” (now deferred) scheme under which vehicles with number plates ending with odd or even numbers would ply only on alternative days. The Supreme Court sneered at this idea, asked for evidence to prove that such a scheme works, and sharply called it “sheer optics''. But surely, in theory, a scheme which reduces vehicles on Delhi’s roads by half would cause a substantial dent in air pollution. This was clearly evidenced during the pandemic lockdown when, due to lack of vehicular movement, air quality in Indian cities was better than it had been in several decades!

International experience in Mexico, China and Brazil has shown that such schemes to reduce numbers of vehicles on the roads do indeed work, but have been thwarted to cunning vehicle-owner dissenting response of buying additional vehicles with different number plates to circumvent the “odd-even” norms. In Delhi, two-wheelers which account for 7 million vehicles, have been exempted!

At the same time, the SC asked the Delhi government to consider banning app-based taxis, with the latter then proposing to stop out-of-state taxis from entering Delhi. This would only curb a tiny fraction of the one million vehicles on Delhi’s roads! What evidence does the august court have that this scheme would work?

The same applies to the infamous “smog towers” which the Supreme Court ordered to be installed in 2020 despite evidence-based reluctance of various agencies and academic institutions. Yet, in the past few days, the SC ordered the by now dysfunctional smog towers in Connaught Place to be restarted, even though studies have shown that the tower is effective only over a few tens of metres.

And now the Delhi government is preparing for cloud seeding to produce rain!

More pipedreams.
 
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
In sharp contrast to India, Europe as a whole has substantially improved its air quality over the past two decades by concerted and holistic efforts, including strict enforcement of high standards for industrial, vehicular and domestic air pollution by cooking and heating fuels especially coal. These measures have been backed by EU and national legislation, national commitments with strict timelines, and a comprehensive approach tackling all sources of pollution and all major pollutants. 

As a result, more than half of EU countries, mostly in Western Europe, have brought down average PM 2.5 levels to under the EU standard of 25 micrograms per cubic metre, compared with the India average of well over 100, and aim to achieve the WHO (World Health Organisation) standard of matter, especially PM 2.5.

The EU has also sharply focused on the dangerous nitrogen dioxide emanating mainly from vehicles and thermal power plants, on surface level ozone, a major carcinogen, and on toxic carbon monoxide, which hardly find mention in the discourse in India. Having earlier tackled power generation and polluting industries, most present efforts are aimed at vehicular pollution.

Another outstanding example is Beijing, widely studied and appreciated by UN agencies and other international agencies. About a decade or two ago, Beijing had the dubious distinction of consistently ranked the most polluted city in the world, with PM 2.5 well in excess of 100. Its smog was notorious, driving many multinational companies and diplomatic missions to seriously consider and publicly speak about relocating out of Beijing.

Even though China as a whole ranked quite poorly in international pollution rankings, it put in highly focused and major efforts into tackling air pollution in Beijing. It moved all coal-based power plants and industries out of the city, ensured phasing out of older and more polluting vehicles, and introduced low-emission zones in the city where only the cleanest or electric vehicles were allowed, an idea also enforced in London and other European cities.

Beijing has been transformed from a car-centred city to what agencies have described as an example of sustainable mobility, expanding urban rail, bicycle and pedestrian mobility. A major afforestation effort was also taken in the northern regions from where recurring dust-storms bringing fine dust into Beijing were curbed.

Widespread use of domestic coal-burning stoves was also curbed. As a result of all these measures, Beijing’s air pollution levels have been reduced by almost half its earlier levels, also bringing down pollution in the huge extended tri-city “megapolis” area.

There is no reason at all why India cannot emulate these international examples. But this would call for political will, planning and enforcement… and stop tilting at windmills!

The writer is with the Delhi Science Forum and All India People’s Science Network. The views are personal.

Killer Delhi Air Reminds, Pollution Needs National Solution

Rashme Sehgal | 10 Nov 2023

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Experts say air pollution needs a regional approach, not finger-pointing, and certainly not complete neglect.

Commuters cross railway tracks amid low visibility due to smog, in Gurugram, Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023. Image Courtesy: PTI

Delhi’s air quality worsens every Diwali season, and this year is no exception. The rainfall in parts of the National Capital Region (NCR) brings some relief, but will hardly change things unless the rainfall is widespread and prolonged—which will have other negative consequences for the economy and people. Hence, Delhi and its surroundings, with the air quality index hitting 500, 100 times above what the World Health Organization (WHO) has deemed healthy, needs to be part of a national solution for the pollution crisis.

The 3.3 crore people living in the NCR are only too aware that the cold-weather smog sees the PM2.5 levels register a dangerous 100% increase, piercing the lungs of citizens and precipitating a host of diseases. On November 2 alone, they recorded a 68% increase in 24 hours. Similar statistics emerged from around the country, making people worried about what miseries the expected spike in pollution with Diwali cracker-burning will bring. 

The weary citizens, and especially the elderly and young of this mega city, are asking why the central and state governments, including those of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, have failed to get together and draw up a game-plan that will resolve this annual catastrophe that afflicts all? They know that blaming seasonal factors like crop-residue burning and festival-related pollution is not the answer. 

However, the seriousness of this matter seems lost on our decision-makers. A few years ago, Dr Arvind Kumar, who headed the Lung Care Foundation at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, recreated a pair of large human lungs with the help of HEPA (High-efficiency Particulate Air) filters, which are used to trap dust in operation theatres. These “lungs’ were designed to mimic the workings of a pair of human lungs. Dr Kumar had expected the lungs to become dark (signifying high pollution) over time, but they started to darken in just one day and went utterly dark within six days. Dr Kumar said, speaking not only about the effects of pollution in the capital and the entire country, “There are no non-smokers left in India. We have become a nation of smokers.”

The point Dr Kumar was trying to make was that in Delhi, to cite an example, the PM 2.5 levels are high around the year, with doctors insisting this toxic air is the equivalent of smoking over ten cigarettes a day, even for newborn children. With air pollution levels having risen alarmingly across all the major cities of the Indo-Gangetic plain, the situation has become alarming throughout the country. 

“This is a failure on the part of individuals, officials, organisations to take cognisance of the fact that breathing is killing [us],” he said in a widely-circulated interview. 

Dr Piyush Ranjan from the Department of Medicine AIIMS recently warned, “Air pollution affects various systems of the body apart from causing respiratory diseases. Pollution has direct relations with coronary artery diseases like heart attack, brain stroke and arthritis, and there is scientific evidence to show its relationship with different types of cancer.”

Delhi has set up a Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), a statutory body responsible for strategies to combat pollution. It has prepared a graded response plan, and the Grade 4 response has kicked in under the present circumstances. The CAQM has banned diesel BS-4 and all BS-3 private cars and banned diesel-run medium goods vehicles and heavy goods vehicles in the city. But despite a ban on construction activities and the closure of schools until November 26, the ambient air quality has not improved. This is because the root of the problem is not being addressed. 

The political class does a great deal of name-calling, with each blaming this mess on the rival party. The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress are pointing fingers at the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi, blaming it for the present situation given that farm fires are spiking in Punjab. Indeed, reports of these fires continue to come in despite the Supreme Court ordering the Punjab and Haryana governments to ensure farmers stop burning stubble in their fields.

Can AAP escape blame for the crisis in Delhi? According to the Bharatiya Janata Party, the party has failed to provide alternatives to the farmers, resulting in farm fires. Priyanka Kakkar, a party spokesperson, defended her party and called the criticism baseless as she believes Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has taken steps to clear Delhi’s air. This includes introducing electric buses, stopping waste burning, and ensuring all industries run on CNG.

According to Kakkar, there were 81,000 farm fires in Punjab in 2016 and only 19,000 in 2023. However, this is contradicted by NASA figures, which paint a very different picture. 

She says ensuring 24x7 electricity supply reduced diesel generator use in the capital, unlike Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, where power cuts force industry and housing societies to use diesel generators.

Herein lies the crux of the problem. While there is no doubt that the farm fires helped accelerate the crisis, several neighbouring cities including Ghaziabad, NOIDA, Greater NOIDA and Faridabad report highly hazardous air. According to the Central Pollution Control Board data for the first week of November, Greater NOIDA has the dubious distinction of being the country’s most polluted city. Meanwhile, last year, the World Air Quality Report ranked Delhi the fourth most polluted of 50 cities in the world. This year, Delhi is in an equally bad, if not worse, situation.

How, then, should our planners bring about a turnaround? How should PM 2.5 levels be immediately reduced by 60% to meet the National Ambient Air Quality standards? For one, they must recognise the different sources causing 24/7 pollution around the year. However, the government must also ensure a significant transition from private vehicles to public transport use. In New York and London, exorbitant parking fees have made even the wealthy feel the pinch of driving personal cars and two-wheelers.

By contrast, 1.2 crore vehicles in Delhi were recorded as registered in 2020, though this dipped in the following year. Still, the number of vehicles plying in Delhi on any day exceeds the registered vehicles figure because of cabs from neighbouring cities (which are banned now). Further, trucks and buses using BS 3 diesel supply essential commodities to the city. The government will have to introduce strict laws and restrictions to control private vehicles, but this will only work if there is efficient, reliable and inexpensive last-mile connectivity for public transport, especially the Delhi Metro and bus services.

By and large, industries in Delhi have switched to CNG, but the government needs to take adequate steps to ensure that CNG remains a viable option against the price of coal. If not, people will rely on coal, whatever the environmental consequences.

The other major problem in Delhi is waste management. The CPCB’s annual report for waste management in 2021 revealed that Delhi had the highest per-capita waste generation (450 grams per day), while 263 tonnes of solid waste was generated daily, which is unaccounted for. This is because a lot of trash has been outsourced to private players and is not handled by municipal corporations.

Delhi’s waste-to-energy plants also need to be more efficient. For every tonne of burnt waste, 300 kg of trash is dumped in landfills. 

Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director of the Centre for Science and Environment, says, “The states and Centre need to act on a massive scale and with rapid speed to fill some glaring gaps in policy. They must realise that transportation remains the biggest polluter in Delhi, much more than farmers’ fires. The 1.2 crore vehicles plying in the capital add to the traffic congestion on the streets. The government needs to follow a regional approach to resolve this issue, a Delhi-centric approach alone will not work.”

Medical experts say that all sections of society, including politicians, religious leaders and others, must join hands. As Dr Kumar has said, he tried to engage with spiritual figures so they could tell followers what steps to take to curb pollution. Sadly, he claims, he met with little success.

The government continues to be one of the biggest polluters in the NCR, given the number of building projects being undertaken by the Centre. Dust and smoke remain two of the biggest polluters, which can only be curbed if all non-essential construction stops immediately. 

Pollution is a deadly killer, and it is questionable how ‘slow’ it is in claiming victims, for India has had unacceptably poor air quality for well over a decade. Unfortunately, governments are blind to the consequences and the toll it has been taking on the country’s entire population.

The author is an independent journalist. The views are personal. 

 

Delhi: Air Quality Severe Again; PM 2.5 at 30 to 40 Times Healthy Limit set by WHO

PTI | 08 Nov 2023

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Smoke from post-harvest paddy straw burning in neighbouring states accounts for one-third of the air pollution in the national capital, say officials.

Representational Image. Image Courtesy: Flickr

New Delhi, Nov 8 (PTI) Air quality in Delhi and its suburbs dropped to the severe category again on Wednesday morning, with smoke from post-harvest paddy straw burning in neighbouring states accounting for one-third of the air pollution in the national capital.

The city's Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 421, worsening from 395 at 4 p.m on Tuesday.

Despite a marginal dip, the concentration of PM2.5, fine particulate matter capable of penetrating deep into the respiratory system and triggering health problems, exceeded the government-prescribed safe limit of 60 micrograms per cubic metre by seven to eight times in the capital.

It was 30 to 40 times the healthy limit of 15 micrograms per cubic metre set by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Several cities across the Indo-Gangetic plains reported hazardous air quality. Neighbouring Ghaziabad (382), Gurugram (370), Noida (348), Greater Noida (474), and Faridabad (396) also reported hazardous air quality.

According to data from the Decision Support System, a numerical model-based framework capable of identifying sources of particulate matter pollution in Delhi, stubble burning in neighbouring states, especially Punjab and Haryana, accounted for 37% of the air pollution in Delhi on Tuesday. It is likely to be 33% on Wednesday.

The Delhi government on Monday announced the return of its flagship odd-even scheme after four years anticipating further deterioration of air quality post-Diwali.

The odd-even scheme, under which cars are allowed to operate on alternate days based on their odd or even number plates, will be implemented between November 13 and November 20. The Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) and Evidence for Policy Design had analysed the impact of the odd-even system in 2016 and found that Delhi saw a 14-16 per cent reduction in PM2.5 levels during the hours it remained in force in January that year. However, there was no reduction in pollution when the scheme was brought back in April that year.

To protect the health of school children, the government also decided to suspend in-person classes in all schools, except for students in grades X and XII preparing for board exams, until November 10.

According to the Ministry of Earth Sciences' Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi-NCR, the region is likely to experience severe air quality for another five to six days.

Doctors say breathing in the polluted air of Delhi is equivalent to the harmful effects of smoking approximately 10 cigarettes a day.

Prolonged exposure to high levels of pollution can cause or exacerbate respiratory problems such as asthma, bronchitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and can dramatically raise the risk of cardiovascular disease, said Rajesh Chawla, senior consultant in pulmonology and critical care at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital.

Stringent restrictions mandated under the final stage of the Central government's air pollution control plan for Delhi-NCR, called the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), have also been implemented in Delhi.

The restrictions under stage IV of GRAP, including a ban on all kinds of construction work and the entry of polluting trucks into the capital, took effect on Sunday after air quality in the capital dropped to severe plus (AQI above 450) levels.

GRAP categorises actions into four stages: Stage I - Poor (AQI 201-300); Stage II - Very Poor (AQI 301-400); Stage III - Severe (AQI 401-450); and Stage IV - Severe Plus (AQI above 450).

Unfavourable meteorological conditions, combined with vehicular emissions, paddy straw burning, firecrackers, and other local pollution sources, contribute to hazardous air quality levels in Delhi-NCR during the winter every year.

According to a Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) analysis, the capital experiences peak pollution from November 1 to November 15 when the number of stubble-burning incidents in Punjab and Haryana increases.

Air quality in Delhi-NCR declined over the last two weeks due to a gradual drop in temperatures, calm winds that trap pollution, and a surge in post-harvest paddy straw burning across Punjab and Haryana.

Delhi's air quality ranks among the worst in the world's capital cities.

A report by EPIC in August said that air pollution is shortening lives by almost 12 years in Delhi.