India is under the spell of grim air pollution.
While the Delhi-NCR region choked with intense air pollution during the last quarter of 2017, the problem still persists with many residents complaining of respiratory problems.?
Greenpeace¡¯s second annual report on the state of air quality in Indian cities, analysed data from 280 cities across the country, compared to 168 cities analysed in 2017.
And the data are forbidding.
The air quality is measured based on the number of small particles every cubic meter of air specifically those smaller than 2.5 micrograms (PM2.5) or 10 micrograms (PM10). These particles can easily enter the human bloodstream through lungs and increase risks of lung cancers, heart attacks and strokes.?
None of the Indian cities passes the World Health Organization¡¯s guideline value for PM10 pollution of fewer than 20 micrograms per cubic meter. Only 52 out of 280 Indian cities pass Indian government¡¯s own standards of air pollution that say PM10 shouldn¡¯t exceed 60 micrograms per cubic meter.
India¡¯s most polluted cities:
Zikarya Siddiqui/Indiatimes
India¡¯s least polluted cities:
Zikarya Siddiqui/Indiatimes
The data compiled in the report is a comprehensive set of data on air quality in India. It covers 280 cities with a population of 630 million or 53% of the total population (assuming a district with even one manual station covers the entire population of the said district):
Out of the 630 million Indians covered by the data, 550 million live in areas exceeding national standard for PM10, and 180 million live in areas where the air pollution levels are more than twice the stipulated standards. This includes 47 million children under 5 years of age, living in areas where the standard is exceeded and 17 million in areas where the air pollution levels are more than twice the stipulated standards.
The largest numbers of people in areas with more than twice the stipulated levels of pollution are in Uttar Pradesh (64 million), followed by Rajasthan (20 million), Maharashtra (19 million), Delhi (17 million) and Bihar (15 million).
The most are children under 5 years of age, living in areas where the standard is exceeded more than twice are also in Uttar Pradesh (6.3 million) and Rajasthan (2.1 million), followed by Bihar (1.7 million), Maharashtra (1.4 million) and Delhi (1.4 million).
580 million Indians live in districts with no air quality data available, including 59 million children under 5 years of age.
BCCL
Real-time data is available for only 190 million Indians or 16% of the population.
After Delhi, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh have the highest coverage of real-time data, while 23 states have no real-time data available to the public.
The largest number of people living in areas with no data is Uttar Pradesh (133 million), followed by Bihar (89 million), Madhya Pradesh (48 million) and Rajasthan (45 million).
To counter air pollution, the first step in this direction is to have a robust monitoring of air quality through a mechanism installed across the country. This is necessary to bring information about pollution levels in real time and through use of data resulting into collected strategies evolved to reduce pollution levels and protect public health.
People participation is paramount in reducing air pollution. The choice of electricity and transportation could play a key role in managing pollution in levels in many parts of the country.
1. Moving towards rooftop solar and other forms of the decentralised renewable energy solution.
2. Using energy efficient appliances and reducing household energy usage.
3. Increased usage of public transport, cycling and walking.
4. Waste minimisation, segregation and recycling, which will reduce the burning of waste in streets as well as the landfills along with energy reductions and saving in transporting huge quantities of waste.
The government notified strict emissions norms notified in 2015. It is in the process of setting up standards for 35 different polluting industries, especially with SO? and NOx emissions.
Other key policy measures in other sectors including replacing biomass-based cooking stoves with LPG to reduce indoor air pollution, working with farmers to reduce air pollution due to open crop burning and banning garbage burning.?
So far, the government has not outlined any consequences for missing targets, but courts time-to-time impose penalties for non-compliance. To ensure compliance, a legal action framework should be prepared for non-compliance, periodic review of states should be adopted and green living must be promoted.