Centre for Science and Environment masthead Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Donate

Cse In News

Cse In News

"Really have to revamp our action": Centre for Science and Environment on increasing pollution in Delhi

Amid the increasing pollution in Delhi, Anumita Roy Chowdhury, Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment has asked to speed up action throughout the year to build adequate infrastructure. Following the rainfall on Friday, there was a slight improvement in Delhi's air quality on Saturday. The air quality, which was previously categorized as 'Very Poor' by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), has now improved to the 'Poor' category. "On November 2, when the massive buildup of pollution happened. We were amazed at the rate and the speed with which the pollution had increased by nearly 68 per cent within 24 hours. We really have to ramp up our action throughout the year so that we can build adequate infrastructure systems to scale, to implement the solutions at a scale so that vehicular pollution can be controlled by improving public transport," Anumita Roy Chowdhury said. "Eliminate solid fuel burning in all sectors. At the same time, deal with and aggressively scale up the use of clean fuel and technology in industries," she added. Meanwhile, Delhi's Environment Minister, Gopal Rai, has written a letter to the Uttar Pradesh Transport Minister and asked for action on the plying of non-destined vehicles in Delhi from UP's border to curb pollution in Delhi. "In this regard, it is requested that directions be issued to the concerned to ensure that all the non-destined vehicles should be diverted through Eastern and Western Peripheral expressway night at their entry points before the Delhi Border. Accordingly, additional enforcement teams may be deployed at all the Entry Points to Peripheral ways to ensure the implementation of the aforesaid directions," read the letter addressed to UP Transport Minister Dayashankar Singh. The Delhi government also announced to delay proposed implementation of the odd-even car-rationing scheme in the city. The announcement comes after the Supreme Court, earlier in the day, directed the Delhi government to make a definitive decision on the implementation of the Odd-Even Scheme. The court, however, refrained from taking a decision itself, leaving the matter in the hands of the state government. Currently, Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) has been implemented in the national capital after the city's air quality plummeted to the 'severe plus' category. (ANI)

Delhi AQI: Delhi NCR should not depend on rain alone to tackle pollution

Finally, after all crisis-management efforts failed, it was left to the 'weather gods' to rescue a choked Delhi-NCR from one of the longest air emergency spells in recent times. There is, however, no reason to cheer yet as it is only the beginning of winter, which coincides with the annual pollution season. The rain and wind rescued Delhi this time, but favourable weather conditions may not be present all the time and only coordinated, long-term and year-long efforts involving all stakeholders can help address the annual air pollution emergency, say experts. So, what happened? A thick blanket of smog had enveloped Delhi and nearby areas for nine days, from November 1 to 9, leaving Delhi-NCR residents gasping for breath – and forcing the authorities to enforce the highest restrictions in the rule books in a bid to control the air emergency. Gas chamber October was breathable but the smokey story began around October 28 when Delhi's average air quality index (AQI) entered the ‘very poor’ category and slowly climbed up. On November 2, it neared the ‘severe’ category, resting at 392 at ‘very poor’. On November 3, the AQI crossed the ‘severe’ mark for the first time this season, recording 468 in the 4 pm daily bulletin. From there, the AQI stayed put at ‘severe’ till November 8, barring one day on November 7, when it marginally came down to 375 in the ‘very poor’ category. On two days, November 3 and 5, the AQI crossed the severe-plus mark, recording 468 and 454, respectively. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51-100 ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 ‘moderate’, 201-300 ‘poor’, 301-400 ‘very poor’, and 401-500 ‘severe’. At many monitoring stations such as Anand Vihar – one of Delhi's notorious pollution hotspots – the AQI breached the 500 mark. The story was somewhat similar in the surrounding region, with a thick blanket of smog making breathing almost an impossible task. The Commission for Air Quality Management reacted quickly, first invoking the stage 3 graded action plan (Grap) and then Grap 4, when the AQI crossed the 450-mark. Grap is a set of emergency plans implemented in four stages. Stage 1 is implemented when the AQI is 'poor', stage 2 in the ‘very poor’ phase, and stage 3 when the AQI is between 401 and 450. Stage 4, which entails the highest restrictions, is invoked when the AQI crosses 450. Apart from the Grap 4 measures, the Delhi government shut schools, banned app-based cabs registered in other states, stopped diesel trucks from entering the city, etc. It even mulled introducing the odd-even road rationing scheme and is considering cloud-seeding to induce artificial rain. It finally rained relief late November 9 night and on November 10, when rain and winds blew away the smog and brought down the AQI from an alarming 437 on November 9 to a ‘poor’ 279 on November 10 and 220 on November 11. Similar spells of seven consecutive days of ‘severe’ or near severe AQI in November were reported in 2016, 2017 and 2019 and six days in 2018, 2020 and 2021 – mostly in the first half of the month, when stubble burning peaks.

Cameras at fuel points to check PUC violation in Delhi

The Delhi transport department has decided to install cameras at 25 fuel stations across the Capital to penalise vehicle owners who have not renewed their pollution under control (PUC) certificates, officials aware of the proposal said. This project, they said, is in continuation of a pilot project launched at two fuel stations, in which special cameras have been linked with the mParivahan software to check a vehicle’s PUC status. The project to check a vehicle’s PUC status is based on automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology, officials said. Transport commissioner Ashish Kundra said: “The automatic detection of non-PUC compliant vehicles had started in September at two fuel stations, which has had an encouraging outcome. Vehicle owners are getting encouraged to get their vehicles tested for PUC. We are soon going to start the automatic PUC detection at 25 fuel stations in different parts of the Capital.” On September 28, HT had reported that the transport department’s pilot project at fuel stations in Model Town and Gulabi Bagh had helped track 300-400 vehicles every day. Later, these special cameras were installed at two more fuel stations — at Shastri Nagar and in Shahdara. As part of the project, around 3,500 vehicles which were found without PUC certificates have been sent challans, officials said. Kundra said in the next phase, the transport department will convene a meeting with petroleum dealers to encourage them to get the facility installed at fuel stations which have PUC centres, so that vehicle owners are encouraged to keep their vehicles pollution compliant. Ajay Bansal, president of the All India Petroleum Dealers Association, said, “The move will lead to higher compliance with PUC norms. It is more effective than manual on-the-ground checking of PUC certificates… Petroleum dealers welcome the move... It will create awareness among people about vehicular pollution and encourage them to keep a valid PUC certificate.” Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said, “Strict monitoring of emissions from vehicles on the road is necessary because the vehicles are among the top contributors to Delhi’s poor air quality. The government should also ensure that 100% compliance with basic PUC norms also requires credible and properly conducted PUC tests.”

Gurgaon breathes a little easy as rain and wind help improve air, AQI still poor

GURGAON: Rain and wind speed helped improve the city's air quality from 'severe' to 'poor' on Friday, bringing some much-needed respite from the hazardous pollution levels. The AQI was 240 (poor) on Friday, down from 404 the day before. The wind speed was 8kmph on Friday, up from 4kmph the day before. The city received 2.5mm rain till 5.30pm on Friday. According to the India Meteorological Department, (IMD), a western disturbance is affecting north India at present, which is likely to bring more rain to Punjab, Haryana and Delhi and to some parts of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan by November 11-12. Track the pollution level in your cityOut of the city's four air monitoring stations, Gwalpahari recorded the cleanest air on Friday at 199 (moderate), while the other three - Vikas Sadan (210), Teri Gram (244) and Sector 51 (270) - recorded 'poor' AQI. "The air quality will stay 'poor' this Diwali. Local factors will still contribute to pollution. The region may witness a slight relief as a western disturbance is approaching. This has brought some changes in the air quality, but it is just temporary. It will again turn worse in some days because of local factors," said Shubhansh Tiwari, a research associate at the Centre for Science and Environment. The PM2.5 level was highest in Sector 51 (203 g/m³) on Friday, followed by 201 g/m³ in Gwalpahari, 189 g/m³ in Teri Gram, and 181 g/m³ in Vikas Sadan. The level of PM10 was the highest at Sector 51 (221 g/m³), followed by Teri Gram (211g/m³) and Gwalpahari (121g/m³). Vikas Sadan doesn't record PM10 data. According to the CPCB, the annual average permissible limits for PM2.5 and PM10 are 40g/m³ and 60g/m³, respectively. Meanwhile, neighbouring Delhi recorded 'poor' AQI at 279 on Friday, while Faridabad's air was 'very poor' with an AQI of 308. The AQI of Noida was 247, while that of Ghaziabad was 267, both 'poor'. According to satellite data from Nasa, collated by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, no farm fires were detected in Haryana on Friday and six in Punjab. The System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) said surface winds with speeds ranging from 4kmph to 12kmph are expected in the region for the next six days, and the AQI is likely to stay 'very poor' or 'severe'. According to guidelines issued by the Central Pollution Control Board, when AQI is in the 'moderate' category, there can be breathing discomfort to the people with asthma and lung or heart disease. In 'poor' AQI, breathing discomfort can be felt by most people on prolonged exposure. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'. Meanwhile, the city's minimum temperature was 18.3 degrees Celsius on Friday, while the maximum was 31.9 degrees. IMD has issued a yellow alert for thunderstorms and lightning in the region. Light to moderate rain is also likely at isolated places on November 10, with the weather expected to be dry thereafter in the state, officials said. "The minimum temperature may fall by 2-4 degrees Celsius during the next two to three days over parts of the state," an IMD official said.

The Men in Black

The climate change crisis has now reached every country; extreme weather events are costing all economies. It is clear that the world is failing by many marks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. So, the idea that is gaining traction, once again, is to build a carbon market that will allow countries and companies to buy credits by doing all things good—from planting trees to distributing clean cookstoves to investing in renewable energy. This market would put a price on every tonne of carbon dioxide or the equivalent greenhouse gas avoided, reduced or sequestered, which can then be used to offset emissions of companies and countries. It is simple in some ways; complicated in others. Because of this carbon market, you will be able to pick up a luxury bag that is labelled “carbon-neutral”; or take a flight that has “offset” your emissions; or even read about an oil or food company that has declared a “net-carbon footprint”. You may wonder how. These items and companies become carbon-neutral by “buying” credits—these credits are issued against activities that either reduce greenhouse gas emissions (like building a solar plant or using an efficient cookstove) or remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere (for instance, by planting trees). The management of this “market” of buyers and sellers is done through a paraphernalia of registries, project developers, validators, verifiers and carbon exchanges. The idea of carbon credit began in the first decade of the 2000s, after the Kyoto Protocol, set up under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), entered into force. Countries agreed to set up the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) for the purchase of carbon credits from developing countries. But with the end of the Kyoto Protocol, this market dried up. It was replaced by an unregulated global market of buyers and sellers, called the voluntary carbon market. It is hoped that soon there will be an internationally negotiated agreement for an official carbon market. At the next Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the UNFCCC to be held from November 30 to December 12, discussion on the Article on creating the rules for the carbon market (Article 6 of the Paris Agreement of 2015) is top billed. Once these rules are finalised, there will be a public registry of all projects and countries will be allowed to trade either bilaterally (under Article 6.2) or through a global programme like what existed earlier under CDM (under Article 6.4). The question is if the voluntary carbon market, run today by the private industry, is working for people and for the planet. My colleagues at Down To Earth and the Centre for Science and Environment examine this and find there is much that needs to be done to set this market in order. In fact, it is a can of worms. This is not what we need in this time of existential crisis. (Courtesy: Down To Earth)

Air Pollution: दिल्ली में वायु प्रदूषण के ये 13 हॉटस्पॉट, खतरनाक है यहां की हवा, आप भी तो इन इलाकों में नहीं रहते?

नई दिल्ली. उत्तरी भारत और उपमहाद्वीप के अधिकांश हिस्से के साथ राष्ट्रीय राजधानी में सर्दियों का मौसम शुरू हो गया है. दिल्ली वार्षिक पर्यावरणीय चुनौती वायु प्रदूषण से जूझ रही है. आवर्ती पैटर्न के साथ, शहर में अक्टूबर से जनवरी तक चार महीने की चुनौतीपूर्ण अवधि है, जो हवा में धुएं, धुंध और धूल की व्यापक उपस्थिति से चिह्नित करता है. दिल्लीवासियों को जहरीली हवा में सांस लेने के लिए मजबूर होना पड़ रहा है, जिसे व्यापक रूप से दुनिया की सबसे प्रदूषित हवा करार दिया गया है. वायु गुणवत्ता सूचकांक (एक्यूआई) स्थिति की गंभीरता के एक स्पष्ट संकेतक के रूप में कार्य करता है, जो नियमित रूप से विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन (डब्ल्यूएचओ) द्वारा परिभाषित पीएम2.5 कणों की 60 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर की “सुरक्षित” सीमा से 10 गुना अधिक है. प्रदूषण का यह खतरनाक स्तर शहर के निवासियों के लिए महत्वपूर्ण स्वास्थ्य जोखिम पैदा करता है. नवंबर, दिसंबर और जनवरी के ठंडे महीनों के दौरान शीतकालीन कोहरे के चलते दिल्ली में धुएं और धूल की मोटी चादर होती है. विशेषज्ञों का कहना है कि इन कारकों के संयोजन से दमघोंटू धुंध पैदा होती है जो शहर को ढक लेती है, विजिबिलिटी को प्रभावित करती है और श्वसन स्वास्थ्य के लिए हर साल गंभीर खतरा पैदा करती है. दिल्ली की जहरीली वायु गुणवत्ता पर एक हालिया रिपोर्ट में बताया गया है कि राजधानी में वायु प्रदूषण के स्तर में भारी वृद्धि के लिए केवल पराली जलाने को जिम्मेदार नहीं ठहराया जा सकता है. इसमें इस बात पर जोर दिया गया है कि वाहन उत्सर्जन जैसे स्थानीय कारकों ने पराली जलाने के प्रमुख कारक बनने से पहले ही दिल्ली में प्रदूषण के स्तर में महत्वपूर्ण योगदान दिया था. एक्यूआई सांद्रता सीमा के अनुसार, दिल्ली के प्रदूषण स्तर पीएम 2.5 की सांद्रता में इस सर्दी के मौसम में पहली बार भारी वृद्धि देखी गई: 24 घंटों के भीतर अचानक और आश्चर्यजनक रूप से 68 प्रतिशत की वृद्धि के साथ, 313 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति मीटर क्यूब (एमजी/एम3) को पार कर गया, जो ‘गंभीर प्लस’ श्रेणी के बराबर था. सीएसई की कार्यकारी निदेशक अनुमिता रॉय चौधरी ने इन दिनों दिल्ली-एनसीआर को जकड़ने वाले घातक शीतकालीन प्रदूषण पर सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) द्वारा एक नया विश्लेषण जारी करते हुए कहा, ”इस सर्दी के मौसम की शुरुआत पिछले साल नवंबर की तुलना में काफी अधिक प्रदूषण स्तर के साथ हुई है. प्रतिकूल मौसम संबंधी परिस्थितियों, फसल अवशेष जलाने की शुरुआत और उच्च स्थानीय प्रदूषण के संयोजन ने पैमाने को खतरनाक तरीके से झुका दिया है, जिससे सार्वजनिक स्वास्थ्य जोखिम बढ़ गया है.”

Top 10+ Cities With The Most Traffic Congestion In The World

What causes traffic congestion? Top 10+ Cities With The Most Traffic Congestion In The World 1. Istanbul, Turkey 2. Moscow, Russia Why Not Use Public Transport Instead? 3. Kiev, Ukraine Pieces of advice for the “beginners” on Kyiv roads 4. Bogota, Colombia 5. Mumbai, India 6. Jakarta, Indonesia 7. St. Petersburg, Russia 8. Bucharest, Romania 9. Novosibirsk, Russia 10. Bengaluru, India 11. New Delhi, India 12. Manila, Philippines Poor Public Transport 13. Lodz, Poland How To Avoid Traffic Congestion Have you ever witnessed the hundreds of vehicles and motorcycles filling the street each morning, obstructing your path to work? If you live in a large city, that scene probably doesn't seem strange to you. Large cities across the globe are now plagued by terrible traffic congestion. We have selected the top ten cities worldwide with the worst traffic congestion. And if you don't live in those places, you'll be fortunate. What causes traffic congestion? The increased number of cars on the road is one of the primary causes of the congestion. As the number of adults rises, so does the desire for personal transportation among the populace. Congestion is more likely to occur as the number of cars rises. For this reason, traffic jams are practically unheard of in smaller cities and villages. In addition, there is inadequate infrastructure. The impending threat of severe traffic congestion is ignored by national and local governments until it occurs. The population that depends more and more on cars does not cause the city to grow. After the population grows, a single street with a lane on each side might not be adequate in ten years. It is frequently not converted into a dual carriageway by the authorities. Another issue is taking different routes. Due to inadequate funding and planning restrictions that prohibit building on green belt spaces, cities have limited capacity to expand. Cities have no choice but to make due with the routes they currently have. Congestion results if they are unable to add more lanes. Employers have a role to play in addressing traffic congestion. When people are traveling to and from work, congestion virtually always occurs. Growing unemployment and the introduction of more flexible work hours have contributed to an improvement in traffic congestion in recent years. Top 10+ Cities With The Most Traffic Congestion In The World 1. Istanbul, Turkey Avoid driving in Istanbul if you detest slow traffic. This is due to the fact that the city had the most congested roads in the world in 2021, according to transportation technology company TomTom. 404 cities in 58 countries had their traffic compared by the TomTom Traffic Index. Istanbul, Turkey, was discovered to be the most congested city, with its citizens spending 142 hours a year stuck in traffic. Istanbul's 2021 traffic density was 62%, which means that during peak travel times, such as after work, travel times were, on average, 62% longer than during less congested times. Put another way, during peak traffic, a 30-minute trip would actually take roughly 49 minutes. The average daily travel time increased by six minutes in the Turkish city, and the level of congestion was 11% higher than in 2020. Why Traffic Jams in Moscow Are So Bad? To begin with, the city is enormous! Moscow is home to 12 million people, according to official statistics. However, that figure needs to be increased by two to three million visitors and unregistered residents. There are 4 million registered cars in the city, and an undetermined amount of cars travel to and from the Moscow region every day. More than 1000 square kilometers are occupied by Moscow. The second, and perhaps most significant, fact is that Moscow was established in 1147, and radial ring planning was the most common for historic Russian cities. Moscow currently has numerous radial roads in addition to the Boulevard, Garden, Third, and City Limit rings. The more you are near the center, the more congested the traffic gets, which is not how things worked in the past. Furthermore, the city government only recently began overseeing parking in the city and implemented paid parking in the center. Prior to being able to park anywhere you find a space large enough to accommodate your vehicle. On both sides of small roads and even on sidewalks, people had parked their cars in multiple lanes. These days, it's beginning to get regulated with fines and car evacuations. Additionally, it is no longer permitted for big trucks to enter the city limits during the day. However, there are currently no additional economic regulatory measures or entrance fees to the central area. Last but not least, Russian drivers tend to break the law, which leads to a lot of accidents and worsens traffic jams, particularly during the winter. Dash cams are popular among drivers because of this. Why Not Use Public Transport Instead? A good question, especially in light of all the praise Moscow's metro system has received! The Moscow subway is undoubtedly one of the city's treasures and makes any Muscovite feel incredibly patriotic. Every station in the center is unique, and the majority of them have sculptures, murals, and other incredible decorations in addition to veneers made of marble or granite. 3. Kiev, Ukraine Every day, the streets of Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, are congested and congested. The greatest concentration of traffic can be found in areas of the city such as: - South Bridge - traffic movement to the left bank is halted due to repair work, specifically the change of expansion groove and road constructions; - Highway junction on Moscow Square - as a result of road reconstructions, these sections of the road suffer the most. There are traffic jams on Darnytskyi Bridge, North Bridge, and all bridges in the direction of the right bank, as well as in the city center. Pieces of advice for the “beginners” on Kyiv roads If you are visiting Kyiv and are not a native, you can rent a car from the city. Then, you can drive around the city on the rental car and quickly reach your destination by following the following tips: 1. Do you have Internet connection? Then use «Яндекс. Пробки» (Yandex. Traffic jams) and you will be able to escape from the traffic jams and get wherever you want with “minimum losses”, 2. Be on to “problem areas” in Kyiv, get to know which roads and at what exact time it is almost impossible to drive. 3. Buy or rent GPS system – it will be useful in every trip of yours. If such a thing happened and you could not escape from the traffic jam, do not get distracted from the road. The most part of road traffic accidents happen when the cars are in traffic jams. 4. Bogota, Colombia Why is there so much traffic in Bogota? It undoubtedly has serious issues with traffic congestion. With a population of more than 7.4 million and a metro area with a population of over 10 million, it is both Colombia's capital and largest city. Despite this, its total area is just 307 square kilometers. That's a large number of people crammed into a small space. Thus, in terms of population, it is comparable to New York City, the largest city in the country. Nevertheless, New York City occupies an area of over 780 square kilometers, which is more than twice that of Bogota! 5. Mumbai, India During office opening and closing hours, almost all Mumbai faces a huge traffic, but here are some places with major blocks. D.S.P. Mukherjee chowk (regal) Kalaghoda (fort) Johar chowk (Bhindi bazar) Nana chowk (Peddar road) Vatsalabai Desai chowk (Haji ali) A.H. Ansari chowk (Khada Parsi) Hindamata Khodadad circle (Dadar TT) Wadala bridge Rani Laxmibai chowk (Sion station) Kherwaadi junction (Kalanagar) Suman Nagar Junction Jijamata Bhosale marg Junction Datta Samant chowk (Saki Naka) Hiranandani (Powai) C.D.Barfiwala road (JVPD) D.N. Nagar (four bunglows) Bahar Cinema (Chakala highway) Behram baug (Jogeshwari) When it comes to places with the worst traffic, Jakarta ranks first. The daily traffic that thirty million residents of Jakarta, Indonesia, have to put up with has already caused them pain and suffering. The issue with Jakarta is that the government is still unable to rein in or stop the city's explosive growth. The nation's biggest problem is traffic, which has been exacerbated by the city's continued growth despite its underdeveloped public utility and local infrastructure systems. An immediate solution to the worst traffic situation on Earth is still out of reach for the nation, with 1,000 cars contributing to the clogged pile of vehicles that travel through the city's streets every day. Many think that the current traffic problem in the city could be solved, or at least made easier, with a massive mass transit system. Since the mass transit project is already five years behind schedule, traffic congestion has become a daily occurrence for Indonesians. 7. St. Petersburg, Russia One of Russia's most beautiful cities, St. Petersburg, has sadly already been marred by traffic issues. In 2012, the first major snow storm of the year caused a traffic jam that left people stranded in the streets for three days. Snow falls heavily in St. Petersburg. Between Moscow and St. Petersburg, a 400-mile stretch caused 100 miles of traffic and 10,000 vehicles to become stuck in the streets for three days. Due to traffic, trips and travel times take 44% longer in St. Petersburg. Conversely, the trip takes nearly twice as long during rush hour. Actually, Moscow and St. Petersburg are the second and third most congested cities in the world during rush hour. However, by urging commuters to take public transportation, authorities are able to maintain traffic order. To lessen the issue, they are also erecting pay parking lots and removing cars that are parked illegally. 8. Bucharest, Romania TomTom Traffic Index for 2021 shows that Bucharest remains one of the world's most congested cities. The Romanian capital is sixth in Europe and eighth globally with an average congestion level of 50%. Additionally, it is the EU city with the worst automobile traffic. Last year, traffic jams cost drivers in Bucharest an average of 115 hours of lost time. Estimates of traffic congestion put it at 50%, up 8% from 2020 but down 2% from 2019. This was prior to the coronavirus pandemic, which put travel restrictions in place and increased the popularity of remote work. 9. Novosibirsk, Russia As the administrative hub of the Novosibirsk Oblast and the Siberian Federal District, Novosibirsk is the third most populous city in Russia. It is Siberia's biggest hub for business, culture, transportation, education, and science. Many refer to Novosibirsk as the "Capital of Siberia." Novosibirsk experienced higher levels of traffic in 2021. According to the data, daily average travel time increased by two minutes. 10. Bengaluru, India Bengaluru's congestion levels fell from 71% in 2019 to 48% in 2021, a 32% decrease. Peak traffic congestion will be reduced by 44% by 2021. On October 9, 2021, the city experienced its worst traffic day, when heavy rain caused certain waterlogged pockets, resulting in widespread logjams and high congestion. Congestion levels in Mumbai, New Delhi, and Pune decreased by 18%, 14%, and 29%, respectively. India outperformed the global average of 10% reduction in congestion. 11. New Delhi, India According to Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director of the Center for Science and Environment's research and advocacy division, "Delhi will simply run to stand still if not addressed immediately." This is an unavoidable result of the explosive and uncontrolled vehicle population, which surpassed 10 million in 2017. An additional factor inflating the figures is the daily influx of cars from outside Delhi. Car congestion is only going to get worse as car prices under the GST continue to decline. At the moment, traffic in Delhi is increasing at a rate of 7% a year. Every day, 1,158 two-wheelers and 537 cars are added to these roads. Roychowdhury notes that Delhi's fight against pollution, traffic, and energy-guzzling is becoming more and more challenging even with the construction of so many roads—22% of the city's total land area. The city's attempts to reduce emissions and hazardous exposures across the board are being undermined by this. Reversing this trend of high toxic exposure, crippling congestion, and lost productive time will become more challenging if strategies to curb motorization are not modified. A study by the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) found that building flyovers and underpasses, as well as extending roads or right of way, are not better ways to deal with traffic congestion. The study, titled "Gradual Sustainability Approach for Urban Transport through Subtle Measures," also demonstrates how, after only a few years of development, these strategies have worsened sustainability without lowering traffic.

'Will Analyse Situation After Diwali': Environment Minister Rai On Odd-Even Scheme, Artificial Rain

Eliminate Solid Fuel Burning Across Sectors: Environment Expert Amid Rising Pollution "On November 2, when the massive buildup of pollution happened...We were amazed at the rate and the speed with which the pollution had increased by nearly 68% within 24 hours...We really have to ramp up our action throughout the year so that we can build adequate infrastructure systems to scale, to implement the solutions at a scale so that vehicular pollution can be controlled by improving public transport...Eliminate solid fuel burning in all sectors. At the same time, deal with and aggressively scale up the use of clean fuel and technology in industries," Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, Center for Science and Environment, Anumita Roychowdhury told ANI.

Hafta 458: Delhi’s toxic air woes

This week on NL Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal and Anand Vardhan are joined by Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director for research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment. The discussion kicks off with Delhi’s toxic air. Anumita says Delhi’s taken steps to curb air pollution over the last few decades but these interventions aren’t enough. She says alternative policy frameworks are required to incentivise farmers not to burn stubble. On vehicular pollution, Raman says there are too many cars on Delhi’s streets, and the panel discusses how cars are now a “status symbol”. Would it help to frame the issue of air pollution as a national issue, rather than leave it to states?

खतरनाक वायु प्रदूषण से जूझ रही दिल्ली, 13 पॉल्यूशन हॉटस्पॉट बने चिंता के कारण

दिल्ली की जहरीली वायु गुणवत्ता पर एक हालिया रिपोर्ट में बताया गया है कि राजधानी में वायु प्रदूषण के स्तर में भारी वृद्धि के लिए केवल पराली जलाने को जिम्मेदार नहीं ठहराया जा सकता है। इसमें इस बात पर जोर दिया गया है कि वाहन उत्सर्जन जैसे स्थानीय कारकों ने पराली जलाने के प्रमुख कारक बनने से पहले ही दिल्ली में प्रदूषण के स्तर में महत्वपूर्ण योगदान दिया था। एक्यूआई सांद्रता सीमा के अनुसार, दिल्ली के प्रदूषण स्तर पीएम 2.5 की सांद्रता में इस सर्दी के मौसम में पहली बार भारी वृद्धि देखी गई: 24 घंटों के भीतर अचानक और आश्चर्यजनक रूप से 68 प्रतिशत की वृद्धि के साथ, 313 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति मीटर क्यूब (एमजी/एम3) को पार कर गया, जो ‘गंभीर प्लस’ श्रेणी के बराबर था। सीएसई की कार्यकारी निदेशक अनुमिता रॉय चौधरी ने इन दिनों दिल्ली-एनसीआर को जकड़ने वाले घातक शीतकालीन प्रदूषण पर सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) द्वारा एक नया विश्लेषण जारी करते हुए कहा, ”इस सर्दी के मौसम की शुरुआत पिछले साल नवंबर की तुलना में काफी अधिक प्रदूषण स्तर के साथ हुई है। प्रतिकूल मौसम संबंधी परिस्थितियों, फसल अवशेष जलाने की शुरुआत और उच्च स्थानीय प्रदूषण के संयोजन ने पैमाने को खतरनाक तरीके से झुका दिया है, जिससे सार्वजनिक स्वास्थ्य जोखिम बढ़ गया है।” ”भले ही समग्र दीर्घकालिक प्रदूषण वक्र स्थिर और नीचे की ओर है, फिर भी यह राष्ट्रीय परिवेशी वायु गुणवत्ता मानकों से काफी ऊपर है। यह पूरे क्षेत्र में वाहनों, उद्योग, ऊर्जा प्रणालियों और अपशिष्ट प्रबंधन पर सबसे कठोर और निरंतर कार्रवाई की मांग करता है।” यह विश्लेषण सीएसई की अर्बन लैब द्वारा किया गया है, जिसके प्रमुख अविकल सोमवंशी ने कहा, ”सीजन के इस हिस्से के दौरान इस तरह का तेजी से बढ़ना असामान्य नहीं है और आम तौर पर खेत की पराली की आग से निकलने वाले धुएं और दिल्ली-एनसीआर में धुएं के परिवहन में मदद करने वाले मौसम संबंधी कारकों और उच्च स्थानीय प्रदूषण के शीर्ष पर पहुंचने से जुड़ा होता है।” “यह ध्यान में रखा जाना चाहिए कि कम समय में यह तीव्र वृद्धि हवा की गुणवत्ता को गंभीर श्रेणी में ले जाने में सक्षम है क्योंकि स्थानीय स्रोतों से आधारभूत प्रदूषण पहले से ही बहुत अधिक है।” रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, 2018-10 में पहचाने गए लगभग 13 प्रदूषण हॉटस्पॉट एक चुनौती बने हुए हैं, जबकि नए हॉटस्पॉट भी उभर रहे हैं और बढ़ रहे हैं। सभी हॉटस्पॉट में, मुंडका और न्यू मोती बाग दिल्ली के सबसे प्रदूषित स्थान हैं, जहां औसत पीएम 2.5 का स्तर 300 एमजी/एम3 से अधिक है। दिल्ली के अधिकांश आधिकारिक हॉटस्पॉट प्रदूषण के ‘गंभीर’ स्तर को पार कर रहे हैं। वहीं, कई गैर-हॉटस्पॉट में प्रदूषण का स्तर अधिक दिख रहा है। दिल्ली में सबसे प्रदूषित नए हॉटस्पॉट न्यू मोती बाग, नेहरू नगर, सोनिया विहार और डीयू नॉर्थ कैंपस हैं। ग्रेटर नोएडा, नोएडा सेक्टर 62, लोनी और फरीदाबाद एनसीआर में सबसे प्रदूषित स्थान हैं। रॉय चौधरी का कहना है, “परिवहन और उद्योग क्षेत्रों में ईंधन और प्रौद्योगिकी को साफ करने और धूल स्रोतों को नियंत्रित करने के लिए पिछले कुछ सालों में कई उपाय किए गए हैं, स्वच्छ वायु लक्ष्यों को पूरा करने के लिए नीतिगत अंतराल को संबोधित करने के लिए बड़े पैमाने पर और गति से अधिक कार्रवाई की आवश्यकता है। केवल इसी से सार्वजनिक स्वास्थ्य को खतरे में डालने वाले ऐसे स्मॉग एपिसोड को बनने से रोका जा सकता है।” ”वाहनों, उद्योग, बिजली संयंत्रों, अपशिष्ट जलाने, निर्माण और धूल स्रोतों से उत्सर्जन में कटौती के लिए स्थानीय और क्षेत्रीय स्तर पर बहु-क्षेत्रीय कार्रवाई की आवश्यकता है। इनमें से प्रत्येक क्षेत्र में बुनियादी ढांचे और प्रणालियों में परिवर्तनकारी बदलाव की आवश्यकता है।” रॉय चौधरी ने आगे कहा कि फसल अवशेष जलाने जैसे प्रासंगिक प्रदूषण पर मजबूत नियंत्रण, अन्य सभी प्रदूषण स्रोतों पर मजबूत हाइपर-स्थानीय कार्रवाई और अधिक प्रभावी निगरानी, प्रवर्तन और अनुपालन रणनीति की भी आवश्यकता है।

Political blame game begins as ‘pollution season’ shrouds Delhi

As soon as the smog descended, the political mudslinging began. For over a week, pollution levels in Delhi have consistently remained in the “severe” category and its 33 million residents have been forced to breathe toxic air that exceeded healthy limits of pollutants by more than 100 times. “Pollution season” as it is now darkly referred to by those living in India’s capital, has become an annual event as the weather turns colder and pollutants get trapped over the Indo-Gangetic plain, which is cocooned by the Himalayan mountains. Cars, factories, construction and power plants are all to blame but so too is the seasonal wheat stubble burning in the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana, when farmers set fire to their fields to quickly make way for new crops, despite the practice being outlawed. According to the Centre for Science and Environment, stubble burning has accounted for up to 38% of the pollution levels in Delhi over the past week. Yet though the murky grey skies arrive every year without fail and a recent study found that pollution was shortening the lives of Delhi residents by almost 12 years, still no one among the state and central governments has been willing to take responsibility. Instead, over the past week, a familiar political blame game has ensued, as politicians from opposing parties, state governments and the ruling Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) government have attempted to shift responsibility on to each other. “Governments have been promising that they will make Delhi a better place but nothing has happened,” said Ravi Shankar, 31, as he sold tea at his roadside stall, often outside for 14 hours a day. “My eyes feel a burning sensation and my head feels like it is spinning. I am worried about my future.” As the air quality levels plummeted, a row swiftly escalated between the BJP and the opposition Aam Admi party (AAP), which governs Delhi and Punjab. Virendra Sachdeva, BJP state president for Delhi, accused Delhi’s chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, of “inaction and insensitivity” and turning Delhi into a “gas chamber”. “Delhiites are complaining of itching and breathlessness and children are falling ill. Only Kejriwal is responsible for all this,” he said. BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia also chimed in, accusing Kejriwal of making false promises and being “more dangerous to people than the stifling air endangering them”. AAP hit back, arguing that Delhi was not to blame for most of the problems. Instead it accused the central government of being “asleep” when it came to tackling air pollution, and said it was failures of neighbouring BJP-controlled states that were the main culprits. “These conditions are against us,” said Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai. “If other states like Haryana and Uttar Pradesh were active, like Delhi, then the situation could improve.” AAP also accused the government of worsening air pollution by cutting funding for one of the £2m smog towers that AAP built in the city centre designed to help clean the air. Yet scientists widely agree that these smog towers are almost completely ineffective and have been described as nothing more than an expensive public relations exercise. At a supreme court hearing this week that took state governments to task for the hazardous and unrelenting pollution levels, judges Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia expressed their exasperation. “There cannot be a political battle every time,” they said. “We are at zero level patience on this issue now.” Among scientists and experts, there was deep frustration at pollution being treated as a localised issue to be batted away between states, and that more energy appeared to be spent on absolving responsibility than tackling the major causes. “All these states contribute to each other’s pollution; governments need to realise that no city can be an individual oasis of clean air,” said Vivek Chattopadhyay, programme manager for the clean air programme at Delhi’s Centre for Science and Environment. “This should be a collective political responsibility and unless they work together, there will be no solution. The central government should be coordinating this action and working with all the states.” Shibani Ghosh, an environmental lawyer, said at both state and central government levels there was a failure to acknowledge that pollution was not just a temporary issue, but one that required a long-term substantial overhaul of regulation, laws and institutions, both on a state and national level. “As soon as the smog descends, the political blame game starts and it’s this short-sightedness that is a big part of the problem,” she said. “This isn’t an issue that just begins in November, it’s a year-round problem and needs to be addressed as such. While state governments have failed to take several necessary measures, and continue to blame each other, where is the central environment ministry in all this?” For those living in Delhi, many whose livelihoods relied on them remaining outdoors in the toxic air, there was both anger and resignation that they faced weeks, probably months, of poisonous air ahead. Sunil Kumar Panday, 55, a security guard at a restaurant, said he felt dizzy constantly and everyone around him was suffering from headaches, coughs, fevers and nausea. “You can clearly feel by breathing that we are inhaling something really toxic,” he said. “We are in a city where breathing, which is the basic human need, feels terrible. I struggle to imagine what the future will look like.” Aakash Hassan contributed reporting

NEMC advances to strengthen environmental governance

National Environmental Management Council jointly with Centre for Science and Environment has developed an audit manual to strengthen the existing system Tanzania has strongly framed the Environmental Impact Assessment and Audit Regulations, 2005 which details every aspect required and with proper checks and balances. However, the audit reports submitted by industries do not reflect the intention as mentioned in the regulations and thus the implementation fails to provide the desired outcomes. The review of the annual audit report of a few industries highlights insufficient or improper reporting. Thus, the National Environmental Management Council (NEMC) jointly with Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a Delhi-based think tank, has developed an audit manual to strengthen the existing system. “The Council has observed that the received self-audit reports are in different formats, lack important information and, in some cases, do not reflect the actual status of the operating facility. To add to that, these reports do not adequately cover the information included in the Environmental Management Plan developed during the environmental impact assessment (EIA). This technical manual is intended to streamline the processes associated with undertaking and review of the environmental audits. The submitted self-audit reports need to be clear, and should be capable of identifying and correcting non-compliances and supporting improvement programmes,” said Samuel Mafwenga, Director General, NEMC. Environmental audit is a series of activities undertaken with respect to the operations of a facility or an organisation to evaluate its environmental performance, noted CSE. It assesses compliance of the facility with the environmental governing laws and thus recommends corrective measures to manage the negative impacts on the environment or human health. The self-audit conducted by industries annually is an important exercise as it allows the industries to analyse the ambiguities in implementation of management plans and pushes them to keep improving their environmental performance regularly. In other words, these self-audits are considered to be a tool for achieving the goal of sustainable development. “These (environmental self-audits) are considered as a methodological examination, involving analyses, tests and confirmations of a facility’s procedures and practices with a goal of verifying whether they comply with environmental and legal requirements” said Nivit Yadav, programme director, industrial pollution, CSE. According to the Tanzania’s Regulations (2005) and its amendment (2018), projects specified in the Third Schedule of the Act and the on-going projects that have been issued EIA certificate are required to undertake self-monitoring, prepare an Annual Environmental Audit report and submit the same to the Council annually or as may be prescribed by the Council. The regulations specified that only qualified and authorised environmental auditors or environmental inspectors can undertake the environmental audit. It also elaborated in detail the information required in an audit report including past and present impacts of the project, responsibility and proficiency of the operators of the project, existing internal control mechanisms to identify and mitigate activities with a negative environmental impact and the existence of environmental awareness and sensitisation measures, including environmental standards, and regulations, law and policy, for the managerial and operational personnel. CHALLENGES WITH EXISTING AUDIT REPORTING While preparing this manual, officials from CSE and NEMC reviewed several annual audit reports from different sectors. Though industries are submitting comprehensive reports, still a lot of vital information was missing, making the reports insufficient, the officials observed. The information gap limits regulators from taking corrective decisions to improve the performance of industry or nearby receptors. Some of the inadequacies identified includes: Only one year data is provided: Foremost observation after the review of audit reports is that the industries have provided data only for last year. Having only one year of data makes it difficult to analyse whether the performance of an industry has improved or deteriorated. Lots of irrelevant information: Audit reports have a lot of repetitive information which was already submitted in the EIA report. This includes location of the plants in terms of GIS / GPS coordinates, both in tabular format and maps, detailed process description, among others, making the reports unnecessarily bulky and difficult to review. Quantitative information missing: The audit report provides detailed information about industry manufacturing process, type of raw material used, power source, chemicals used. However, little is shared about the quantities. For example, a sugar industry is a water-guzzling industry but its audit report does not provide any information on the quantity of wastewater generated and even its quality. Incomplete monitoring information: Industries have provided exhaustive information on protocol adopted to conduct stack monitoring or equipment used for the same. For example, the audit report of a cement industry has provided monitoring data from all the stacks except the main stack which is attached to the kiln. It is this stack which generates the maximum stack emissions in a cement plant and the information about this stack is not available in the monitoring report. Additionally, the parameters selected for monitoring in a bagasse fired boiler included CO2, CO, NO, NOx, SO2 but did not monitor SPM which is a major polluter in bagasse-fired boilers. No rationale for site identified for ambient air monitoring: The review of the environmental audit report shows that extensive ambient air monitoring exercises have been done by these industries. However, the rationale for selecting sites for the monitoring has not been provided in the report. Performing monitoring at sites where impact of plant’s operation is not observed does not serve any purpose. Monitoring should be done at locations which are impacted by the plant’s operation. Conflicting information: An industry with a high water pollution load has not provided any information on wastewater treatment facilities. However, the cover page of its audit report showcases one of the systems of the wastewater treatment plant. This raises the question whether the industry has installed any treatment facility or not. “The audit reports are weak in providing necessary information for enforcement. They have only one year’s data, which means the performance of the industry could not be compared with the previous year. The reports have irrelevant information which had already been covered in the EIA reports. While there is enough qualitative information, the reports lack quantitative data,” said Yadav. NEMC should hand-hold industries, consultants and auditors using manuals and guidelines for ensuring better quality of audit reports, he added. WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE Despite the industries submitting audit reports in detailed format, the reports could not be used for regulatory purposes to understand the environmental performance of the unit or to suggest any plans for its improvements in coming years. Thus, CSE proposed few recommendations to strengthen the system: Prepare a technical manual detailing the format and information required in an environmental audit report Make water audit mandatory for water-intensive industries Prepare and introduce self-audit guidelines for industries to ensure that they collect relevant data which will assist regulators during audit Set up a committee of sector-specific experts who can technically review the audit reports and provide suggestions for improving the environmental performance of the industries Introduce a strategy to upload audit reports on the NEMC website – this transparency would help initiate public participation and feedback as well as assess the performance of an industry in terms of public health “Apart from being of immense use for project proponents and experts in conducting self-audits, this technical manual would also be useful for the Council and other regulatory bodies to review submitted documents” said Menan Jangu, director, NEMC. We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us. Together we build journalism that is independent, credible and fearless. You can further help us by making a donation. This will mean a lot for our ability to bring you news, perspectives and analysis from the ground so that we can make change together.

At 404, Gurgaon’s air slips back to ‘severe’ for 3rd time in 7 days

GURGAON: The city’s air quality dropped to ‘severe’ with an index of 404 on Thursday, while it was ‘very poor’ (385) on Wednesday. The last time the city recorded ‘severe’ AQI on November 5 (402) and November 4 (404). Gurgaon pollution Out of the four monitoring stations, Sector 51 (454) recorded the highest index, followed by Vikas Sadan (402) and Teri Gram (353). The data from Gwalpahari was not available. According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), surface winds with speeds ranging from 4kmph to 12kmph are expected for the next six days, and the AQI is likely to stay in the ‘very poor’ or ‘severe’ category. Meanwhile, neighbouring Delhi (437) and Faridabad (410) recorded ‘severe’ AQI on Thursday while Noida (394) and Ghaziabad (391) recorded AQI in the ‘very poor’ category. The PM2.5, too, remained at hazardous levels on Thursday — it was the highest in Sector 51 (428µg/m3), followed by Vikas Sadan (419 µg/m3) and Teri Gram (343µg/m3). The PM10 level was the highest at Sector 51 (422µg/m3), followed by Teri Gram (358µg/m3). Vikas Sadan doesn’t record PM10 data. According to the CPCB, the annual average permissible limits for PM2.5 and PM10 are 40µg/m3 and 60µg/m3, respectively. “The region may witness a slight relief as a western disturbance is approaching. Wind speed and directions are likely to change in the next two days. This will bring some changes in the air quality as well, but it is just temporary. It will again turn 'severe' in some days because of local factors,” said Shubhansh Tiwari, a research associate at the Centre for Science and Environment. Meanwhile, the city recorded a minimum temperature of 17.1 degrees Celsius on Thursday and a maximum temperature of 31 degrees. “There is a possibility of rain on the weekend because of a western disturbance in the region,” said Manmohan Singh, director of IMD’s Chandigarh centre. We also published the following articles recently Wind improves air quality in Noida and Gurgaon, AQI stands in 'very poor' zoneThe air quality in Noida and Ghaziabad slightly improved on Monday due to increased wind speed, but still remained in the 'very poor' category. In Gurgaon, the Air Quality Index (AQI) decreased from 'severe' to 'very poor' on Monday. The AQI in Noida also decreased, while in Greater Noida it remained in the 'severe' range. Ghaziabad recorded a lower AQI compared to the previous day. The Noida administration has appointed sector magistrates to ensure compliance with pollution control norms.105025036 Marginal dip in air pollution levels in Delhi, AQI in 'very poor' categoryDelhi's air quality has improved slightly, moving from 'severe' to 'very poor' after five consecutive days of severe pollution. However, the concentration of PM2.5 fine particulate matter remains significantly higher than the safe limit, posing health risks. The Ministry of Earth Science predicts a return to 'severe' air quality on November 8. To combat pollution, the Delhi government has reinstated the odd-even scheme and temporarily suspended in-person classes in schools. The Graded Response Action Plan has also been implemented, including restrictions on construction activities and polluting trucks. Air pollution in Delhi is equivalent to smoking 10 cigarettes a day.105045381 Wind helps improve AQI, but air still very poorThe air quality in Gurgaon, India, improved slightly on Monday due to an increase in wind speed. The city's air quality index (AQI) decreased from "severe" to "very poor". However, experts warn that the AQI is still hazardous and more action is needed to reduce pollution from industries, power plants, and local sources like transportation and construction. The PM2.5 and PM10 levels remain at hazardous levels. Other cities in the Delhi-NCR region also recorded poor to severe AQI levels. Health experts advise residents to stay indoors and wear N95 masks during peak pollution hours.105025430