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Delhi has turned into a gas chamber, says environment minister: Why is the Capital gasping for breath again?

Delhi’s Air Quality Index over the past few days has been in the very poor to severe category, with even Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav expressing concern over it. But what has led to a sudden increase in pollution levels? Is stubble burning alone to blame? Choking… That’s the feeling most people in Delhi must be experiencing as the air quality has deteriorated to dangerous levels. The air quality in Delhi today was in the ‘very poor’ category with an Air Quality Index standing of 364 at 8 am. On Wednesday (2 November), Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 376 (the ‘very poor’ category), improving from Tuesday’s AQI of 424 (‘severe’ category) — which was the worst since 26 December 2021 when it was 459. The air pollution in the national capital prompted the Arvind Kejriwal government to urge people to work from home to reduce vehicular pollution. Delhi’s Environment Minister Gopal Rai also suggested the use of carpooling in an attempt to reduce vehicular pollution — considered to be one of the major factors turning Delhi’s air unbreathable. The minister added the Delhi government will run a special drive at the 13 pollution hotspots in Delhi, including Narela, Anand Vihar, Mundka, Dwarka and Punjabi Bagh. “Fire tenders will be deployed at these places to sprinkle water,” he said. The worsening air quality also prompted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) asking the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the national capital to shut schools till the situation improved. NCPCR Chairperson Priyank Kanoongo wrote to the chief secretary and strongly recommended considering appropriate action. He urged the Delhi government to consider shutting schools in the interest of the children until air quality in the national capital improved. What has led to Delhi turning into a gas chamber? We examine the reasons. Rise in stubble burning While there are several factors to blame for the deteriorating air quality in Delhi, at present, most fingers are pointing to stubble burning in neighbouring areas of Punjab and Haryana. On Wednesday, the day when Delhi’s AQI stood at 376 in the ‘very poor’ category, Punjab recorded a whopping 3,634 farm fires on a single day, the season’s highest single day figure so far. According to the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), the fire count increased from 1,842 recorded on Tuesday. Delhi has turned into a gas chamber says environment minister Why is the Capital gasping for breath again Graphic: Pranay Bhardwaj IARI data shows that Punjab has recorded 21,480 paddy residue burning events from 15 September onwards. This is around 19 per cent more than the figure of 18,066 recorded till 2 November last year, but lower than the figure of 37,756 recorded till 2 November 2020, and 22,720 recorded till 2 November 2019. Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav also highlighted that it was the rise in Punjab’s stubble burning incidents that was causing Delhi to gasp for air. On Twitter, the minister blamed the party for turning the capital into a “gas chamber” and accused it of a “scam” Data provided by the SAFAR forecasting system has shown that the contribution of stubble burning to PM2.5 levels in Delhi on Wednesday was 12 per cent. The Decision Support System, a tool developed by the Ministry of Earth Sciences and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), meanwhile said the contribution of farm fires peaked at around 10 per cent on Wednesday, with an average contribution of around 7.5 per cent. Urban Emissions, a platform to analyse air pollution across the country, also estimated the contribution of stubble burning or open fires to Delhi’s PM 2.5 to be 12.5 per cent on Wednesday. It forecasts this to rise to 27 per cent by Thursday. Unfavourable weather Besides the rise in stubble burning, the weather gods and science are also at play. A key aspect that contributes to increased pollution in winters in Delhi is thermal inversion — when cool air remains closer to the surface trapped under a layer of warm air. This thermal inversion acts as a lid and keeps smoke and other pollutants from rising into the atmosphere and dispersing. This, obviously, negatively impacts air quality. Additionally, meteorologically, the pre-winter conditions mean colder, heavier air descends, bringing in the smoke from farm fires in Punjab and Haryana that have travelled through high-level transport winds. The haze in Delhi then stops sunlight from penetrating, limiting the vertical headroom for pollutants even from local emissions to be dispersed in the blanket of haze closer to the ground. Cars, cars everywhere Delhi’s vehicular density, which has increased by approximately 21 times in the past three decades, is another reason for Delhi’s poor air levels. The latest assessment by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) showed that over half of PM 2.5 pollution from local sources in Delhi during the Diwali week (21-26 October) was owing to vehicular emissions. According to CSE's indicative data, vehicles' daily share of pollution varied between 49.3 per cent and 53 per cent during the week of Diwali. Principal programme manager at CSE's Clean Air and Sustainable Mobility unit Vivek Chattopadhyay said, “The vehicular contribution was followed by household pollution (residential) at 13 per cent, industries at 11 per cent, construction at seven per cent, waste burning and the energy sector at five per cent each, and road dust and other sources at four per cent each. This observation is consistent with the trends evaluated during the previous winter in Delhi.” While politicians continue to battle it out, Delhiites will have to grapple with the poor air, with a SAFAR advisory suggesting sensitive groups avoid overexertion and outdoor physical activities.

Delhi-NCR breathes poison. Here's how you are slowly dying

Seven-year-old Pankaj gasps for breath while he heads for his school. Little Suman is made to mask up even though she feels choked by it. She has had an intense bout of asthma recently. Ritesh, who will turn 26 in January, continues to suffer from a sore throat, burning sensation in the nose and watering eyes. Debashish, a 40-something executive, has been suffering from nasal energy and wheezing of late and can't concentrate on his work. This is just the tip of the iceberg and these cases can't be taken in isolation. They are all linked to the deteriorating air quality in Delhi-NCR that has assumed monstrous toxicity levels. Apart from sore throat, wheezing, asthma and burning in the eyes, more and more people are complaining about chest infections and pneumonia. Several people have reportedly also been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of hospitals. Respiratory distress and other pollution-related problems in kids are growing by 70%, according to some reports. And as the Air Quality Index peaks to an all-time high, health experts are warning of a "medical emergency". "People are affected by short-term and long-term impacts of pollution. You are immediately affected when the lungs are exposed to this air," Dr Arvind Kumar, chairman of the Institute of Chest Surgery at Medanta Hospital, reportedly told ANI. "As the smoke goes inside the chest, it causes immediate acute inflammation in the windpipe and lungs, followed by these toxic chemicals getting absorbed from the lungs and reaching the blood," he pointed out. READ | Delhi Gas Chamber Season 6 just dropped. Are you ready? "Those with medical conditions are at high risk. Respiratory and cardiac problems, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and so on are the short-term impacts. However, those hit may suffer from metabolic diseases and cancer in the long run," said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi. Some experts say prolonged exposure to air pollution affects the brains of kids and causes hyper-irritability in them. The toxins cause neuro-inflammation. Some warn of constrained growth of organs and impaired brain development. The elderly may also suffer stroke if they continue to inhale the foul air for a long time. Researchers have found many cases of heart attacks in the recent past related to air pollution. It has been established that dirty air can cause blockage in arteries and veins. A recent survey carried out by LocalCircles revealed that a whopping 70% of people have one or more family members, or themselves, who are facing the impact of poor air quality in Delhi-NCR. "The elderly at home are most impacted along with those who have a medical condition, and of course, school-going kids," Sachin Taparia, the founder of the community social media platform, said. An alarming research by WHO in 2018 said that pregnant women are vulnerable to polluted air. Exposure to it can cause premature birth. Air pollution also impacts neurodevelopment and cognitive ability and can trigger asthma and childhood cancer. Another risk is having a baby with a low birth weight and weak immunity. Exposure to high levels of air pollution puts a child at greater risk of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular ailments, later in life, experts say. A study pointed out that the risk of dementia increases by 3% for every one microgram per cubic metre (ug/m3) increase of fine particulate matter. Air pollution from fine particulate matter caused 6.4 million premature deaths and 93 billion days lived with illness in 2019, according to Global Burden of Disease study. The global cost of health damage associated with exposure to air pollution is $8.1 trillion, equivalent to 6.1% of global GDP, it added. Even as anti-smog guns are pressed into service and the Delhi government's Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is implemented, there's no relief from the toxic air as the 'silent killer' continues to prowl.

Why is India's single-use plastic ban failing?

Despite a ban already in place, India is struggling to find an alternative to single-use plastics and establish an effective waste management system Three months after India imposed a ban on single use plastics (SUPs) to tackle plastic waste and worsening pollution, plastics are still in rampant circulation across the country. The ban includes almost 21 SUP items such as plates, cups, cutlery, straws, packaging films and cigarette packets. "Though the central government has issued the ban, the implementation lies with the respective state governments and their state pollution control boards," Ravi Agarwal, director of environmental NGO Toxics Link, told DW. "The state's actions are not up to the mark; there seems to be a lack of effective implementation strategy from the states to enforce the ban fully," he added. But India, which uses about 14 million tons of plastic annually, has not issued any advisory to stop the use of SUPs, and no penalties have been imposed following the ban. SUP products continue to be available as usual. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) chairman Tanmay Kumar highlighted in a recent communication that despite the ban, the use of SUP items, specifically thin carry-bags, also continues unabated in the low-end section of the economy. 'Cheap alternatives' needed ADVERTISEMENT dt-ad Last year, a government committee identified the SUP items to be banned based on an index of their low utility and high environmental impact. The share of plastic used for these banned SUPs is less than 2-3% of the total plastic waste generated in India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi made it clear that his government would be actively working towards a crackdown on plastic in its second term in power. But experts warned it would not be an easy task given that close to 26,000 tons of plastic waste is generated across India every day, of which more than 10,000 tons stay uncollected. ADVERTISEMENT dt-ad Agarwal from Toxics Link stressed that alternatives to SUPs are needed. "Availability of cheap alternatives to cater the demand of these banned products are critical challenges which need to be looked into," he said. Bharati Chaturvedi, founder and director of Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group, pointed out that investments have not been adequately made to make the transition. "There have to be incentives for this shift…Manufacturers have to be told on no uncertain terms. At times the all-pervasive plastics, backed by the might of the plastics industry, really needs a tsunami to shake it up,” Chaturvedi told DW. SMEs to be hit hardest India's per capita consumption of plastic at 11 kilograms per year is still among the lowest in the world (global average is 28 kilograms per year). In 2020-21, India generated nearly 3.5 million tons of plastic, according to government figures provided by the country's 28 states and 8 union territories. Maharashtra state forms 13% of this, followed by Tamil Nadu and Punjab at 12% each, respectively. Meanwhile, India's recycling capacity at 1.56 million tons per year is only half of the total of plastics generated. India lacks an organized plastic waste management system, resulting in widespread littering. Plastics end up in rivers, oceans and landfills, threatening the lives of wildlife species. What's more, the ban as it stands impacts the most vulnerable segments, especially the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) of the plastic industry, and potential job losses are also being overlooked. "Going by track record, we have directed strict enforcement of the ban, with a focus on street vendors, vegetable markets and local markets, along with checks at borders and inspection of concerned industries," a senior Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) official told DW. Political resistance to implement ban For the ban on SUPs to be successful, industry experts are calling on the government to carry out a thorough economic and environmental cost-benefit analysis, as well as chalk out a plan to take into account social and economic impacts. "We want a clean India and are ready to transition. But why not focus on the root of the problem — plastic waste. We need to improve waste segregation… and amp up our recycling infrastructure," said Deepak Ballani, director-general of the All India Plastic Manufacturers Association (AIPMA). The AIPMA, one of the largest trade bodies representing the plastics industry, has requested the government to push the deadline for phasing out SUP products by a period of one year to 2023 due to economic distress faced by manufacturing units because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But all stakeholders involved — producers of raw materials, plastic manufacturers, giant fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies, and government entities — have their parts to play to make the ban a success. "There are challenges. There is political resistance in some states, and also there is no planned effort by state authorities to implement the ban," Atin Biswas, program director at Centre for Science and Environment, told DW. Chandra Bhushan, the CEO of International Forum for Environment, Sustainability and Technology, doubts India's ban alone would be sufficient to eliminate SUPs. "There needs to be marketing of affordable alternatives as well as improvements in waste management to achieve results," she said.

After Assam, Karnataka saw extreme weather events

India recorded an extreme weather event on almost 90% of the days in the first nine months of this year, with Himachal Pradesh logging the highest number of human deaths, according to a report released by the Centre for Science and Environment. Karnataka, which experienced extreme weather events on 82 days during the first nine months, accounted for more than 50% of the crop area (9.96 lakh hectares) affected in the country, the report said. With 47,703 fully or partially damaged houses, the state stands second after Assam. It also shares second place with Himachal Pradesh, in witnessing extreme weather events on 9 days in May, after Assam which had witnessed 20 worst days. In August too, it saw the second-highest number of bad weather days with 22. The number of deaths of people (117) and animals (1,664) is also higher in the state compared to its southern counterparts. South Karnataka saw the wettest May in 121 years. The report, 'Extreme Weather Report 2022', released by CSE, sourced its data on extreme events from two key government sources - IMD and the Disaster Management Division of the Union home ministry. In addition, it scanned reports to track the pre-monsoon period when official data is inadequate. Despite India recording its seventh-wettest January (39.6mm) since 1901, Karnataka is one among four states that faced recorded deficit rainfall. Incidentally, this March was the warmest ever that India had recorded and the third driest in 121 years

CSE Report: 100 साल बाद बदला मौसम का मिजाज, प्राकृतिक आपदाओं से जूझ रहा 2022

भारत (India) में इस साल भीषण गर्मी (Scorching Heat), मूसलाधार बारिश (Rain), चक्रवात (Hurricane) और पहाड़ों पर लैंडस्लाइड (Landslide) जैसी अनेक घटनाएं घटी है। 2022 भारत के लिए लगातार कहर बनकर टूट रहा है। आखिरी नौ महीने में शायद ही ऐसा कोई दिन होगा जब देश के किसी हिस्से में कोई प्राकृतिक आपदा ना आई हो। यह जानकारी विज्ञान और पर्यावरण केंद्र (Centre for Science and Environment) की नई रिपोर्ट से सामने आई है। सीएसई की ताजा रिपोर्ट के अनुसार देश में इस साल 1 जनवरी से 30 सितंबर तक 273 दिनों में से 242 दिनों में किसी न किसी तरह की प्राकृतिक घटनाएं दर्ज की गई है। जिसमें हीटवेव, शीत लहर, चक्रवात, बिजली, भारी वर्षा, बाढ़ और लैंड स्लाइड की घटनाएं शामिल है। सबसे ज्यादा प्रभावित मध्य प्रदेश और हिमाचल (Most affected Madhya Pradesh and Himachal) सीएसई की रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, देश में जनवरी से सितंबर तक हर दूसरे दिन किसी न किसी प्राकृतिक आपदा से जुड़ी घटना से कोई न कोई राज्य प्रभावित हुआ ही है। जिसमें मध्य प्रदेश और हिमाचल सबसे ज्यादा प्रभावित हुए है। साथ ही इन घटनाओं के कारण हिमाचल प्रदेश (359) में सबसे अधिक मौतों की संख्या दर्ज की गई है। मध्य प्रदेश और असम में 301 मानव मृत्यु दर्ज़ हुई हैं। रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक, मध्य और उत्तर-पश्चिमी भारत में मौसम की घटनाओं के साथ सबसे अधिक दिन (198 और 195) दर्ज किए गए है। फसलों को नुकसान (Damage to Crops) भारत सबसे अधिक घर टूटने और जानवरों की मौत के मामले असम में दर्ज हुए हैं। असम के बाद दक्षिण भारत में कर्नाटक एक ऐसा राज्य है जिसे 82 दिनों तक मूसलाधार बारिश और बाढ़ के कारण भारी दिक्कतों को झेलना पड़ा है। वहीं अगर खेती की बात करें तो कही ज़रुरत से ज़्यादा बारिश हुई और कही देर से बारिश होने के कारण सूखे जैसे हालात से फसलें बुरी तरह से प्रभावित हुई है। आकड़ों के अनुसार देश में ज्यादातर हिस्सों में 50 फीसदी तक फसलें अपनी गुणवत्ता खो चुकी हैं। हालांकि प्राकृतिक हादसों में मध्य प्रदेश पहले स्थान पर रहने के बावजूद भी यहां फसल क्षेत्र के नुकसान के आधिकारिक आकड़े दर्ज़ नहीं हुए है। प्राकृतिक आपदाओं का बढ़ना अच्छा संकेत नहीं (increase of natural disasters is not a good sign) सीएसई (CSE) की महानिदेशक सुनीता नारायण के अनुसार, देश में इतने कम समय में बार-बार प्राकृतिक आपदाओं का आना जलवायु परिवर्तन का वॉटरमार्क है। उनके अनुसार यह सिर्फ एक घटना के बारे में नहीं है। बल्कि घटनाओं के बढ़ते हुए नंबर्स के बारे में है। सीएसई की रिपोर्ट के अनुसार इस तरह की घटनाएं पिछले 100 सालों में इस साल सबसे ज़्यादा तबाही भरी घटना के रूप में देखी जा रही हैं। इसके साथ ही आंकड़े बताते हैं कि बड़ी घटनाओं की तीव्रता बढ़ी ही है। लेकिन इनके बीच में जो गैप पहले करीब पांच साल या उससे अधिक था, वह अब एक साल से भी कम हो गई है। ये बात एक चिंता का विषय है। एक्सपर्ट्स का कहना है कि इस तरह का मौसमी बदलाव अच्छे संकेत नहीं दे रहा है। मौसम में भारी बदलाव और लगातार आ रही प्राकृतिक आपदा देश में यह चेतावनी है कि आने वाले सालो में भारी जलवायु परिवर्तन हो सकता है।

Air Pollution : दिल्ली में पराली से नहीं वाहनों के उत्सर्जन से बढ़ रहा प्रदूषण

नई दिल्ली: सर्दियों के मौसम आने के साथ ही दिल्ली और एनसीआर में प्रदूषण की मात्रा बढ़ने लगती है. अधिकांश लोग इसका कारण हरियाणा और पंजाब में पराली जलाने से उत्पन्न धुआं को मानते है. दूसरा कारण एनसीआर में लगातार हो रहे निर्णाण कार्यों से उत्पन्न धूल बताया जाता है, और तीसरा कारण वाहनों और कल-कारखानों का उत्सर्जन माना जाता है. पर्यावरण पर काम करने वाली प्रसिद्ध संस्ता 'सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट' (सीएसई), ने एक सप्ताह यानि 21 अक्टूबर से 26 अक्टूबर तक दिल्ली की हवा किस वजह से प्रदूषित रही, पर रिसर्च किया. जिस सप्ताह शहर ने सीजन का पहला 'बेहद खराब' वायु दिवस दर्ज किया? सीएसई के रिसर्च में खुलासा हुआ है कि दिल्ली शहर में उक्त सप्ताह में अधिकांश वायु प्रदूषण वाहनों के उत्सर्जन के कारण हुआ. सीएसई के निष्कर्ष क्या थे? सीएसई के 21 से 26 अक्टूबर के आंकड़ों के विश्लेषण में पाया गया कि प्रदूषण के स्थानीय स्रोतों में, वाहनों से होने वाले उत्सर्जन ने दिल्ली में PM2.5 के स्तर में लगभग 51 प्रतिशत का योगदान है. स्थानीय स्रोत शहर के भीतर के स्रोतों का उल्लेख करते हैं. इनमें से, स्थानीय स्रोत, अगला सबसे बड़ा योगदान आवासीय स्रोतों से 13 प्रतिशत और उद्योगों से 11 प्रतिशत का था. निर्माण गतिविधियों ने पीएम 2.5 में लगभग 7 प्रतिशत का योगदान दिया, इसके बाद कचरे को जलाने और ऊर्जा क्षेत्र से प्रत्येक में 5 प्रतिशत का योगदान दिया.पीएम 2.5 के स्तर पर सड़क की धूल का योगदान करीब 4 फीसदी रहा. विश्लेषण में यह भी पाया गया कि दिल्ली के स्थानीय स्रोतों से शहर में लगभग 32.9 प्रतिशत प्रदूषण होता है.शेष हिस्सा एनसीआर जिलों (32.8 फीसदी), अन्य जिलों (25.8 फीसदी) और पड़ोसी राज्यों में बायोमास जलने (9.5 फीसदी) से आया है. विश्लेषण ने सप्ताह में शहर में 15 मुख्य सड़कों पर प्रति घंटा यातायात गति को देखने के लिए Google मानचित्र के डेटा का भी उपयोग किया. इन सभी सड़कों पर 27 किमी प्रति घंटे से 32 किमी प्रति घंटे की औसत गति के साथ "उच्च स्तर की भीड़" नोट की गई थी, गति को भीड़ के संकेतक के रूप में इस्तेमाल किया जा रहा था. 21 और 22 अक्टूबर को ट्रैफिक बिल्ड-अप सबसे अधिक पाया गया. शहर में नाइट्रोजन डाइऑक्साइड के स्तर में योगदान देने वाले वाहनों के साथ, प्रति घंटा नाइट्रोजन डाइऑक्साइड का स्तर भी उस समय चरम पर पाया गया जब सड़कों पर भीड़भाड़ अधिकतम थी.विश्लेषण में कहा गया है: "शाम के दौरान प्रति घंटा NO2 का स्तर 73 माइक्रोग्राम / मी³ से 86 माइक्रोग्राम / मी³ के बीच उच्च हो सकता है.यह वह समय है जब भीड़भाड़ भी अधिक होती है।" विश्लेषण ने किस डेटा का उपयोग किया? विश्लेषण में भारतीय उष्णकटिबंधीय मौसम विज्ञान संस्थान (IITM) द्वारा विकसित निर्णय समर्थन प्रणाली (DSS) के डेटा का उपयोग किया गया. DSS दिल्ली में PM2.5 के स्रोतों की प्रति घंटा जानकारी प्रदान करता है - उत्सर्जन में विभिन्न क्षेत्रों का योगदान, और दिल्ली और आस-पड़ोस के 19 जिलों से उत्सर्जन का योगदान. IITM द्वारा विकसित मॉडल 2018 में द एनर्जी एंड रिसोर्सेज इंस्टीट्यूट (TERI) द्वारा तैयार की गई एक उत्सर्जन सूची का उपयोग करता है, केंद्रीय प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्ड के निगरानी स्टेशनों के डेटा और पांच दिनों के लिए उत्सर्जन स्रोतों पर पूर्वानुमान उत्पन्न करने के लिए NASA उपग्रहों के डेटा का उपयोग करता है. विश्लेषण क्या सुझाव देता है? वायु गुणवत्ता के विश्लेषण से यह तथ्य सामने आया है कि दिल्ली के सार्वजनिक परिवहन में बदलाव की जरूरत है. बस सेवाओं में सुधार और परिवहन के अन्य साधनों के साथ मेट्रो स्टेशनों के एकीकरण के अलावा, पड़ोस को जोड़ने के लिए पैदल चलने और साइकिल चलाने के बुनियादी ढांचे का एक व्यापक नेटवर्क बनाना चाहिए. विश्लेषण में कहा गया है, "दिल्ली को यातायात की मात्रा को नियंत्रित करने के लिए भीड़भाड़ और प्रदूषण मूल्य निर्धारण और अन्य संयम उपायों की आवश्यकता है." नए वाहन बेड़े के विद्युतीकरण के लिए निर्धारित लक्ष्यों को तेज किया जाना चाहिए और उन्हें पूरा किया जाना चाहिए.

Delhi News: पराली की समस्या पर गरमाई राजनीति, गोपाल राय बोले- किसानों का सहयोग नहीं कर रही केंद्र सरकार

Delhi News: सर्दियां बढ़ने के साथ-साथ दिल्ली (Delhi) की हवा एक बार फिर जहरीली होती जा रही है और इसको लेकर पड़ोसी राज्यों में जलायी जा रही पराली को लेकर राजनीति भी गरमाई हुई है. जहां एक तरफ पंजाब में बढ़ते पराली जलाने (Stubble Burning) के मामलों को लेकर बीजेपी, केजरीवाल सरकार पर हमलावर है तो वहीं केजरीवाल सरकार का कहना है कि बीजेपी पराली के समाधान के बारे में सहयोग करे, ना कि वहां के किसानों को गाली दे. किसानों को गाली नहीं, समस्या का समाधान खोजें दिल्ली के पर्यावरण मंत्री गोपाल राय ने कहा है कि पड़ोसी राज्यों में जलायी जा रही पराली के समाधान के बारे में सोचा जाना चाहिए, ना कि किसानों को गाली दी जानी चाहिए. पर्यावरण मंत्री गोपाल राय ने केंद्र सरकार से इस मामले में सहयोग किए जाने की अपील की है. पर्यावरण मंत्री गोपाल राय का कहना है कि दिल्ली और पंजाब की सरकारें किसानों को पराली जलाने से रोकने के लिए उनकी आर्थिक सहायता करने को तैयार हैं जबकि इसके लिए केंद्र की बीजेपी सरकार ने इंकार कर दिया है. घटिया स्तर पर पहुंचा दिल्ली-एनसीआर का एक्यूआई पर्यावरण मंत्री गोपाल राय ने बताया है कि दिल्ली और आसापास के जिलों में प्रदूषण का स्तर पिछले 2 दिनों से लगातार बढ़ रहा है. बहादुरगढ़ में 1 नवम्बर को एक्यूआई का स्तर 400, फरीदाबाद में 403, मानेसर में 393, सोनीपत में 350, कैथल में 350 ग्रेटर नोएडा में 402, नोएडा में 398 और गाजियाबाद में 381 दर्ज किया गया. वहीं हवा की गति कुछ बढ़ी हुई है इसलिए दिल्ली का एक्यूआई 313 के स्तर पर बना हुआ है, जो वेरी पूअर की कैटगरी में आता है. पटाखों पर बैन हटवाने के लिए SC तक गई बीजेपी इसके साथ ही बढ़ते प्रदूषण को देखते हुए दिल्ली में CAQM के निर्देशानुसार निर्माण एवं विध्वंस के कार्य पर रोक लगी हुई है. इस आदेश को सुचारू रूप से चलाने के लिए 500 से ज्यादा टीमें निरीक्षण कर रही हैं. मंत्री गोपाल राय का कहना है कि बीजेपी नेता कह रहे हैं कि केजरीवाल पंजाब में पराली जलवा कर दिल्लीवासियों की सांसों के साथ खिलवाड़ कर रहे हैं. यह बातें वह बीजेपी कर रही है जो पटाखों पर बैन को हटवाने के लिए सुप्रीम कोर्ट तक चली गई और जिसने पंजाब सरकार की इस मांग को ठुकरा दिया कि पंजाब के किसानों को आर्थिक मदद दी जाए जिससे कि वे पराली न जलाएं. वाहन प्रदूषण को कम करने के लिए अरविंद केजरीवाल द्वारा लागू होने वाले “रेड लाईट ऑन, गाड़ी ऑफ” अभियान को भी बीजेपी ने रोक दिया. प्रदूषण के स्थाई समाधान के लिए काम कर रही दिल्ली सरकार पर्यावरण मंत्री ने कहा कि पूरे देश में दिल्ली सरकार अरविंद केजरीवाल के नेतृत्व में प्रदूषण के स्थायी समाधान के लिए काम कर रही है. उन्होंने कहा कि 24*7 बिजली देकर जनरेटरों से होने वाले प्रदूषण को पूरी तरह से रोक दिया गया है. दिल्ली में ई-व्हीकल पॉलिसी लाकर वाहन के प्रदूषण के स्थाई समाधन की तरफ कदम बढ़ाया है. वृक्षारोपण के माध्यम दिल्ली के ग्रीन बेल्ट को 20 प्रतिशत से बढ़ाकर 23 प्रतिशत कर दिया है और ट्री ट्रांसप्लांटेशन पॉलिसी लाकर दिल्ली में विकास एवं पर्यावरण के संतुलन को बनाने का प्रयास कर रहे हैं. उन्होंने कहा कि दिल्ली पहला ऐसा राज्य है जो अपना विंटर एक्शन प्लान बनाकर एंटी डस्ट कैम्पेन चला रहा है. साथ ही दिल्ली पहला ऐसा राज्य है जो पराली को गलाने के लिए बायोडिकम्पोजर का छिड़काव कर रहा है. इसके अलावा दिल्ली में पटाखों पर बैन लगाया गया है, लोगों को “दीये जलाओ पटाखे नहीं" अभियान चलाकर जागरूक किया जा रहा है. दिल्ली के पर्यावरण मंत्री ने कहा कि सरकार के तमाम प्रयासों के बावजूद भी दिल्ली में प्रदूषण इतना क्यों बढ़ रहा है? इसे जानने के लिए दिल्ली में पिछले साल 24 अक्टूबर से 8 नवंबर के बीच सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट द्वारा एक अध्ययन किया गया. अध्ययन में पाया गया कि दिल्ली के प्रदूषण में दिल्ली के स्रोतों का मात्र 31 फीसदी योगदान है जिसमें 51 फीसदी वाहन प्रदूषण, 13 फीसदी धूल प्रदूषण और 12 प्रतिशत वेस्ट बर्निंग आदि हैं. इसके अलावा 69 प्रतिशत प्रदूषण दिल्ली में बाहर से आता है जिसमें 54.5 प्रतिशत प्रदूषण एनसीआर से आता है.

Delhi Pollution: दिवाली के आसपास वाहनों के धुएं से बढ़ा प्रदूषण, सेंटर फार साइंस एंड एन्वायरमेंट की रिपोर्ट

सेंटर फार साइंस एंड एन्वायरमेंट (सीएसई) द्वारा बुधवार शाम जारी किए गए एक विश्लेषण में सामने आया है कि दीवाली के आसपास दिल्ली में प्रदूषण का स्तर वाहनों के धुएं से बढ़ा था। इस विश्लेषण के मुताबिक 21 से 26 अक्टूबर) के दौरान स्थानीय प्रदूषक तत्त्वों के कारण उत्पन्न हुए दिल्ली के कुल प्रदूषण (पीएम 2.5) में वाहनों के धुएं की मात्रा लगभग आधी (49.3 से 53 प्रतिशत) रही। यानी दिल्ली के स्थानीय प्रदूषक तत्वों में वाहनों से पैदा होने वाले प्रदूषण की मात्रा सबसे ज्यादा है। पराली और एनी बायोमास के कारण कुल का 17 प्रतिशत मिला प्रदूषण दिल्ली-एनसीआर और आसपास के 19 जिलों में जलाई गई पराली और एनी बायोमास के कारण पैदा हुआ प्रदूषण कुल का केवल 17 प्रतिशत ही पाया गया है। यह विश्लेषण बताता है कि त्योहार के कारण ज्यादातर इलाके जाम की गंभीर समस्या से जूझते रहे, जिससे पीक टाइम का प्रदूषण और नान-पीक टाइम का प्रदूषण स्तर लगभग बराबर रहा। लंबे जाम के कारण इस दौरान ज्यादातर इलाकों में वाहनों की औसत स्पीड भी घटकर 21.3 किमी प्रति घंटा से 31 किमी प्रति घंटा तक रह गई। प्रदूषक तत्वों में वाहनों की भूमिका लगातार गंभीर पिछले वर्ष दीवाली के सप्ताह में भी लगभग इसी प्रकार के आंकड़े पाए गए थे जो यह साबित करते हैं कि इस दौरान दिल्ली के स्थानीय प्रदूषक तत्वों में वाहनों की भूमिका लगातार गंभीर बनी हुई है। इस दौरान घरों से विभिन्न कारणों से पैदा हुए प्रदूषण की हिस्सेदारी लगभग 13 प्रतिशत रही। छुट्टियों के कारण दीवाली सप्ताह में कई जगहों पर व्यावसायिक गतिविधियों में कमी आ जाती है। यही कारण है कि इस दौरान औद्योगिक कारणों से प्रदूषण की मात्रा केवल 11 प्रतिशत रही। निर्माण इकाइयों का इस दौरान प्रदूषण में हिस्सा सात फीसदी रहा। कूड़े को जलाने से पांच प्रतिशत और अन्य कारणों से चार प्रतिशत प्रदूषण हुआ। वाहनों की संख्या से बढ़ रही दिल्ली की समस्या सीएसई की कार्यकारी निदेशक अनुमिता राय चौधरी ने बताया कि राजधानी दिल्ली की सड़कों पर वाहनों का भारी बोझ है। यहां पर 1.4 करोड़ वाहन रजिस्टर्ड हैं। इसमें लगभग पांच लाख वाहन प्रति वर्ष नए जुड़ जाते हैं। राजधानी के लिए सबसे बड़ी समस्या इस बात की है कि नए वाहनों में लगभग 97 प्रतिशत निजी वाहन होते हैं। सार्वजनिक वाहनों की कमी, रूट पर वाहन न मिलना, लोगों के आवास से उनके गंतव्य तक सीधे वाहन न मिलने से लोग निजी वाहन को प्राथमिकता देते हैं जो दिल्ली की समस्या को लगातार बढ़ा रहा है।

India witnessed extreme weather on most days in first 9 months of 2022: CSE

The CSE report comes ahead of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s annual summit (COP27) that will be held at Sharm el Sheikh between November 6-18 India experienced extreme weather events on 241 of the 273 days during the first nine months of 2022 -- a little over 88% of the days from January 1 to September 30, says a report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) released on Tuesday. Ahead of the United Nations climate summit, this report highlights the climate vulnerabilities of India. From heat and cold waves, cyclones, and lightning to heavy rain, floods, and landslides, the disasters in the past nine months have claimed 2,755 lives, affected 1.8 million hectares (ha) of crop area, destroyed over 416,667 houses and killed close to 70,000 livestock. “This estimation of loss and damage is probably an underestimate as data for each event is not collated, nor are the losses of public property or crop loss calculated,” read the report. The data in the report has been sourced on extreme events from two key government sources including the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Disaster Management Division (DMD) of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs while including scanned media reports tracking events, particularly in the pre-monsoon period when official data is inadequate. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, as per the report, defines extreme weather events as occurrences that are “rare at a particular place and time of year”. While India does not have an official definition, the India Meteorological Department (IMD), in its annual 'Statement of Climate of India' reports, classifies lightning and thunderstorms, heavy to very, and extremely heavy rainfall, landslides, and floods, cold waves, heatwaves, cyclones, snowfall, dust and sandstorms, squalls, hailstorms and gales as extreme weather events. The CSE report comes ahead of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s annual summit (COP27) that will be held at Sharm el Sheikh between November 6-18. The member nations will take stock of the progress made since the Glasgow summit and what needs to be done to ensure that global warming doesn't breach the guard rail of two degrees Celsius. East and northeast India recorded extreme events on 171 of 273 days, claimed 783 lives, damaged 256,517 ha crop area, destroyed 318,676 houses, and killed 55,399 animals. The peninsula recorded extreme weather events on 125 of 273 days, which killed 350 persons, damaged 1.06 million ha crop area, destroyed 64,837 houses, and killed 4,382 animals, the report said. Madhya Pradesh, as per the report recorded the highest number of day with extreme weather conditions while Himachal Pradesh recorded the highest number of deaths due to these events. Karnataka, which experienced an extreme weather event on 82 days since the beginning of the year, accounted for more than 50% of the crop area affected in the country. Moreover, Assam reported the highest number of damaged houses and animal deaths. The report mentions that the high numbers speak of the increased frequency and intensity of the extreme events that we are witnessing in a rapidly warming world. “What the country has witnessed so far in 2022 is the new abnormal in a warming world. There is a need to demand reparations for the damage from the countries that have contributed to the emissions in the atmosphere and are responsible for this damage,” the advocacy group said. CSE said that this is the watermark of climate change while not about a single event but about the increased frequency of the events. “An extreme event we saw once every 100 years has now begun to occur every five years or less. Worse, it is now all coming together—each month is breaking a new record,” it said, adding that this in turn is breaking the backs of the poorest who are worst impacted and are fast losing their capacity to cope with these repeated and frequent events. In 2022, India recorded its seventh wettest January since 1901, according to weather office data. March was the warmest ever and the third driest in 121 years. Eastern and northeast India saw its warmest and driest July in 121 years. The region also recorded its second-warmest August and 4th warmest September this year. Every day of the three months of the monsoon – from June to August – indicates heavy to very heavy and extremely heavy rainfall in some parts of the country. This is why the flood devastation has not spared any region. Heat waves claimed 45 lives, but what is not captured in the official data is the impact of the prolonged high temperatures on people’s well-being in north India – from farmers to construction workers -- and how they coped with the intense and searing heat. “This is the watermark of climate change. It is not about the single event but about the increased frequency of the events—an extreme event we saw once every 100 years has now begun to occur every five years or less,” the report said. “Worse, it is now all coming together—each month is breaking a new record. This in turn is breaking the backs of the poorest who are worst impacted and are fast losing their capacities to cope with these repeated and frequent events.”

India Saw Extreme Weather Events On 241 Days Of 2022 So Far, Claiming 2,775 Lives

India has been witnessing an alarming increase in the number of extreme weather events in the country in recent years. In the first nine months of 2020, India recorded at least one extreme weather event in 241 days, a new report has said. Extreme weather events in 90% of days in 2022 According to the 'Extreme Weather Report 2022', released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), 90 per cent of the days between January 1 to September 30 recorded extreme weather events in India. "India recorded extreme weather events on 241 of the 273 days from January 1 to September 30 this year. This means that close to 90 per cent of the first nine months of this year, India had an extreme weather event breaking in one or more parts of the country," the report said.

Vehicular emissions contributing half of PM 2.5 levels in Delhi

With the air quality of Delhi at its worst levels this year, the latest assessment by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has thrown more light on the sources of air pollution. According to the organization, almost half of the PM 2.5 pollution between 21 October and 26 October, can be attributed to vehicular emissions. The report claims that when pollution from all sources is calculated, Delhi's vehicles account for nearly 17% of the total PM 2.5 concentration, but the indicative data of the CSE suggests the vehicles' daily share of PM 2.5 varied between 49.3% and 53% during the week of Diwali. "The vehicular contribution was followed by household pollution (residential) at 13 percent, industries at 11 percent, construction at 7 percent, waste burning and the energy sector at 5 percent each, and road dust and other sources at 4 percent each. This observation is consistent with the trends evaluated during the previous winter in Delhi," the principal program manager at CSE's Clean Air and Sustainable Mobility unit Vivek Chattopadhyay said. The CSE report which used the decision support system (DSS) of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), indicates that all combustion sources, such as vehicles, peripheral industries, the energy sector, waste burning, and residential cooking, have a higher share than dust sources such as construction and road dust. "With high traffic on pre-Diwali days, average speed plummeted to 27 km per hour against the design standard of 60 km per hour or regulated speed of 40 km per hour. On some stretches, this reduced to 17 km per hour. Nitrogen dioxide coming largely from vehicles correlates well with traffic peaks and congestion through dispersion helped to dilute it in the afternoons," the CSE assessment stated. CSE also asserted that despite vehicles being the ‘top polluter,’ there is ‘weakest action’ on the transport sector, which is a matter of concern. The organization further suggested public transport augmentation and integration, along with electrification of the fleet, walking and cycling infrastructure, low emissions zones, and vehicle restraint measures like parking caps and pricing.

Delhi Environment Minister Suggests Work From Home To Curb Pollution In City

The minister said vehicular emissions account for 51 per cent of the air pollution generated locally. "If possible, please share a ride to work or work from home. This is how we can reduce the share of vehicular emissions in Delhi's air pollution," he said during a press conference. Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai today appealed to city residents to preferably work from home or use shared transport to reduce vehicular emissions, a major contributor to air pollution in the national capital. He also said that vehicular emissions account for 51 per cent of the air pollution generated locally. "If possible, please share a ride to work or work from home. This is how we can reduce the share of vehicular emissions in Delhi's air pollution," he said during a press conference. Mr Rai asked people to refrain from using coal or firewood for heating purposes and to provide electric heaters to security staff to avoid open burning during winters. "We have to reduce our share of pollution. We have to do everything we can. We cannot sit idle waiting for others to act," the minister said. He said people should avoid bursting firecrackers. "Emission from even one firecracker can cause great harm in such unfavourable meteorological conditions," he said. Mr Rai also asked people to take pictures if they find anyone violating the ban on construction work and upload them on "Green Delhi" application for necessary action. With pollution levels worsening, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) had on Saturday directed authorities to impose a ban on construction and demolition activities in Delhi-NCR, except in essential projects, and other curbs under stage three of the Graded Response Action plan (GRAP). Graded Response Action plan, first implemented in 2017, is a set of anti-air pollution measures followed in the national capital and its vicinity according to the severity of the situation. The Delhi government had on Tuesday issued a notice to stop work at the BJP headquarters here and imposed a fine of ₹ 5 lakh on private firm Larsen & Toubro Ltd for violating the ban on construction and demolition work. Mr Rai said the Delhi government will run a special drive at the 13 pollution hotspots in Delhi, including Narela, Anand Vihar, Mundka, Dwarka, Punjabi Bagh, among others. "Fire tenders will be deployed at these places to sprinkle water," he said. Citing a study conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment, Mr Rai said local sources account for 31 per cent of the air pollution in Delhi, 54.5 per cent comes from other areas in the National Capital Region and the rest is due to biomass burning. "The air pollution problem cannot be resolved through politics. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has come up with Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which will have to be implemented in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana too - in Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida, Gurugram and Bahadurgarh. "We have been following GRAP and have accordingly banned construction work, barring some essential projects, in Delhi. We need the support of the governments in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. They need to become active," he said. Asked about the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights' notice to the Delhi government for not ordering closure of schools, Mr Rai said the recommendations will be sent to CAQM.

Deteriorating air quality leaves Indian capital under blanket of smog

The Indian capital woke up Thursday under a blanket of smog, with New Delhi recording its worst air quality so far this year, while the authorities imposed measures to tackle the emergency and urged the people to carpool or use public transport. The air quality index (AQI) remained in the “severe” category at above 400 – on a scale having a maximum of 500 points -, levels of pollution that can affect even healthy people and severely affect people with respiratory diseases. The concentration of PM2.5 particles in the air reached 278 micrograms per cubic meter in the south of the city, around the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, according to data from the government’s Pollution Control Committee. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a maximum daily exposure for PM 2.5 – particles with a diameter of less than 2.5 microns and which can enter the blood stream through the lungs due to its small size – at less than 15 micrograms per cubic meter. The increase in pollution to toxic levels in recent days has led the authorities to impose measures such as a temporary ban on construction and demolition activities. The alarming deterioration in New Delhi’s air quality is common at this time of year, when a number of factors coincide, such as the arrival of winter and the decrease in wind velocity that prevent the dispersal of pollutants. The toxic air comprises of vehicle emissions, building dust, particles originating from burning stubble in agricultural areas and the constant burning of solid waste in this city of 20 million inhabitants. Earlier this week, a report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) revealed that cars were one of the main causes of air pollution in New Delhi, although surrounding regions contributed 60 percent of its total pollution. The CSE denounced the “inadequate” public transport in the Indian capital and the lack of measures to reduce the number of cars on the roads, while stressing on the need to check sources of pollution throughout the region