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Ground-level ozone pollution in Delhi-NCR in March-April highest in 4 years: CSE

The summer of 2022 -- one of the hottest in history -- has witnessed widespread ozone exceedance, making the air of Delhi-NCR more toxic, according to an analysis conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment (<a data-ga-onclick="Inarticle articleshow link click#News#href" href="/topic/cse" target="_blank">CSE</a>). <br> <br> The green think tank's assessment is based on the publicly available granular real time data (15-minute averages) from the CPCB's official online portal Central Control Room for <a data-ga-onclick="Inarticle articleshow link click#News#href" href="/topic/air-quality-management" target="_blank">Air Quality Management</a>. <br> <br> In Delhi-NCR, the researchers captured data from 58 official stations.

Ground-level ozone pollution in Delhi-NCR in March-April highest in 4 years: CSE

The summer of 2022 -- one of the hottest in history -- has witnessed widespread ozone exceedance, making the air of Delhi-NCR more toxic, according to an analysis conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment (<a data-ga-onclick="Inarticle articleshow link click#News#href" href="/topic/cse" target="_blank">CSE</a>). <br> <br> The green think tank's assessment is based on the publicly available granular real time data (15-minute averages) from the CPCB's official online portal Central Control Room for <a data-ga-onclick="Inarticle articleshow link click#News#href" href="/topic/air-quality-management" target="_blank">Air Quality Management</a>. <br> <br> In Delhi-NCR, the researchers captured data from 58 official stations.

Ground-level ozone pollution in Delhi-NCR in March-April highest in 4 years: CSE

The green think tank's assessment is based on the publicly available granular real time data from the CPCB's official online portal Central Control Room for Air Quality Management The summer of 2022 -- one of the hottest in history -- has witnessed widespread ozone exceedance, making the air of Delhi-NCR more toxic, according to an analysis conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment. The green think tank's assessment is based on the publicly available granular real time data (15-minute averages) from the CPCB's official online portal Central Control Room for Air Quality Management. In Delhi-NCR, the researchers captured data from 58 official stations. The analysis tracked exceedances at each station. Breach of the standard by even one station is considered exceedance by the city. Days with multiple stations exceeding the standard indicates the severity of the spatial spread and number of people exposed. This year, due to the early onslaught of heatwaves, the spatial spread of ground-level ozone started in March itself with April being the worst so far, the green thinktank said. The dangerous build-up of ground-level ozone can happen anytime during the year, but it is usually in small pockets. For it to have wider spatial spread, hot and sunny weather conditions are needed which are generally present in summer, especially during May. But this year, the frequency and spread of ozone exceedance started early -- in the month of March. Ground-level ozone usually exceeds the safety standard on all days of summer at some locations in Delhi-NCR every year. But the spatial spread (number of stations exceeding the standard across the city) has been much higher this year. On an average, 16 stations have exceeded the standard daily this March and April, which is 33 per cent increase from March and April 2021. During 2020, when lockdowns had reduced the precursor gases needed for formation of ground-level ozone, the number was down to 10 stations daily, the report said. Dr K S Shooting Range in south Delhi is the most chronically affected in Delhi-NCR. The ground-level ozone concentration exceeded the standard at this location for 85 days this March-May. JLN Stadium, RK Puram and Nehru Nagar followed close behind. Greater Noida is the major hotspot outside Delhi. Faridabad has least instances of ground-level ozone exceedances in the region, it said. Patparganj in East Delhi registered the highest increase in the number of days exceeding the standard as compared to the average of the last three years. It registered a dramatic jump of 68 additional days with exceedance. It was followed by Noida's Sector 116 and Mandir Marg, next to the President's Estate. Siri Fort and Bawana in Delhi registered the most reduction in the frequency of exceedances compared to average of previous three years. Their exceedances were down by over 40 days this year. Gurugram Sector 51, Dwarka Sector 8, and Najafgarh were other locations with the maximum improvement. After Delhi-NCR that recorded ozone exceedance on almost all days of this summer, Mumbai with 75 days of exceedance was the second-most impacted metro. Kolkata-Howrah and Hyderabad registered 43 days of exceedance each. Even though the number of exceedance days in Kolkata-Howrah has been lower than that of Mumbai, its citywide concentration is 30 per cent higher than in Mumbai for this summer season. The CSE said the complex chemistry of ozone makes it a difficult pollutant to track and mitigate. Ground-level ambient ozone is not directly emitted from any source. It is produced from complex interactions between NOx and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are emitted from vehicles, power plants, factories, and other combustion sources. These undergo cyclic reactions in the presence of sunlight to generate ground-level ozone. VOCs can also be emitted from natural sources, such as plants. This highly reactive gas has serious health consequences. Those with respiratory conditions, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and particularly children with premature lungs and older adults are at serious risk. This can inflame and damage airways, make lungs susceptible to infection, aggravate asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis and increase the frequency of asthma attacks leading to increased hospitalisation.

In DelhiNCR, the researchers captured data from 58 official stations(Representative image: Shutterstock)

The summer of 2022 — one of the hottest in history — has witnessed widespread ozone exceedance, making the air of Delhi-NCR more toxic, according to an analysis conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The green think tank’s assessment is based on the publicly available granular real time data (15-minute averages) from the CPCB’s official online portal Central Control Room for Air Quality Management. In Delhi-NCR, the researchers captured data from 58 official stations. The analysis tracked exceedances at each station. Breach of the standard by even one station is considered exceedance by the city. Days with multiple stations exceeding the standard indicates the severity of the spatial spread and number of people exposed. This year, due to the early onslaught of heatwaves, the spatial spread of ground-level ozone started in March itself with April being the worst so far, the green thinktank said. The dangerous build-up of ground-level ozone can happen anytime during the year, but it is usually in small pockets. For it to have wider spatial spread, hot and sunny weather conditions are needed which are generally present in summer, especially during May. But this year, the frequency and spread of ozone exceedance started early — in the month of March. Ground-level ozone usually exceeds the safety standard on all days of summer at some locations in Delhi-NCR every year. But the spatial spread (number of stations exceeding the standard across the city) has been much higher this year. Advertisement On an average, 16 stations have exceeded the standard daily this March and April, which is 33 per cent increase from March and April 2021. During 2020, when lockdowns had reduced the precursor gases needed for formation of ground-level ozone, the number was down to 10 stations daily, the report said. Dr K S Shooting Range in south Delhi is the most chronically affected in Delhi-NCR. The ground-level ozone concentration exceeded the standard at this location for 85 days this March-May. JLN Stadium, RK Puram and Nehru Nagar followed close behind. Greater Noida is the major hotspot outside Delhi. Faridabad has least instances of ground-level ozone exceedances in the region, it said. Patparganj in East Delhi registered the highest increase in the number of days exceeding the standard as compared to the average of the last three years. It registered a dramatic jump of 68 additional days with exceedance. It was followed by Noida’s Sector 116 and Mandir Marg, next to the President’s Estate. PROMOTED CONTENT By Your SUV is in high demand. Sell today to get the best price Your SUV is in high demand. Sell today to get the best price SellRight by Spinny Luminous Solar - The New Trendsetter For A Smart Consumer Luminous Solar - The New Trendsetter For A Smart Consumer Luminous India Siri Fort and Bawana in Delhi registered the most reduction in the frequency of exceedances compared to average of previous three years. Their exceedances were down by over 40 days this year. Gurugram Sector 51, Dwarka Sector 8, and Najafgarh were other locations with the maximum improvement. After Delhi-NCR that recorded ozone exceedance on almost all days of this summer, Mumbai with 75 days of exceedance was the second-most impacted metro. Kolkata-Howrah and Hyderabad registered 43 days of exceedance each. Even though the number of exceedance days in Kolkata-Howrah has been lower than that of Mumbai, its citywide concentration is 30 per cent higher than in Mumbai for this summer season. The CSE said the complex chemistry of ozone makes it a difficult pollutant to track and mitigate. Ground-level ambient ozone is not directly emitted from any source. It is produced from complex interactions between NOx and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are emitted from vehicles, power plants, factories, and other combustion sources. Advertisement These undergo cyclic reactions in the presence of sunlight to generate ground-level ozone. VOCs can also be emitted from natural sources, such as plants. This highly reactive gas has serious health consequences. Those with respiratory conditions, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and particularly children with premature lungs and older adults are at serious risk. This can inflame and damage airways, make lungs susceptible to infection, aggravate asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis and increase the frequency of asthma attacks leading to increased hospitalisation.

https://www.lokmattimes.com/health/one-of-the-hottest-summers-led-to-increased-ozone-levels-cse-analysis

The summer of 2022 - one of the hottest in history - has witnessed widespread excessive ozone levels, making the air of Delhi-NCR more toxic, while other metros are not far behind, said a latest analysis released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Friday.</p><p>Among the six big metros, Mumbai is second, followed by Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru - with the last two having longer durations of exceedance despite lower frequency compared to the other metros, as per the latest air quality analysis by CSE released in the run up to the World Environment Day on June 5.</p><div id="inArticle1" class="inarticleAd" style="margin:0px auto; width:300px; height:250px; text-align:center;"></div><p>Geographical spread of ground-level ozone pollution in Delhi-NCR during March-April was highest in past four years. Ground-level ozone usually exceeds the safety standard on all days of summer in some location in Delhi-NCR every year. </p><p>"But this year, the spatial spread (number of stations exceeding the standard across the city) has been much higher. On an average, 16 stations have exceeded the standard daily this March and April, which is 33 per cent increase from previous year March and April. During 2020, when lockdowns had reduced the precursor gases needed for formation of ground-level ozone, the number was down to 10 stations daily," the CSE analysis showed.</p><div id="inArticle2" class="inarticleAd" style="margin:0px auto; width:300px; height:250px; text-align:center;"></div><p>There have been only six days this year so far that have registered no exceedance among any air quality monitoring stations of Delhi-NCR. There were 15 days of no exceedance last year during the same period (Jan-May). </p><p>Similarly, 2020 and 2019 had 24 days each of no exceedance respectively. </p><p>Foggy and cold conditions of January conventionally inhibit formation of ground-level ozone but ozone was found to be exceeding at multiple stations on 28 days this January. "It is up from 11 days and 19 days recorded in January of 2020 and 2021 respectively. Even, the months of monsoon records exceedance in some locations," it said.</p><div id="inArticle3" class="inarticleAd" style="margin:0px auto; width:300px; height:250px; text-align:center;"></div><p>After Delhi-NCR that recorded ozone exceedance on almost all days of this summer, Mumbai with 75 days of exceedance was the second most impacted metro. Kolkata-Howrah and Hyderabad registered 43 days of exceedance each. Even though the number of exceedance days in Kolkata-Howrah has been lower than that of Mumbai, its citywide concentration is 30 per cent higher than in Mumbai for this summer season. </p><p>The denser network of monitoring stations in Mumbai is able to catch instances of ozone exceedance better. Greater Mumbai has 26 monitoring stations while Greater Kolkata has only 10 stations.</p><!-- break-4 --><p>"Despite the warning signs, the problem of the toxic threat of ground-level ozone has not attracted adequate policy or public attention for mitigation and prevention," said Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director, research and advocacy, CSE.</p><p>To drive home the point about the danger posed by it to human health, the CSE analysis mentioned the 2020 'State of Global Air' report that stated that age-standardised rates of death attributable to ozone is among the highest in India.</p><!-- break-5 --><p>The criterion says it may exceed the limits on two per cent of the days in a year, but not on two consecutive days of monitoring. In other words, there should not be more than eight days in a year when the ozone standard is breached, and none of those allowed exceedances can be on two consecutive days.</p><p>"The standard practice of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to average out the data of all stations in the city to determine daily AQI does not work for ground-level ozone as it is a short-lived and hyper-localised pollutant. A citywide average concentration level over an extended time frame does not indicate the severity of the problem and health implication from local build up and exposure for people living in hotspots," says Avikal Somvanshi, senior programme manager, urban lab, CSE.</p><!-- break-6 --><p>Ground-level ozone has become a year-long problem: Even though the ozone exceedance is seen to worsen during summer months, it remains a year-long problem as at least few locations continue to record exceedance throughout the year.</p><p>This analysis tracks exceedances at each station in a city. Breach of the standard by even one station in the city is considered exceedance by the city. Days with multiple stations exceeding the standard indicates the severity of the spatial spread and number of people exposed. Given that the data is capped at 200 microgram per cubic metre by the CPCB, it is not possible to determine how high the concentration really goes.</p><!-- break-7 --><p>It was noted that the ozone data available on CPCB portal never exceeds 200 micrograms per cubic metre, while data for the corresponding time on Delhi Pollution Control Committee may show higher levels. Therefore, due to this capping of data it is not possible to understand the nature of peaking in the city.</p><p>"This needs to be addressed as there are two sets of standards for ozone - eight-hourly standard of 100 Ig/m3 and one-hourly standard of 180 Ig/m3. Capping can make assessment of one-hourly standard challenging. This study has assessed trends only based on the eight-hourly standard," the CSE said.</p><!-- break-8 --><p>Ozone mitigation demands stringent control of gases from all combustion sources including vehicles, industry, power plants and open burning in the entire region. It is therefore necessary that while designing mitigation of particulate matter the key focus of action strategy today, is also calibrated for reduction of ozone precursor gases.</p><p>Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor</p>

Ground-level Ozone Pollution In Delhi-NCR In March-April Highest In 4 Years: CSE

The summer of 2022 -- one of the hottest in history -- has witnessed widespread ozone exceedance, making the air of Delhi-NCR more toxic, according to an analysis conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The green think tank's assessment is based on the publicly available granular real time data (15-minute averages) from the CPCB's official online portal Central Control Room for Air Quality Management. In Delhi-NCR, the researchers captured data from 58 official stations. The analysis tracked exceedances at each station. Breach of the standard by even one station is considered exceedance by the city. Days with multiple stations exceeding the standard indicates the severity of the spatial spread and number of people exposed. This year, due to the early onslaught of heatwaves, the spatial spread of ground-level ozone started in March itself with April being the worst so far, the green thinktank said. The dangerous build-up of ground-level ozone can happen anytime during the year, but it is usually in small pockets. For it to have wider spatial spread, hot and sunny weather conditions are needed which are generally present in summer, especially during May. But this year, the frequency and spread of ozone exceedance started early -- in the month of March. “Ground-level ozone usually exceeds the safety standard on all days of summer at some locations in Delhi-NCR every year. But the spatial spread (number of stations exceeding the standard across the city) has been much higher this year. “On an average, 16 stations have exceeded the standard daily this March and April, which is 33 per cent increase from March and April 2021. During 2020, when lockdowns had reduced the precursor gases needed for formation of ground-level ozone, the number was down to 10 stations daily,” the report said. Dr K S Shooting Range in south Delhi is the most chronically affected in Delhi-NCR. The ground-level ozone concentration exceeded the standard at this location for 85 days this March-May. JLN Stadium, RK Puram and Nehru Nagar followed close behind. Greater Noida is the major hotspot outside Delhi. Faridabad has least instances of ground-level ozone exceedances in the region, it said. Patparganj in East Delhi registered the highest increase in the number of days exceeding the standard as compared to the average of the last three years. It registered a dramatic jump of 68 additional days with exceedance. It was followed by Noida's Sector 116 and Mandir Marg, next to the President's Estate. Siri Fort and Bawana in Delhi registered the most reduction in the frequency of exceedances compared to average of previous three years. Their exceedances were down by over 40 days this year. Gurugram Sector 51, Dwarka Sector 8, and Najafgarh were other locations with the maximum improvement. After Delhi-NCR that recorded ozone exceedance on almost all days of this summer, Mumbai with 75 days of exceedance was the second-most impacted metro. Kolkata-Howrah and Hyderabad registered 43 days of exceedance each. Even though the number of exceedance days in Kolkata-Howrah has been lower than that of Mumbai, its citywide concentration is 30 per cent higher than in Mumbai for this summer season. The CSE said the complex chemistry of ozone makes it a difficult pollutant to track and mitigate. Ground-level ambient ozone is not directly emitted from any source. It is produced from complex interactions between NOx and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are emitted from vehicles, power plants, factories, and other combustion sources. These undergo cyclic reactions in the presence of sunlight to generate ground-level ozone. VOCs can also be emitted from natural sources, such as plants. This highly reactive gas has serious health consequences. Those with respiratory conditions, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and particularly children with premature lungs and older adults are at serious risk. This can inflame and damage airways, make lungs susceptible to infection, aggravate asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis and increase the frequency of asthma attacks leading to increased hospitalisation. PTI GVS RCJ

Summer 2022, one of the hottest, led to increased ozone levels: CSE analysis

Geographical spread of ground-level ozone pollution in Delhi-NCR during March-April was highest in past four years The summer of 2022 - one of the hottest in history - has witnessed widespread excessive ozone levels, making the air of Delhi-NCR more toxic, while other metros are not far behind, said a latest analysis released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Friday. Among the six big metros, Mumbai is second, followed by Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru - with the last two having longer durations of exceedance despite lower frequency compared to the other metros, as per the latest air quality analysis by CSE released in the run up to the World Environment Day on June 5. Geographical spread of ground-level ozone pollution in Delhi-NCR during March-April was highest in past four years. Ground-level ozone usually exceeds the safety standard on all days of summer in some location in Delhi-NCR every year. "But this year, the spatial spread (number of stations exceeding the standard across the city) has been much higher. On an average, 16 stations have exceeded the standard daily this March and April, which is 33 per cent increase from previous year March and April. During 2020, when lockdowns had reduced the precursor gases needed for formation of ground-level ozone, the number was down to 10 stations daily," the CSE analysis showed. There have been only six days this year so far that have registered no exceedance among any air quality monitoring stations of Delhi-NCR. There were 15 days of no exceedance last year during the same period (Jan-May). Similarly, 2020 and 2019 had 24 days each of no exceedance respectively. Foggy and cold conditions of January conventionally inhibit formation of ground-level ozone but ozone was found to be exceeding at multiple stations on 28 days this January. "It is up from 11 days and 19 days recorded in January of 2020 and 2021 respectively. Even, the months of monsoon records exceedance in some locations," it said. After Delhi-NCR that recorded ozone exceedance on almost all days of this summer, Mumbai with 75 days of exceedance was the second most impacted metro. Kolkata-Howrah and Hyderabad registered 43 days of exceedance each. Even though the number of exceedance days in Kolkata-Howrah has been lower than that of Mumbai, its citywide concentration is 30 per cent higher than in Mumbai for this summer season. The denser network of monitoring stations in Mumbai is able to catch instances of ozone exceedance better. Greater Mumbai has 26 monitoring stations while Greater Kolkata has only 10 stations. "Despite the warning signs, the problem of the toxic threat of ground-level ozone has not attracted adequate policy or public attention for mitigation and prevention," said Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director, research and advocacy, CSE. To drive home the point about the danger posed by it to human health, the CSE analysis mentioned the 2020 'State of Global Air' report that stated that age-standardised rates of death attributable to ozone is among the highest in India. The criterion says it may exceed the limits on two per cent of the days in a year, but not on two consecutive days of monitoring. In other words, there should not be more than eight days in a year when the ozone standard is breached, and none of those allowed exceedances can be on two consecutive days. "The standard practice of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to average out the data of all stations in the city to determine daily AQI does not work for ground-level ozone as it is a short-lived and hyper-localised pollutant. A citywide average concentration level over an extended time frame does not indicate the severity of the problem and health implication from local build up and exposure for people living in hotspots," says Avikal Somvanshi, senior programme manager, urban lab, CSE. Ground-level ozone has become a year-long problem: Even though the ozone exceedance is seen to worsen during summer months, it remains a year-long problem as at least few locations continue to record exceedance throughout the year. This analysis tracks exceedances at each station in a city. Breach of the standard by even one station in the city is considered exceedance by the city. Days with multiple stations exceeding the standard indicates the severity of the spatial spread and number of people exposed. Given that the data is capped at 200 microgram per cubic metre by the CPCB, it is not possible to determine how high the concentration really goes. It was noted that the ozone data available on CPCB portal never exceeds 200 micrograms per cubic metre, while data for the corresponding time on Delhi Pollution Control Committee may show higher levels. Therefore, due to this capping of data it is not possible to understand the nature of peaking in the city. "This needs to be addressed as there are two sets of standards for ozone - eight-hourly standard of 100 Ig/m3 and one-hourly standard of 180 Ig/m3. Capping can make assessment of one-hourly standard challenging. This study has assessed trends only based on the eight-hourly standard," the CSE said. Ozone mitigation demands stringent control of gases from all combustion sources including vehicles, industry, power plants and open burning in the entire region. It is therefore necessary that while designing mitigation of particulate matter the key focus of action strategy today, is also calibrated for reduction of ozone precursor gases.

‘Poor’ air quality days increase in Delhi in 2022

Delhi, between January 1 till May 31, reported the highest number of ‘poor’ air quality days since 2018 while ‘very poor’ days were the least for the same duration, data from Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed. The CPCB calculates the Air Quality Index (AQI) based on multiple inputs, including the PM2.5 and PM10 pollutants. 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’. AQI over 401 is considered ‘severe’. In 2022, for the duration from January 1 till May 31, there were as many as 63 per cent days with ‘poor’ AQI compared to 51 per cent in 2018, 39 per cent in 2019, 24 per cent in 2020, and 38 per cent in 2021. There were 12 per cent of days with ‘severe’ AQI for the same duration, compared to 18 per cent in 2018, 17 per cent in 2019, 10 per cent in 2020, and 19 per cent in 2021, the CPCB data showed. The year 2020 was an exception when there were 16 per cent of ‘satisfactory’ AQI days and 47 per cent ‘moderate’ AQI days, in contrast to other years where there were hardly any ‘satisfactory’ AQI days. A meteorologist attributed the rise in lack of rain from February 25 till mid-May for the entire Delhi-NCR and northwest Indian plains. However, it is not just lack of rains but the local point sources of pollution too. A study by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in 2020 on ‘Assessment of industrial air pollution in Delhi NCR’ had covered seven major industrial districts of Alwar, Bhiwadi, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, Faridabad, Panipat and Sonipat – all having an impact on Delhi’s air quality – and estimated a coal usage of up to 1.4 million tonnes by industries in these regions. Generally, stubble burning in winter by farmers in Punjab and Haryana has been blamed for bad air quality in Delhi NCR. However, studies have established that this is just one of the multiple causes contributing to the decreasing air quality. ‘Point sources of emission’, as they are called, for Delhi include transport, power plants around Delhi, local sources of burning, brick kilns around Delhi apart from the stubble burning. Earlier in the day, another CSE analysis had said that the geographical spread of ground-level ozone pollution in Delhi-NCR during March-April was the highest in the past four years.

One of the hottest summers led to increased ozone levels: CSE analysis

The summer of 2022 - one of the hottest in history - has witnessed widespread excessive ozone levels, making the air of Delhi-NCR more toxic, while other metros are not far behind, said a latest analysis released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Friday. Among the six big metros, Mumbai is second, followed by Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru - with the last two having longer durations of exceedance despite lower frequency compared to the other metros, as per the latest air quality analysis by CSE released in the run up to the World Environment Day on June 5. Geographical spread of ground-level ozone pollution in Delhi-NCR during March-April was highest in past four years. Ground-level ozone usually exceeds the safety standard on all days of summer in some location in Delhi-NCR every year. "But this year, the spatial spread (number of stations exceeding the standard across the city) has been much higher. On an average, 16 stations have exceeded the standard daily this March and April, which is 33 per cent increase from previous year March and April. During 2020, when lockdowns had reduced the precursor gases needed for formation of ground-level ozone, the number was down to 10 stations daily," the CSE analysis showed. There have been only six days this year so far that have registered no exceedance among any air quality monitoring stations of Delhi-NCR. There were 15 days of no exceedance last year during the same period (Jan-May). Similarly, 2020 and 2019 had 24 days each of no exceedance respectively. Foggy and cold conditions of January conventionally inhibit formation of ground-level ozone but ozone was found to be exceeding at multiple stations on 28 days this January. "It is up from 11 days and 19 days recorded in January of 2020 and 2021 respectively. Even, the months of monsoon records exceedance in some locations," it said. After Delhi-NCR that recorded ozone exceedance on almost all days of this summer, Mumbai with 75 days of exceedance was the second most impacted metro. Kolkata-Howrah and Hyderabad registered 43 days of exceedance each. Even though the number of exceedance days in Kolkata-Howrah has been lower than that of Mumbai, its citywide concentration is 30 per cent higher than in Mumbai for this summer season. The denser network of monitoring stations in Mumbai is able to catch instances of ozone exceedance better. Greater Mumbai has 26 monitoring stations while Greater Kolkata has only 10 stations. "Despite the warning signs, the problem of the toxic threat of ground-level ozone has not attracted adequate policy or public attention for mitigation and prevention," said Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director, research and advocacy, CSE. To drive home the point about the danger posed by it to human health, the CSE analysis mentioned the 2020 'State of Global Air' report that stated that age-standardised rates of death attributable to ozone is among the highest in India. The criterion says it may exceed the limits on two per cent of the days in a year, but not on two consecutive days of monitoring. In other words, there should not be more than eight days in a year when the ozone standard is breached, and none of those allowed exceedances can be on two consecutive days. "The standard practice of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to average out the data of all stations in the city to determine daily AQI does not work for ground-level ozone as it is a short-lived and hyper-localised pollutant. A citywide average concentration level over an extended time frame does not indicate the severity of the problem and health implication from local build up and exposure for people living in hotspots," says Avikal Somvanshi, senior programme manager, urban lab, CSE. Ground-level ozone has become a year-long problem: Even though the ozone exceedance is seen to worsen during summer months, it remains a year-long problem as at least few locations continue to record exceedance throughout the year. This analysis tracks exceedances at each station in a city. Breach of the standard by even one station in the city is considered exceedance by the city. Days with multiple stations exceeding the standard indicates the severity of the spatial spread and number of people exposed. Given that the data is capped at 200 microgram per cubic metre by the CPCB, it is not possible to determine how high the concentration really goes. It was noted that the ozone data available on CPCB portal never exceeds 200 micrograms per cubic metre, while data for the corresponding time on Delhi Pollution Control Committee may show higher levels. Therefore, due to this capping of data it is not possible to understand the nature of peaking in the city. "This needs to be addressed as there are two sets of standards for ozone - eight-hourly standard of 100 Ig/m3 and one-hourly standard of 180 Ig/m3. Capping can make assessment of one-hourly standard challenging. This study has assessed trends only based on the eight-hourly standard," the CSE said. Ozone mitigation demands stringent control of gases from all combustion sources including vehicles, industry, power plants and open burning in the entire region. It is therefore necessary that while designing mitigation of particulate matter the key focus of action strategy today, is also calibrated for reduction of ozone precursor gases.

Poor' air quality days increase in Delhi in 2022

Delhi, between January 1 till May 31, reported the highest number of 'poor' air quality days since 2018 while 'very poor' days were the least for the same duration, data from Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed. The CPCB calculates the Air Quality Index (AQI) based on multiple inputs, including the PM2.5 and PM10 pollutants. 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'. AQI over 401 is considered 'severe'. In 2022, for the duration from January 1 till May 31, there were as many as 63 per cent days with 'poor' AQI compared to 51 per cent in 2018, 39 per cent in 2019, 24 per cent in 2020, and 38 per cent in 2021. There were 12 per cent of days with 'severe' AQI for the same duration, compared to 18 per cent in 2018, 17 per cent in 2019, 10 per cent in 2020, and 19 per cent in 2021, the CPCB data showed. The year 2020 was an exception when there were 16 per cent of 'satisfactory' AQI days and 47 per cent 'moderate' AQI days, in contrast to other years where there were hardly any 'satisfactory' AQI days. A meteorologist attributed the rise in lack of rain from February 25 till mid-May for the entire Delhi-NCR and northwest Indian plains. However, it is not just lack of rains but the local point sources of pollution too. A study by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in 2020 on 'Assessment of industrial air pollution in Delhi NCR' had covered seven major industrial districts of Alwar, Bhiwadi, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, Faridabad, Panipat and Sonipat - all having an impact on Delhi's air quality - and estimated a coal usage of up to 1.4 million tonnes by industries in these regions. Generally, stubble burning in winter by farmers in Punjab and Haryana has been blamed for bad air quality in Delhi NCR. However, studies have established that this is just one of the multiple causes contributing to the decreasing air quality. 'Point sources of emission', as they are called, for Delhi include transport, power plants around Delhi, local sources of burning, brick kilns around Delhi apart from the stubble burning. Earlier in the day, another CSE analysis had said that the geographical spread of ground-level ozone pollution in Delhi-NCR during March-April was the highest in the past four years.

'Poor' air quality days increase in Delhi in 2022

The CPCB calculates the Air Quality Index (AQI) based on multiple inputs, including the PM2.5 and PM10 pollutants. 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'. AQI over 401 is considered 'severe'. Delhi, between January 1 till May 31, reported the highest number of 'poor' air quality days since 2018 while 'very poor' days were the least for the same duration, data from Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed. The CPCB calculates the Air Quality Index (AQI) based on multiple inputs, including the PM2.5 and PM10 pollutants. 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'. AQI over 401 is considered 'severe'. In 2022, for the duration from January 1 till May 31, there were as many as 63 per cent days with 'poor' AQI compared to 51 per cent in 2018, 39 per cent in 2019, 24 per cent in 2020, and 38 per cent in 2021. There were 12 per cent of days with 'severe' AQI for the same duration, compared to 18 per cent in 2018, 17 per cent in 2019, 10 per cent in 2020, and 19 per cent in 2021, the CPCB data showed. Also read | Govt says timely interventions on wheat, sugar export insulated domestic prices from global changes The year 2020 was an exception when there were 16 per cent of 'satisfactory' AQI days and 47 per cent 'moderate' AQI days, in contrast to other years where there were hardly any 'satisfactory' AQI days. A meteorologist attributed the rise in lack of rain from February 25 till mid-May for the entire Delhi-NCR and northwest Indian plains. However, it is not just lack of rains but the local point sources of pollution too. A study by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in 2020 on 'Assessment of industrial air pollution in Delhi NCR' had covered seven major industrial districts of Alwar, Bhiwadi, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, Faridabad, Panipat and Sonipat - all having an impact on Delhi's air quality - and estimated a coal usage of up to 1.4 million tonnes by industries in these regions. Generally, stubble burning in winter by farmers in Punjab and Haryana has been blamed for bad air quality in Delhi NCR. However, studies have established that this is just one of the multiple causes contributing to the decreasing air quality. 'Point sources of emission', as they are called, for Delhi include transport, power plants around Delhi, local sources of burning, brick kilns around Delhi apart from the stubble burning. Earlier in the day, another CSE analysis had said that the geographical spread of ground-level ozone pollution in Delhi-NCR during March-April was the highest in the past four years.

India's forest cover is improving, but here's the catch

India’s forest cover has increased by 1,540 sq km from 2019 - 2021 according to the Forest Survey of India’s ‘India State of Forest’ Report 2021, released in January this year. Explaining the mapping process, Deputy Director General (DDG), FSI, Prakash Lakhchaura described it as "very long, very scientific and transparent". "We are a third party. Since we are not the policy makers, it doesn't affect us as an organisation if the figure has gone up or down. Hence, it is a very transparent process." Lakhchaura pointed out that the findings are 92 percent accurate as there are technical or human limitations. "We report what we find." He explained that the mapping process includes three broad steps — collating the data via satellites, interpreting the data and ground truthing. "What do we consider as forest is the question" says researcher and activist C.R. Bijoy. According to the FSI report, "all lands more than one hectare in area with tree canopy density of more than 10 percent" is considered a forest. The report clearly states that no distinction is made on the basis of origin of the crop, species, land ownership and use. "Any kind of plantation is considered as forest, natural or not. Commercial plantations are also being mapped as forest" Bijoy points out. Looking at the data about land degradation from the years 2003-2005 and 2018-2019, almost 30 percent of India's geographical area has been under degradation. Analysis of the official data by the Delhi based public interest research and advocacy organisation, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), shows that of the whole degraded land, 22 percent is forested land. Looking at the data from Bijoy's perspective, the country has lost natural forest and the change is because all kinds of plantation fulfilling the criterion set by FSI is considered while calculating forest cover.

World Environment Day 2022: How young activists set up Delhi's first 'climate literacy library'

Climate change' is a concern as well as a talking point — while the world is already reeling under its effect, given its urgency it has become a predictable topic of discussion in academia, socio-political fora as well as drawing rooms. So, it was time for an exclusive space where ideas can be tossed around and literature made available to those who wished to participate in the change. Young India today needs access to resources for climate education, which isn't readily available. To facilitate this, the Youth For Climate India (YFCI), a young group of activists, have attempted to make a difference by opening New Delhi's first climate literacy library. The spacious room in South Extension has shelves holding 250 books, framed pictures of tribal women, farmers, coal mines, rivers, students protesting in the first global climate strike in March 2019, and a banner that says 'Cool kids saving a hot planet', a tagline for YFCI. The library has been built through crowdfunding and was opened to the public in March 2022, three years after the country witnessed its youth participating in the first global climate strike. When the group's founding member, Vijay Sehrawat, 27, worked on documentaries on the subject, his research was often interrupted for want of adequate information in mainstream media and the public domain — everything available was dated. "I used to visit Delhi Public Library, which despite being the city's largest, did not have enough resources on the environment. I studied all the old literature they had and found nothing more on offer," said Vijay. This led him to buy books, not just for his own edification but for the people around him as well. Gradually, they started conducting reading circles in places like Sunder Nursery, which led to the idea of setting up a community library. His teammate Srijani Datta, a 19-year-old climate activist who attended the COP-26 summit in Glasgow last year, spoke of this idea with probable funders there. Upon her return, the YFCI members met with a few scholars and decided to start the library instead of waiting for international funding, which can be a time-consuming process. "I decided that even if we don't get institutional funding, we will make this happen. We reached out to organisations for space, created lists and sourced books and funding too," Srijani said. After getting the space, they focused on collecting books. Vijay reached out to Sunita Narain, director of the Centre for Science and Environment, who sent them 65 books. Heinrich Böll Stiftung, a German foundation and a part of the Green movement, sent another 60, the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) and a few other organisations also pitched in. Vijay donated all of his 75 books to the library. "In the end, we managed to collect 250 books right before the launch," he said. The library was set up in just a few months — the idea was floated in November and the team started working on it in January. It took them two months to raise funds, arrange the space and collect books, before the launch in March. Birthing pains The Centre for Financial Accountability warmed up to the idea and provided the space for free, but there was a lot more to be done. As Srijani said, "We needed money for three bookshelves, each priced at Rs 8000, and some funds for the launch event too." They eventually crossed the Rs 30,000 mark that they had aimed for. Another challenge was to procure multilingual books on the subject. Since the bulk of the available literature is in English, it stands to eliminate a large chunk of aspiring students who are from non-urban parts of the country. "We need more books in regional languages, as we do not want just the urban, elite students to participate. Someone donated Rs 3,000, which helped us buy a bunch of books in Hindi. We are also looking at procuring literature by indigenous people," Srijani explained. "Ninety seven per cent of the books we collected are in English. How can we talk about climate literacy in just one language! We are mapping the accessibility barriers and trying to overcome them," said Vijay, who plans to expand and open climate libraries in other Indian cities over the next couple of years. The road ahead "The library is a safe space for all communities, including kids and the youth, who wish to educate themselves and stay updated on the issue," said Aryan Shukla, the youngest member of the nine-member team, responsible for the library management, outreach, sourcing books and conducting events. The team's next objective is to increase youth participation and queer representation in the climate justice space. "During the launch event, a few queer people spoke about how they feel it's a safe space where they can be themselves and advocate what they care for. While in other spaces, they said, they had to be someone else in order to fit in," said Srijani. "We want to have more people of different identities take leadership. So, we will actively reach out to different groups and invite them and make their literature available. We are trying to create a space where all these identities can co-exist and be felt and seen." She also said the climate movement in India grew during the pandemic when activists met on Zoom. But this was the first time they met in person and discussed issues at the library; and going by the turnout at the launch event, it is safe to say, word has gotten around. As Vijay said, "Seventy people came to the launch. We conducted two sessions — one for researchers and other for community members and volunteers — as we couldn't accommodate so many people in a small space." Plans are afoot to spread the word through regular outreach events like reading sessions and inviting college environment clubs. So far, 110 people have visited the library in one month. Among them is Darsh Vatsa, a 15-year-old and the first member of the library. An annual subscription of Rs 500 gets him an access to the whole roster. Darsh feels most of the climate information available is very technical and limited, and that the library not just provides access to reading material but also helps young climate enthusiasts understand global policies and where India and its people can improve. "It will also help us comprehensively criticise the government and contribute to policy making in the right way," said Darsh. This is a small, but significant step by climate warriors, who are fired up to bring about more change.

Efficient LogisticsSystem in Agricultural Farm Fresh Market in India by Leveraging Technology

Abstract The agricultural farm fresh value chain in India have undergone significant transformation over the last few decades. Primarily the sector has been influenced by Government intervention in the form of subsidies, free extension services, regulated marketing and price stabilization mechanisms. The local and regional farm fresh value chainhave been facing many challenges in absence of a robust and efficient transport system, which is predominately driven by intermediaries without contributing any significant value. Some of the major challenges faced by fresh fruit and vegetables value chain in India are, Post-harvest loss, Seasonal supply shortages, Wastage in transit, Increase in Consumer Price, Poor realization for farmers and wastage at Point of Sales. Existing Food and Vegetable logistics and distribution management system presents a unique challenge considering the industry is resource constrained and lack of information flow across the value chain. Objective of the study is to evaluaterole of an efficient Logistics and Distribution management system, which would help in establishing a value based robust system, ensuring smooth flow of logistics and information by leveraging technologies. Keywords: Logistics, Supply Chain, Agriculture Market, Transport

69% of Jharkhand's land under degradation, reveals study

A report released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) stated that nearly 69 percent of land in Jharkhand is under degradation. HIGHLIGHTS The Centre for Science and Environment conducted a study on land degradation Jharkhand recorded a staggering figure of 69 percent land degradation 30 percent of India's geographical area is under degradation The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) conducted a study on land degradation which revealed that the productivity of land is declining fast in Jharkhand. Though the state is recognised for its scenic beauty, lush green landscape, torrential water falls, forest and immense potential for agriculture. But what raises concern is that Jharkhand is among the top three states where over 30 percent of land is under degradation. It has recorded a staggering figure of 69 percent land degradation. The waning productivity of land is not a good omen for the farmers and those who depend on agri-based industry or the agricultural sector. Notably, agriculture and farming are the backbone of Jharkhand and the state caters to the needs of many adjoining states. CAUSES FOR LAND DEGRADATION Former director soil conservation, Govt of Jharkhand, Rajiv Kumar, said that the undulating nature of land is the biggest factor for loss in productivity. Topography in the state is sloppy. Furthermore, around 1300 to 1400 mm of rain is registered in the state during the monsoon. High velocity of rain water causes soil erosion, leading to heavy loss of top fertile soil. When the surface losses the fertile soil at the top, its productivity is bound to decline.

71 pc Indians cannot afford healthy diet: CSE report

SEVENTY-ONE per cent Indians cannot afford a healthy diet and 1.7 million die every year due to diseases attributable to poor diet, according to a report released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and Down to Earth magazine. The diseases attributable to dietary risk factors include respiratory ailments, diabetes, cancer, strokes and coronary heart disease, the report ‘State of India’s Environment 2022: In Figures’ said. The report refers to diets low in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and diets high in processed meat, red meat, and sugary drinks. “Seventy-one percent of Indians cannot afford a healthy diet. The global average is 42 percent,” it said citing the Global Nutrition Report, 2021. The diet of an average Indian lacks in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and whole grains. The consumption of fish, dairy and red meat is within target, it said. A healthy diet is considered unaffordable when its cost exceeds 63 percent of a person’s income, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation. In India, adults aged 20 and above have only 35.8g of fruit per day as against the recommended 200g per day and just 168.7g of vegetables per day as against the minimum 300g per day.