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Cse In News

With hottest summer 2022, Delhi witnessed highest ozone pollution from Mar-Apr

Weather News Live Updates June 4, Weather Forecast Today, Monsoon News Updates: According to the IMD forecast Saturday, Delhi is expected to witness heatwave conditions with minimum and maximum temperature likely to settle at 29 degree and 44 degree Celsius respectively. 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). According to the India Meteorological Department forecast Saturday, Delhi is expected to witness heatwave conditions with minimum and maximum temperature likely to settle at 29 degree and 44 degree Celsius respectively. The southwest monsoon Friday advanced into West Bengal, at least four days ahead of its normal onset date and has covered some parts of the sub-Himalayan districts of the state, the Met department said.

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.

Delhi air more toxic this summer than last year

The air quality in Delhi-NCR was more toxic this summer in comparison with the previous year as the city experienced high ozone levels with many stations exceeding the safe mark, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) reveals in its latest study. The report points out that while the higher number of hot days usually pushes ozone levels beyond the safe limit, the spread of stations this summer is much wider. On average, 16 stations in Delhi-NCR exceeded the standard daily in March-April — a 33% rise from the previous year — with New Delhi and south Delhi being the worst affected.

दिल्ली-NCR में ओजोन प्रदूषण 4 साल में सबसे ज्यादा, समय से पहले आई गर्मी से बिगड़े हालात : स्टडी

दक्षिणी दिल्ली में डॉ के एस शूटिंग रेंज दिल्ली-एनसीआर में सबसे अधिक प्रभावित रहा है. इस स्थान पर इस साल मार्च से मई के बीच 85 दिन जमीनी स्तर पर ओजोन सांद्रता मानक से अधिक रिकॉर्ड किया गया. जवाहर लाल नेहरू स्टेडियम, आरके पुरम, नेहरू नगर में भी स्थिति इसी के करीब रही है. सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एन्वायरनमेंट (Centre for Science and Environment - CSE) द्वारा किये गए विश्लेषण के अनुसार साल 2022 की गर्मियों (जो इतिहास में सर्वाधिक गर्म में से एक) में वायुमंडल में व्यापक रूप से ओजोन (Ozone) की अधिकता देखी गई है, जिसके कारण दिल्ली-एनसीआर की वायु और अधिक विषैली हो गई है. CSE का आकलन सीपीसीबी के आधिकारिक ऑनलाइन पोर्टल केंद्रीय वायु गुणवत्ता प्रबंधन नियंत्रण कक्ष की ओर से सार्वजनिक रूप से उपलब्ध वास्तविक समय (औसतन 15 मिनट) डेटा पर आधारित है. दिल्ली-एनसीआर में शोधकर्ताओं ने 58 आधिकारिक स्टेशन से डेटा हासिल किया. विश्लेषण में प्रत्येक स्टेशन पर प्रदूषण वृद्धि की पड़ताल की गई. सीएसई ने कहा कि इस साल लू के शुरुआती प्रकोप के कारण, जमीनी स्तर के ओजोन प्रदूषण का प्रसार मार्च में ही शुरू हो गया था और इस मामले में अप्रैल अब तक का सबसे खराब महीना रहा. पिछले तीन साल में मई के दौरान दिल्ली की वायु गुणवत्ता सबसे खराब दर्ज की गई सीएसई के मुताबिक, जमीनी स्तर पर ओजोन का खतरनाक निर्माण वर्ष के दौरान कभी भी हो सकता है, लेकिन यह आमतौर पर छोटे-छोटे पॉकेट्स (क्षेत्रों) में होता है. इसके व्यापक स्थानिक प्रसार के लिए, गर्म और धूप वाले मौसम की आवश्यकता होती है जो आमतौर पर गर्मियों में मौजूद होते हैं, खासकर मई के दौरान लेकिन इस साल, मार्च के महीने में ही ओजोन की अधिकता की आवृत्ति और प्रसार जल्दी शुरू हो गया. World Ozone Day : ओजोन परत के संरक्षण के लिए जरूरी है अवेयरनेस, इसलिए मनाते हैं वर्ल्ड ओजोन डे, जान‍िए इतिहास और थीम दक्षिणी दिल्ली में डॉ के एस शूटिंग रेंज दिल्ली-एनसीआर में सबसे अधिक प्रभावित रहा है. इस स्थान पर इस साल मार्च से मई के बीच 85 दिन जमीनी स्तर पर ओजोन सांद्रता मानक से अधिक रिकॉर्ड किया गया. जवाहर लाल नेहरू स्टेडियम, आरके पुरम, नेहरू नगर में भी स्थिति इसी के करीब रही है जबकि दिल्ली से बाहर ग्रेटर नोएडा इसका हॉटस्पॉट पाया गया जहां ओजोन की अधिकता पाई गई. एनसीआर में फरीदाबाद की स्थिति अच्छी रही, वहां कम ओजोन प्रसार दिखा.

Healthy Meal: 71% भारतीय नहीं उठा पाते पौष्टिक खाने का खर्चा, लाखों की हो जाती है मौत, जानिए कितना कम हेल्दी फूड खा रहे लोग

हमारे देश में बड़ी संख्या में लोगों को पौष्टिक भोजन (Healthy Meal) नहीं मिल पाता है। वे अच्छे खाने का खर्च वहन नहीं कर पाते। खराब खाने (Poor Diet) के चलते हुई बीमारियों के कारण देश में लाखों लोगों की हर साल मौत हो जाती है। हाल ही में एक सर्वे से यह जानकारी मिली है। रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, आमतौर पर एक औसत भारतीय के खाने में फल ( Fruits), सब्जियां (Vegetables), फलियां (Legumes) आदि पौष्टिक चीजों की कमी रहती है। रिपोर्ट में कहा गया, 'पौष्टिक भोजन का खर्चा जब व्यक्ति की आय के 63 फीसदी से ऊपर चला जाए, तो वह व्यक्ति की पहुंच से बाहर हो जाता है।' सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (CSE) और डाउन टू अर्थ मैगजीन द्वारा हाल ही में जारी एक रिपोर्ट में कहा गया, '71 फीसदी भारतीय पौष्टिक आहार का खर्च नहीं उठा सकते हैं। वैश्विक औसत 42 फीसदी है।' रिपोर्ट में कहा गया, 'एक औसत भारतीय के आहार में आमतौर पर फल, सब्जियां, फलियां, सूखे मेवे और साबुत अनाज की कमी होती है। मछली, डेयरी और लाल मांस की खपत भी टार्गेट से कम है।' पौष्टिक आहार ना लेने से होती हैं बीमारियां खराब खाने के कारण होने वाली बीमारियों का जिक्र करते हुए सर्वे में कहा कि इसमें सांस से जुड़ी बीमारियां, मधुमेह, कैंसर, स्ट्रोक और हृदय धमनी रोग आदि शामिल हैं। पौष्टिक खाने का खर्च क्यों नहीं उठा पाते लोग खाद्य एवं कृषि संगठन के अनुसार, एक पौष्टिक भोजन यदि किसी व्यक्ति की आय के 63% से अधिक हो, तो वह पहुंच से दूर हो जाता है। 20 वर्ष और उससे अधिक आयु के वयस्क प्रतिदिन केवल 35.8 ग्राम फलों का सेवन करते हैं, जबकि 200 ग्राम फलों का सेवन करना चाहिए। वहीं, ये लोग प्रतिदिन 168.7 ग्राम सब्जियां खाते हैं, जबकि उन्हें 300 ग्राम सब्जियां प्रतिदिन खानी चाहिए। इसी तरह इस आयु वर्ग के लोग प्रतिदिन केवल 24.9 ग्राम (टार्गेट का 25%) फलियां और 3.2 ग्राम (टार्गेट का 13%) नट्स का उपभोग करते हैं। महंगाई एक बड़ा कारण पिछले एक साल में उपभोक्ता खाद्य मूल्य सूचकांक (CFPI) महंगाई में 327% की वृद्धि देखी गई है, जबकि उपभोक्ता मूल्य सूचकांक (CPI) जिसमें CFPI शामिल है, में 84% की वृद्धि देखी गई है। रिपोर्ट में कहा गया, 'सीपीआई मुद्रास्फीति को बढ़ाने में फूड आइटम्स का बड़ी भूमिका प्रतीत होती है। खाद्य मुद्रास्फीति का वर्तमान उच्च स्तर उत्पादन की बढ़ती लागत, अंतरराष्ट्रीय फसल की कीमतों में वृद्धि और अत्यधिक मौसम संबंधी व्यवधानों के चलते है।' कुछ प्रोगेस तो हुई लेकिन नहीं मिल रहा फायदा रिपोर्ट में कहा गया है, 'इस मामले में कुछ प्रोग्रेस के बावजूद, लोगों का खाना पौष्टिक नहीं हो रहा है।' इसमें कहा गया, 'उच्च मानवीय, पर्यावरणीय और आर्थिक लागत इतनी महत्वपूर्ण है कि यदि हम कार्य करने में विफल रहते हैं, तो हम बहुत अधिक कीमत चुकाएंगे। वैश्विक खाद्य प्रणाली स्वास्थ्य और पर्यावरण दोनों वैश्विक लक्ष्यों को प्राप्त करने से बहुत पीछे है।'

Good Food Challenge : भारत में शुद्ध भोजन जुटाना लोगों के लिए कैसे बनी चुनौती? एक रिपोर्ट में हुआ खुलासा

Good Food is Challenge : एक ताजा रिपोर्ट में खुलासा हुआ है कि देश के 71 फीसदी लोग शुद्ध आहार का प्रबंध (Good Food is Challenge) करने में असमर्थ हैं। ऐसें में लोगों को जैसा-तैसा भोजन कर दिन काटना पड़ रहा है, जिससे वे असमय ही काल के गाल में समा जा रहे हैं। एक सर्वे रिपोर्ट में जो परिणाम सामने आये हैं उसके अनुसार अधिकतर भारतीय भोजन का खर्च नहीं उठा सकते हैं और इस कारण (Good Food is Challenge) खराब भोजन का सेवन करके गंभीर बीमारियों से ​ग्रसित हो जाते हैं और उचित इलाज के अभाव में उनकी मौत तक हो जाती है। इस रिपोर्ट में यह भी दावा किया गया है कि औसत भारतीयों की थाली से पौष्टिक भोजन के रूप में मान्य फल, दूध तथा हरी सब्जियां गायब हैं, ऐसे में उनका स्वास्थ्य पोषक तत्वों की कमी के कारण प्रभावित हो रहा है। सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (CSE) और डाउन टू अर्थ पत्रिका की ओर से जारी की गयी एक रिपोर्ट में कहा गया है कि 71 प्रतिशत भारतीय स्वस्थ आहार लेने में सक्षम (Good Food is Challenge) नहीं हैं। वहीं, वैश्विक औसत की बात करें तो यह आंकड़ा 42 प्रतिशत है। जबकि एक औसत भारतीय के आहार में आमतौर पर फल, सब्जियां, फलियां, नट्स और साबुत अनाज की कमी होती है। एक सामन्य भारतीय के आहार से मछली, डेयरी और रेड मीट भी बहुत कम मात्रा में शामिल है, शाकाहारी को प्राथमिकता देने वाले प्रदेशों में तो यह लगभग नगण्य है। पोषक तत्वों की कमी के कारण इन बीमारियों का शिकार हो रहे हैं लोग रिपोर्ट में यह बात भी निकलकर सामने आयी है कि खराब आहार लेने के कारण (Good Food is Challenge) लोग गंभीर बीमारियों का शिकार हो जाते हैं। रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, सर्वेक्षण में श्वसन संबंधी बीमारियों, मधुमेह, कैंसर, स्ट्रोक, कोरोना और हृदय से जुड़े रोगों का खतरा बना रहता है। सर्वे रिपोर्ट में आंकड़ों के साथ ही शुद्ध भोजन का खर्च नहीं उठा पाने के पीछे की वजह भी बताई गई है। अधिकांश भारतीय इस वजह से भी शुद्ध भोजन का खर्च नहीं उठा सकते, क्‍योंकि उनकी आय इस अनुपात में नहीं है कि वे अपने खाने-पीने का ख्याल रख सके। दिन ब दिन बढ़ रही महंगाई के कारण उनके लिए खाने-पीने पर विशेष खर्च करना संभव नहीं है। वहीं दूसरी ओर पोषक तत्वों से परिपूर्ण खाद्य पदार्थों के बारे में आम आदमी के पास जानकारी का भी अभाव है। यही कारण है कि वे अच्छे खान-पान पर खर्च नहीं कर पाते हैं।

सीएसई की रिपोर्ट:देश के 56 में से 47 शहरों में 50% से कम लोगों का हेल्थ इंश्योरेंस, 2030 तक 100 फीसदी करने का लक्ष्य

देश की 25% आबादी स्वास्थ्य, शिक्षा और जीवनशैली के पैमानों पर गरीब है। सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) की रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक, बिहार राज्य में सर्वाधिक 51.91% गरीब हैं। 16 शहरों में हर चौथा व्यक्ति झुग्गी-झोपड़ी में रहने को मजबूर है। इनमें 6 राजधानियां हैं। रायपुर और हैदराबाद तो मुंबई से भी बदतर। केंद्र सरकार का लक्ष्य है- 2030 तक कोई भी झुग्गियों में न रहे। देश में किसानों की औसत मासिक आय 2012-13 में 6426 रु. थी, जो 2018-19 में 10218 तक पहुंच गई यानी 59% का इजाफा हुआ। सरकार ने 2022 तक दोगुनी आय का लक्ष्य रखा था। देश के 50% किसान कर्जदार हैं। हर किसान पर औसतन 74,121 रु. का ऋण है। आंध्रप्रदेश में 93% किसान कर्ज में हैं और प्रति किसान औसतन 2.45 लाख का कर्ज है, जो देश में सर्वाधिक। सीएसई की रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक, राजधानियों में सबसे अच्छी स्थिति चेन्नई की है। यहां 1443 का अनुपात है। विशाखापट्‌टनम में प्रति एक हजार पुुरुषों पर देश में सबसे ज्यादा 1997 महिलाएं हैं। 16 शहरों में प्रति एक हजार पुरुषों पर 1000 से ज्यादा महिलाएं हैं। केंद्र सरकार का लक्ष्य है कि 2030 तक देश में लिंगानुपात 100% होना चाहिए। -71% को स्वस्थ आहार नहीं

Cities high on toxic air this summer

The summer of 2022 one of the hottest in India’s recorded history witnessed widespread increase in the level of ozone gas at ground level, making the air in metro cities more toxic, says a latest analysis. Termed ‘ozone exceedance’, the phenomenon refers to above-normal ozone concentration at ground level.According to latest air quality analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), Delhi-NCR is followed by Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru in the list of metros having higher levels of ozone exceedance. Both Chennai and Bengaluru have longer durations of exceedance despite lower frequency compared to other metros. While Delhi-NCR recorded ozone exceedance on almost all days of this summer, Mumbai had 75 days of exceedance. The study warns that the issue can blow up as a major health crisis in the coming days. “Even before we could control the problem of particulate pollution, the toxic threat of ground-level ozone is catching up with us. Despite the warning signs, this problem has not attracted adequate policy or public attention for mitigation and prevention. Inadequate monitoring, limited data and inappropriate methods of trend analysis have weakened the understanding of this growing toxic risk,” says Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director-research and advocacy, CSE. The assessment has traced trends during summer (March-May) between 2019 to 2022 May (up to May 30). The analysis is based on publicly available granular real time data (15-minute averages) from the CPCB’s official online portal Central Control Room for Air Quality Management. New Delhi and south Delhi neighbourhoods were the worst affected. The data also showed hourly peak levels up by 23 per cent compared to lockdown times. The 2020 State of Global Air report states that age-standardised rates of death attributable to ozone is among the highest in India. The seasonal eight-hour daily maximum concentrations have recorded one of the highest increases in India between 2010 and 2017.

Lethal Heatwave Additionally Ensuing In Ozone Exceedance And It is Making Delhi’s Air Poisonous

Elements of central and northwestern India are nonetheless within the grip of a warmth wave because the summer season of 2022 continues to interrupt information. On Friday, a warmth wave noticed the mercury breaching the 45-degree Celsius mark in elements of New Delhi. The Met Workplace issued a yellow alert, warning of a warmth wave at remoted locations within the capital on Saturday. Delhi Heat WaveBCCL Early warmth wave is inflicting ozone exceedance The persevering with warmth wave is extra dangerous information for the folks of Delhi. In keeping with a brand new research by the Centre for Science and Setting (CSE) the warmth waves are additionally resulted in widespread ozone exceedance, making the air of Delhi-NCR extra poisonous. The suppose tank’s evaluation is predicated on the publicly obtainable granular actual time information (15-minute averages) from the Central Air pollution Management Board of India’s(CPCB) official on-line portal Central Management Room for Air High quality Administration. Delhi Dust StormBCCL An ozone exceedance day happens when the each day most 8-hour common is 71 elements per billion (ppb) or increased. In Delhi-Nationwide Capital Area(NCR), the researchers captured information from 58 official stations. What the info stated The evaluation tracked exceedances at every station. Breach of the usual by even one station is taken into account exceedance by town. Days with a number of stations exceeding the usual signifies the severity of the spatial unfold and variety of folks uncovered. This yr, as a result of early onslaught of heatwaves, the spatial unfold of ground-level ozone began in March itself with April being the worst to date, the suppose tank stated. Delhi Dust StormBCCL The damaging build-up of ground-level ozone can occur anytime in the course of the yr, however it’s often in small pockets. For it to have wider spatial unfold, sizzling and sunny climate situations are wanted that are usually current in summer season, particularly throughout Might. However this yr, the frequency and unfold of ozone exceedance began early — within the month of March. “Floor-level ozone often exceeds the security commonplace on all days of summer season at some places in Delhi-NCR yearly. However the spatial unfold (variety of stations exceeding the usual throughout town) has been a lot increased this yr. On a median, 16 stations have exceeded the usual each day this March and April, which is 33 per cent improve from March and April 2021. Throughout 2020, when lockdowns had decreased the precursor gases wanted for formation of ground-level ozone, the quantity was right down to 10 stations each day,” the report stated. Dust StormBCCL Ozone exceedance not restricted to Delhi In keeping with the research, Delhi-NCR recorded ozone exceedance on nearly all days of this summer season. This nonetheless, will not be an issue that’s restricted to Delhi-NCR. The research discovered that Mumbai had 75 days of ozone exceedance whereas Kolkata-Howrah and Hyderabad registered 43 days every. What’s a warmth wave? A warmth wave is asserted when the utmost temperature is over 40 levels Celsius and not less than 4.5 notches above regular. Delhi Heat WaveBCCL A extreme warmth wave is asserted if the departure from regular temperature is greater than 6.4 notches, in accordance with the IMD. Based mostly on absolute recorded temperatures, a heatwave is asserted when an space logs a most temperature of 45 levels Celsius. A extreme warmth wave is asserted if the utmost temperature crosses the 47-degree Celsius mark.

As ozone levels rise, the air in Hyderabad becomes toxic

Recent reports suggest that Hyderabad’s air has become toxic due to the rising levels of ground-level ozone gas this summer. According to the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru have experienced ‘ozone-exceedance’, which is a phenomenon whereby ozone concentrations increase at ground level above normal levels. During the summer between March 2019 and May 2022, the assessment was conducted. On all days of summer, Delhi-NCR recorded ozone excess whereas Chennai and Bengaluru recorded longer durations. A total of 75 and 43 days of ozone excess were observed in Mumbai and Kolkata, respectively. During the current summer season, Hyderabad recorded 43 days of ozone exceedance, as temperatures in the city exceeded 40 degrees Celsius multiple times. “The toxic threat of ground-level ozone is catching up with us even before we could control particulate pollution. Despite the warning signs, mitigation and prevention of this problem have not received adequate policy attention or public attention. It has been difficult to understand the growing toxic risk due to inadequate monitoring, limited data, and inappropriate methods of trend analysis,” says Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director of CSE’s research and advocacy department. CPCB’s official online portal Central Control Room for Air Quality Management provides publicly available granular real-time data (15-minute averages) for the analysis. The worst affected neighbourhoods were in New Delhi and south Delhi. Data also showed that hourly peak levels were higher during lockdown times by 23 per cent. It’s no surprise that India’s 2022 summer was one of the hottest on record, resulting in a widespread rise in ozone levels at ground level. India has among the highest age-standardised rates of deaths attributable to ozone, according to the 2020 State of Global Air report. Between 2010 and 2017, India’s seasonal eight-hour daily maximum concentrations have experienced one of the highest increases.

Deadly Heatwave Also Resulting In Ozone Exceedance And It's Making Delhi's Air Toxic

Parts of central and northwestern India are still in the grip of a heat wave as the summer of 2022 continues to break records. On Friday, a heat wave saw the mercury breaching the 45-degree Celsius mark in parts of New Delhi. The Met Office issued a yellow alert, warning of a heat wave at isolated places in the capital on Saturday. Early heat wave is causing ozone exceedance The continuing heat wave is more bad news for the people of Delhi. According to a new study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) the heat waves are also resulted in widespread ozone exceedance, making the air of Delhi-NCR more toxic. The think tank's assessment is based on the publicly available granular real time data (15-minute averages) from the Central Pollution Control Board of India's(CPCB) official online portal Central Control Room for Air Quality Management. Delhi Dust Storm BCCL An ozone exceedance day occurs when the daily maximum 8-hour average is 71 parts per billion (ppb) or higher. In Delhi-National Capital Region(NCR), the researchers captured data from 58 official stations. What the data said 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 think tank said. Delhi Dust Storm BCCL 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. Dust Storm BCCL Ozone exceedance not limited to Delhi According to the study, Delhi-NCR recorded ozone exceedance on almost all days of this summer. This however, is not a problem that is limited to Delhi-NCR. The study found that Mumbai had 75 days of ozone exceedance while Kolkata-Howrah and Hyderabad registered 43 days each. What is a heat wave? A heat wave is declared when the maximum temperature is over 40 degrees Celsius and at least 4.5 notches above normal. Delhi Heat Wave BCCL A severe heat wave is declared if the departure from normal temperature is more than 6.4 notches, according to the IMD. Based on absolute recorded temperatures, a heatwave is declared when an area logs a maximum temperature of 45 degrees Celsius. A severe heat wave is declared if the maximum temperature crosses the 47-degree Celsius mark.

Cities high on toxic air this summer

Ozone content in ground-level air exceeds standards in all six metros, says latest study The summer of 2022 one of the hottest in India’s recorded history witnessed widespread increase in the level of ozone gas at ground level, making the air in metro cities more toxic, says a latest analysis. ADVERTISEMENT Termed ‘ozone exceedance’, the phenomenon refers to above-normal ozone concentration at ground level. According to latest air quality analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), Delhi-NCR is followed by Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru in the list of metros having higher levels of ozone exceedance. Both Chennai and Bengaluru have longer durations of exceedance despite lower frequency compared to other metros. While Delhi-NCR recorded ozone exceedance on almost all days of this summer, Mumbai had 75 days of exceedance. The study warns that the issue can blow up as a major health crisis in the coming days. “Even before we could control the problem of particulate pollution, the toxic threat of ground-level ozone is catching up with us. Despite the warning signs, this problem has not attracted adequate policy or public attention for mitigation and prevention. Inadequate monitoring, limited data and inappropriate methods of trend analysis have weakened the understanding of this growing toxic risk,” says Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director-research and advocacy, CSE. The assessment has traced trends during summer (March-May) between 2019 to 2022 May (up to May 30). The analysis is based on publicly available granular real time data (15-minute averages) from the CPCB’s official online portal Central Control Room for Air Quality Management. New Delhi and south Delhi neighbourhoods were the worst affected. The data also showed hourly peak levels up by 23 per cent compared to lockdown times. The 2020 State of Global Air report states that age-standardised rates of death attributable to ozone is among the highest in India. The seasonal eight-hour daily maximum concentrations have recorded one of the highest increases in India between 2010 and 2017.

Early onslaught of heat wave worsens ozone pollution in Delhi: study

CSE analysis is based on real-time granular CPCB data. (Representational) New Delhi: The summer of 2022 – one of the hottest in history – witnessed a widespread overshoot of ozone, making the air of Delhi-NCR more toxic, according to an analysis conducted by the Center for Science and the environment (CSE). The think tank’s assessment is based on publicly available real-time granular data (15-minute averages) from the official online portal of the Central Pollution Control Board of India (CPCB) Central Control Room for Air Quality Management. In the National Capital Region of Delhi (NCR), researchers captured data from 58 official stations. The analysis tracked the exceedances at each station. Failure to meet the standard by a single station is considered an overrun by the city. Days with multiple stations exceeding the norm indicate the severity of spatial spread and the number of people exposed. This year, due to the early onslaught of heat waves, the spatial spread of ground-level ozone began in March itself, with April being the worst yet, the think tank said. See also Detroit health department recommends masks indoors as city hits high level of COVID-19 The dangerous buildup of ozone at ground level can occur at any time of the year, but it usually occurs in small pockets. For it to have a wider spatial distribution, it requires hot and sunny climatic conditions which are generally present in summer, especially in the month of May. But this year, the frequency and spread of ozone overshoot began early – in March. “Ground level ozone generally exceeds the safe standard every day of summer at some locations in Delhi NCR every year. But the spatial spread (number of stations exceeding the standard throughout the city) has been much higher this year.On average, 16 stations exceeded the standard daily in March and April, a 33% increase from March and April 2021. In 2020, when shutdowns had reduced the precursor gases needed to form of ground-level ozone, the number had fallen to 10 stations daily,” the report said. Dr. KS Range in South Delhi is the most chronically affected in Delhi-NCR. The ground-level ozone concentration exceeded the norm at this location for 85 days from March to May. See also 6 months later, Biden's infrastructure plan has 4,300 projects Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (JLN), RK Puram and Nehru Nagar followed close behind. Greater Noida is the main hotspot outside of Delhi. Faridabad has the fewest ground-level ozone exceedances in the region, he said. Patparganj in East Delhi recorded the largest increase in the number of days exceeding the norm compared to the average for the past three years. It recorded a spectacular jump of another 68 days with overshoot. It was followed by Sector 116 of Noida and Mandir Marg, next to the President’s estate. Siri Fort and Bawana in Delhi recorded the biggest reduction in the frequency of exceedances compared to the previous three-year average. Their exceedances have decreased by more than 40 days this year. Gurugram Sector 51, Dwarka Sector 8 and Najafgarh were other places with maximum improvement. After Delhi-NCR which recorded ozone exceedances almost every day this summer, Mumbai, with 75 days of exceedances, was the second most affected metro. Kolkata-Howrah and Hyderabad recorded 43 days of exceedance each. Even though the number of exceedance days in Kolkata-Howrah has been lower than in Mumbai, its citywide concentration is 30% higher than in Mumbai for this summer season. See also Crowdsourcing a War: How Online Calling Brings Weapons to Ukraine The CSE said the complex chemistry of ozone makes it a difficult pollutant to track and mitigate. Ambient ozone at ground level is not emitted directly from any source. It is produced from complex interactions between NOx and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by 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. People with respiratory disorders, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and especially children with premature lungs and the elderly are at serious risk. It can inflame and damage the airways, make the lungs susceptible to infection, worsen asthma, emphysema and chronic bronchitis, and increase the frequency of asthma attacks leading to increased hospitalizations.

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

New Delhi, June 3 (PTI) 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