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Cse In News

درصد از مردم جهان هوای بی‌کیفیت تنفس می‌کنند 99

که آلاینده هایی را ایجاد می کند که باعث مشکلات تنفسی و جریان خون می شود و هر ساله منجر به میلیون ها مرگ قابل پیشگیری می شود. WHO گفت 99 درصد از جمعیت جهان هوایی تنفس می کنند که اغلب مملو از ذراتی است که می توانند به اعماق ریه ها نفوذ کرده، وارد سیاهرگ ها و شریان ها شوند و باعث بیماری شوند. دی اکسید نیتروژن عمدتاً از سوزاندن سوخت تولید شده توسط انسان، مانند تردد خودروها، منشاء می گیرد و در مناطق شهری رایج است. WHO گفت که قرار گرفتن در معرض آن می‌تواند باعث بیماری تنفسی مانند آسم و علائمی مانند سرفه، خس خس سینه و مشکل در تنفس و پذیرش بیشتر در بیمارستان ها و اورژانس شود. بیشترین غلظت در منطقه مدیترانه شرقی یافت شد. هند دارای سطوح بالای PM10 بود، در حالی که چین سطوح بالایی از PM2.5 را نشان داد. WHO گفت: "ذرات، به ویژه PM2.5، می توانند به اعماق ریه ها نفوذ کرده و وارد جریان خون شوند و باعث ایجاد عوارض قلبی عروقی، مغزی (سکته مغزی) و تنفسی شوند." شواهد جدیدی وجود دارد که نشان می‌دهد ذرات معلق بر اندام‌های دیگر تأثیر می‌گذارند و باعث بیماری‌های دیگری نیز می‌شوند.» آلوده ترین شهرهای جهان، رتبه بندی شده است Anumita Roychowdhury، کارشناس آلودگی هوا در مرکز علم و محیط زیست، یک سازمان تحقیقاتی و حمایتی در دهلی نو، گفت که هند و جهان باید خود را برای تغییرات عمده در تلاش برای مهار آلودگی هوا، از جمله استفاده از وسایل نقلیه الکتریکی، دور شدن از سوخت‌های فسیلی، پذیرش افزایش گسترده انرژی سبز و جداسازی انواع زباله‌ها آماده کنند. شورای انرژی، محیط زیست و آب، یک اندیشکده مستقر در دهلی نو، در مطالعه ای دریافت که بیش از 60 درصد از بارهای PM2.5 هند از خانوارها و صنایع است. تنوشری گانگولی، که سرپرستی برنامه شورا در مورد کیفیت هوا را بر عهده دارد، خواستار اقدام در جهت کاهش انتشار گازهای گلخانه ای از صنایع، خودروها، سوزاندن زیست توده و انرژی خانگی شد. او گفت: «ما باید دسترسی به انرژی پاک را برای خانوارهایی که بیشتر به آن نیاز دارند اولویت دهیم و اقدامات فعالی را برای پاکسازی بخش صنعتی خود انجام دهیم. ان

Energy geopolitics and LNG

The Russia-Ukraine war has put the spotlight on the role of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the global energy futures I am at the annual meeting of energy business magnates and experts — perhaps the most important of all such events — held in Houston, Texas. CeraWeek, as it is called, has been held this year after a two-year hiatus because of Covid-19. It is the worst of times — the Russia-Ukraine war is on; sanctions have been imposed; and energy prices are spiralling out of control. As I sit and listen to the oil and gas producers, I realise that I am seeing a tectonic shift in the global energy chessboard. The fact is, the energy price hike before and during the war has brought back focus on the role of conventional oil and gas companies. They are buoyant about their role in the post-war energy scenario — from drilling and pumping for more oil and gas to their role in the lucrative new markets in Europe. There is also a false narrative being bandied about — that this price hike and disruption are due to the efforts to transition from fossil fuels to green energy. The Russia-Ukraine war has put the spotlight on the role of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the global energy futures. LNG works where pipelines cannot reach; meaning, where major gas producers, Qatar and the US, cannot supply. They have developed options to first liquefy the gas so that it can be transported by container ships and then gassified for use in power plants, vehicles, or homes to generate energy. The war has meant that LNG is in greater demand — the US, for one, has a surfeit of it. So, at CeraWeek, the point of conversation was how the US could work with its allies to promote the use of this “cleaner” fossil fuel. Natural gas emits roughly 50 per cent less carbon dioxide than coal does. But it also has the additional problem of methane emissions — primarily from flaring and from leakages during transport and distribution. Methane is an extremely potent greenhouse gas — it has a shorter residence time in the atmosphere but it “forces” the temperature to increase more than carbon dioxide does. But the big oil and gas industry has come out smelling of roses. It wants to capitalise on this opportunity provided by an energy crisis — and so it is making all the right noises. It says this clean gas revolution will be done responsibly. The industry will invest in methane abatement; the carbon dioxide emissions will be captured, utilised, or stored, and, of course, it will use the gas to manufacture “clean” hydrogen. As against green hydrogen, which is manufactured using renewable energy, this hydrogen will be blue — because it will be produced using natural gas, and then the emissions will be handled and abated. This plan is nothing less than a lullaby for energy-stressed governments. The European Union has already declared natural gas — a fossil fuel — as clean for use for climate change transitions. In this scenario, climate change can be handled without the pain of changing energy futures, and the companies which know the business will continue to run the world. Forget the fact that the International Energy Agency has said there cannot be new investment in oil and gas after 2020 if the world needs to stay on track to net-zero in 2050. Before I go any further, let me also put my cards on the table. I believe gas is an important clean fuel for our part of the world, which has a huge challenge of air pollution because of dirty combustion from coal. Way back in 1998, we at the Centre for Science and Environment advocated bringing in compressed natural gas to displace diesel in public transport. This happened and improved air quality. Now, we have coal being used in industrial boilers across the country, adding to massive health problems because of poor air. The option is to use cleaner natural gas or biomass in boilers, including in our polluting coal thermal power plants. We need clean fuel so that we can have clean electricity to drive our energy transition — biomass, renewables, and natural gas are our best bet to clean up local air pollution. But the question is if the already industrialised world should also get the “benefit” of using this fossil fuel. The fact is the carbon budget has already been appropriated by a few countries for their growth. These countries need deep decarbonisation, which would mean a transition to renewables and other non-fossil energy sources. They cannot re-invest in fossil fuels and call it clean and green. The problem is not just that these countries will take up more of the carbon budget because of their continued use of fossil fuels. It also means that the price of energy transition will go up — already, LNG is being diverted to Europe, which has a higher capacity to pay the costs. This will mean that countries like India will find it difficult to get out of the coal trap. This is cheaper fuel, however dirty, and because it is under our ground it has a higher quotient for the energy security experts. It takes us backwards. It makes the entire world unsafe and insecure. This is where the rubber meets the road — quite frankly.

Assessorati e Settori Tecnici all’Emergenza Climatica

Quando Jane Gilbert lo scorso aprile ha saputo di essere stata nominata all’incarico di responsabile per le ondate di calore alla Miami-Dade County – il primo caso negli Stati Uniti e nel mondo – non è rimasta sorpresa. Già titolare alla Resilienza per la Città di Miami, che è una delle circoscrizioni municipali comprese nella Miami-Dade County in Florida, sapeva che era arrivato il momento di accorgersi delle temperature estreme determinate dal cambiamento climatico. «Il caldo estremo è il principale killer legato al clima, ma lo si affronta come tale raramente. Finalmente oggi le città reagiscono mettendo in campo gestione e mitigazione» ci spiega Gilbert in una intervista rilasciata via email. Prevede di affrontare le sfide poste dal caldo estremo con un metodo olistico, anziché concentrarsi soltanto sulle risposte di emergenza e le mitigazioni. In meno di un anno dalla nomina di Gibert sono quattro le altre città che hanno seguito il medesimo esempio. Nel luglio 2021, Atene, capitale della Grecia, ha delegato all’ex vicesindaca Eleni Myrivili l’incarico di responsabile per il riscaldamento. A ottobre dello stesso anno, Phoenix, Arizona, e Freetown in Sierra Leone, hanno nominato i propri funzionari al tema. Il 3 marzo 2022, a Santiago, capitale del Cile, l’urbanista Cristina Huidobro assume il ruolo di quinta responsabile per il caldo estremo. Anche Los Angeles in California, ha cominciato le procedure di istituzione del ruolo e ricerca dei candidati. Questa urgenza delle città a dotarsi di responsabili rispecchia la nuova consapevolezza del riscaldamento in tutto il mondo. Le onde di calore hanno reclamato ben 166.000 vite tra il 1998 e il 2017, secondo i calcoli della Organizzazione Mondiale della Sanità. Costi umani in crescita così come crescono incidenza e intensità delle ondate. Secondo il Sesto Rapporto sul Cambiamento Climatico 2021: The Physical Science Basis, pubblicato dallo Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change il 27 febbraio 2022, il 33% della popolazione mondiale sarebbe già esposto a stress da riscaldamento. E si potrebbe salire sino al 48-76% entro il 2100. «Sappiamo che la terra si riscalda e le città lo fanno più rapidamente del resto del territorio periurbano. Abbiamo rilevato fino a 10 gradi Celsius (°C) di differenza nelle temperature diurne e di 5 gradi in quelle notturne, fra Atene e la fascia esterna. Anche all’interno della città calcoliamo notevoli differenze di temperature» ci spiega la delegata Myrivili in una intervista video. Tempi incerti «Un responsabile delegato al riscaldamento ogni mattina si pone delle domande sul cambiamento climatico, e sul perché le città non prendano più sul serio a questione» spiega Myrivili. Quasi tutti questi chief heat officer sono entrati in carica nel momento in cui le loro amministrazioni si trovavano ad affrontare le peggiori ondate di calore in decenni. Il ritardo nell’intervenire, l’assenza di comunicazione, sono l’immagine peggiore dell’assenza di preparazione sia da parte dei decisori che dell’opinione pubblica. E di conseguenza i nuovi responsabili hanno individuato come aspetto essenziale del proprio lavoro la diffusione di consapevolezza del rischio dei picchi di calore. Gilbert ha iniziato a sollecitare i cittadini sia attraverso i media tradizionali che il social network. Affiggendo manifesti multilingue nei luoghi pubblici, attraverso programmi scolastici integrativi estivi. Ad Atene, Myrivili prova a costruire categorie delle ondate di calore sulla base degli effetti per la salute. Ciò contribuisce a far capire a tutti il pericolo che incombe, e a chi deve decidere le politiche cosa possa essere meglio per tutelarsi. La città ha anche varato EXTREMA Global, una applicazione da telefonino che consente agli utenti di valutare i rischi in tempo reale. La delegata di Freetown per il riscaldamento, Eugenia Kargbo sta sviluppando un piano per la città. Lavora con varie parti interessate per attuare interventi che riducano gli impatti dei picchi di calore e delle isole termiche urbane. Il suo problema più impellente è quello di raccogliere dati complessivi sul tema. «Non abbiamo nessuna base per le temperature nelle zone più vulnerabili della città, informazioni che sono essenziali per qualsiasi intervento» ci scrive Kargbo in una email. Programmi di inclusione I delegati al riscaldamento climatico con le loro iniziative si rivolgono alla popolazione più vulnerabile. Gli eventi climatici estremi colpiscono le proprietà e gli oggetti fisici, mentre le ondate di calore se la prendono direttamente col corpo umano. «La circolazione del sangue alle temperature più elevate perde regolazione, si altera la funzionalità degli organi. Il caldo di notte non fa dormire, affatica, porta a incidenti sul lavoro» continua Myrivili. Circa un quarto della popolazione di Atene non può permettersi l’aria condizionata o altri metodi per rinfrescare. «I più colpiti sono anziani e poveri» e le fasce più vulnerabili vengono disorientate dall’assenza di sonno dall’affaticamento e ciò si riversa anche in una crescita delle violenze su donne e minori. I programmi a medio termine di Myrivili si orientano verso l’individuazione e costruzione di una rete tra i soggetti più a rischio, per assicurare alcuni servizi come la continuità energetica, così che in caso di aumento delle temperature non debbano soffrire anche di blackout. Gilbert cerca soluzioni per la salvaguardia della salute di chi lavora all’esterno a Miami, oltre 30.000 persone che soffrono di malattie croniche a causa del caldo estremo. Sta sensibilizzando gli abitanti di tutta l’area di Miami-Dade County per il sostegno a una legge statale sulla tutela di queste fasce di lavoratori. Trae Stati USA (Oregon, California, e Stato di Washington) già hanno adottato provvedimenti del genere, che richiedono alle aziende di formare e informare sui metodi per prevenire malattie e incidenti, rendere disponibile sempre acqua sul posto di lavoro, garantire soste quando l’asticella di mercurio supera una soglia di sicurezza. Si lavora anche su «nodi di resilienza climatica», a cui rivolgersi in caso di temperature estreme: «Un servizio di fiducia dei cittadini per rinfrescarsi, ricaricare il telefono, ricevere servizi, eventualmente informazioni e formazione sull’efficienza energetica». Miami già possiede cooling centres nei parchi e biblioteche, ma per esempio non sono dotati di impianto di emergenza in caso di blackout. Ne è stato designato uno, di questi nodi di resilienza, e aprirne altri «è la nostra priorità» spiega Gilbert. I picchi di calore sono al tempo stesso una sfida puntuale e continuativa. Reclamano ogni anno tante vite, e l’uso esagerato di sistemi di condizionamento peggiora il problema delle emissioni degli stessi gas serra che riscaldano il clima. Scheda 1 «Un territorio sicuro alle ondate di calore ed equo» Jane Gilbert – foto Down to Earth JANE GILBERT – Prima delegata chief heat officer del mondo alla Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA NOMINA: 30 aprile 2021 OBIETTIVO: Stabilire un coordinamento e migliorare i servizi di tutela contro i picchi di calore, intraprendere nuove iniziative per ridurre rischi ed effetti dello stress climatico per i gruppi più vulnerabili del territorio COMPITI Costruire consapevolezza collettiva attraverso la comunicazione su vari media, a proposito dei pericoli delle temperature estreme Introdurre strumenti di azione per le amministrazioni locali ed altri enti a prevenire malattie e decessi legati al caldo Individuare le fasce di popolazione maggiormente a rischio e vulnerabili e capirne i bisogni Redigere un triennale Climate and Heat Health Action Plan al maggio 2022 Educare abitanti imprese amministrazioni su leggi e norme di sicurezza per la tutela dei lavoratori all’aria aperta Varare servizi territoriali «nodi di resilienza» a cui si possa far riferimento durante i picchi di calore Scheda 2 «Dobbiamo sensibilizzare i cittadini a prendere molto sul serio il riscaldamento» Eleni Myrivili – foto Down to Earth ELENI MYRIVILI – Chief heat officer ad Atene, Grecia NOMINA: 23 luglio 2021 OBIETTIVO: Accrescere la consapevolezza della popolazione sui rischi estremi delle elevate temperature e indurre all’azione di contrasto le amministrazioni COMPITI Aumentare la consapevolezza delle ondate di calore. Costruire una metodologia che sappia unire dati meteorologici, sanitari, morbilità, mortalità, e classificare così le ondate di calore Diffondere l’uso dell’app EXTREMA Global, che consente ai cittadini di valutare in tempo reale i rischi per la salute, e fornisce una mappa dei punti sicuri durante gli eventi estremi, una guida utile Individuare i soggetti vulnerabili e organizzarli a rete per monitorarli Isolare termicamente gli edifici e gli spazi pubblici grazie all’ombra. Utilizzare mezzi tradizionali per il rinfrescamento Scheda 3 «Organizzare una taskforce, predisporre una mappa delle temperature in città» Eugenia Kargbo – foto Down to Earth EUGENIA KARGBO – Chief heat officer a Freetown, Sierra Leone NOMINA: 26 ottobre 2021 OBIETTIVO: Sviluppare un piano per le temperature estreme, collaborare coi portatori di interessi per attuare interventi di mitigazione e ridurre lo stress da riscaldamento COMPITI Redigere un programma su quattro punti: comportamenti e comunicazione; coordinamento e rete; costruzione di una resilienza e di un sistema di regole Ricostruire una mappa del riscaldamento individuando i gruppi vulnerabili e le specificità dello stress climatico a Freetown Istituire una task force per la salute e sviluppare una applicazione per lanciare gli allarmi Sfruttare le innovazioni tecniche (tetti raffreddanti, vie all’ombra) e la natura (piantagione di mangrovie) per incrementare la resilienza Sviluppare nuove politiche, norme, leggi Costruire un metodo che possa essere applicato altrove in Africa da: Down To Earth, 1 aprile 2022 – Titolo originale: Why cities are hiring dedicated officials to prepare for extreme heat – Traduzione di Fabrizio Bottini

Central taskforce formed to ensure ‘synergy' between Forest Act, forest & agro-forest regulations, promote sustainability

A central task force to ensure “synergy” between the National Forest Policy, Forest (Conservation) Act and National Agro-Forest Policy aiming to promote sustainable development has been set up with an aim to develop “synergies” between the three legislations and promote sustainability. "It has been decided to constitute a Task Force under the chairmanship of Director General Forests and Special Secretary to study and analyse the National Forest Policy, 1988, the proposed National Forest Policy, proposed amendments in the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 and the current regulatory regimes on agro-forestry/tree outside forests across the country, in order to make recommendations to develop synergies for promotion of sustainable development and management of forests and trees outside forests in the country," said the Union Environment Ministry in an Office Memorandum issued recently. The National Forest Policy 1988 is presently in a draft shape, unveiled by the Union Environment Ministry in 2018. The final version is yet to be made public. Nearly three and a half years ago, in June 2016, the Environment Ministry had unveiled a draft NFP but when following flak from activists for not being enough to protect the then-existing forest regulations, the Ministry had backtracked on it, calling it just a “study”. In 2018, the Center officially unveiled the draft of the NFP. The draft was then revised in 2019 as well but since then there has been no development in the matter. The task force is expected to give its observation in the draft NFP further. The Environment Ministry which released a consultation paper October 2, 2021 on the proposed amendments in Forest Conservation Act, 1980 with reference to the amendments made in 1988 in this Act is already drawing flak for the gaps in the proposed legislation. A report published in the Centre for Science and Environment termed the proposed amendments “a very conscious larceny (theft of personal property) of village resources.” “The Narendra Modi-led Union government is making every effort towards providing ‘ease of doing business’ to its cronies. This latest move needs to be seen in the same context. It is effectively reiterating through these proposed amendments that this step is aimed at providing exemptions to businesses in the garb of ‘development’,” it said. The task force, with a tenure of two months, will submit its report in 60 days. If needed, it can co-opt any member, the memorandum noted. Most of the proposed members of the 19-member task force are either directly or indirectly part of the Ministry with only three from outside this circle

‘Cycling safety non-existent in Delhi’

To avoid accidents, as well as for personal protection, cycling enthusiasts in the Capital say they use safety measures such as wearing helmets and bright and reflective clothing, as well as using front and rear lights to ensure people spot them on the road. It’s been nine months since 50-year-old Manish Jayal met with an accident in southeast Delhi’s Sunlight Colony while riding his bicycle with a group of friends. After spending four days in a hospital and being immobile for a month, he was finally able to move. A fitness coach who has been riding bicycles for 14 years, he says that there is no respect for cyclists on Delhi-NCR roads. Also Read | Sepoy held for running over cyclist on Sardar Patel Marg “Riding a bicycle in itself is tough because roads are cleaned in the middle. We ride on the left, where there’s mud and litter. On top of that, vehicle drivers expect that cyclists will give way to them instead of them changing their lane for us,” says Jayal, who started running in January but hasn’t started cycling yet. “In western countries, drivers give preference to pedestrians and cyclists but here, people don’t even look at us.” In the last 14 years, he says, “the number of vehicles has increased, but there is no change in people’s road etiquette”. Priti Agarwal, a 40-year-old cyclist and a businesswoman, says that she has been cycling for two years now but doesn’t have the courage to ride if she doesn’t have a cycling partner. RELATED STORIES Mumbai police to seize vehicles which ply on wrong side of road Mumbai police to seize vehicles which ply on wrong side of road Vandalism at Delhi CM home: Day after 8 held, search on for 20 more Vandalism at Delhi CM home: Day after 8 held, search on for 20 more Centre’s panel takes over Delhi Gymkhana’s affairs Centre’s panel takes over Delhi Gymkhana’s affairs GB Nagar Police starts ‘anti-romeo’ drive to ensure safety of women in district GB Nagar Police starts ‘anti-romeo’ drive to ensure safety of women in district Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation to improve security at headquarters with advanced equipment Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation to improve security at headquarters with advanced equipment Security outside Delhi CMs residence during attack was inadequate: High court Security outside Delhi CM's residence during attack was inadequate: High court Traffic police launch app to analyse, reduce road accidents in Gurugram Traffic police launch app to analyse, reduce road accidents in Gurugram Chandigarh | Two cops shifted to traffic lines for manhandling SUV driver Chandigarh | Two cops shifted to traffic lines for manhandling SUV driver “We hear and witness incidents of snatching, accidents, ogling and what not. In Delhi-NCR, a woman doesn’t feel safe riding alone. I’ve met cyclists from Pune and south India who say they don’t face such problems,” she says. She also says there is a need for awareness among people and a general willingness to help. “We lost four cyclists in one year. If they had received immediate help after meeting with an accident, they might have been saved,” she said. Rajesh Maurya, a 43-year-old cyclist, says that while there are cycling lanes on some stretches, they are not maintained. “There’s no space for us to cycle there because they’re occupied by hawkers, stray animals or parked vehicles. They should be maintained,” he says. Cyclists said they use personal safety measures such as wearing helmets and bright and reflective clothing, as well as using front and rear lights to ensure people spot them on the road. This comes despite various agencies claiming they working on developing cyclist-friendly infrastructure in the Capital, including dedicated cycling lanes as part of the government’s 540km road redesign project. The Delhi Development Authority (DDA), for instance, said it has taken up two major projects for cycling infrastructure--a 16km-long dedicated cycling track in Dwarka along the Metro corridor and a 200km-long continuous track for cycling and walking connecting the green spaces in south Delhi. Despite these moves, experts have said the safety of cyclists is a major concern, especially after the pandemic when a large number of people started cycling in the Capital, as there are no continuous cycling tracks and demarcations on arterial roads for cyclists. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy), Centre for Science and Environment, said that while redesigning roads, the focus should be on reducing the speed differential between vehicles and other road users. “While designing roads, importance is given to the speed of vehicles and providing them with uninterrupted access. By doing this, we are ignoring other road users. At a time when the focus is on zero-emission, we need to design roads keeping the safety of pedestrians and cyclists in mind. We have to reduce the speed differential between vehicles and other road users.”

Need air pollution subsidy for women to move from solid fuels to LPG: Sunita Narain

Eminent environmentalist Sunita Narain has stressed the need for an "air pollution subsidy" programme to make households move from solid fuels to LPG and reduce the burden on the health of poor women Eminent environmentalist Sunita Narain has stressed the need for an "air pollution subsidy" programme to make households move from solid fuels to LPG and reduce the burden on the health of poor women. She also said air pollution is a political issue and people won't get the air they deserve if "we don't get the politics of development right". "The government's Ujjawala programme is an excellent effort and Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) said I am taking the subsidy from the rich and giving it to the poor and I am also doing it to prevent women from getting exposed to air pollution'. This is an excellently structured programme. "LPG cylinder has reached the people, but they are not buying a refill... The problem is we do not value the labour of women," Narain said in response to a question at a discussion on air pollution. Solid fuel is not a predominant source when it comes to pollution in Delhi. However, it's a very prime source when it comes to women's health in rural areas in north India where the inversion of air happens, she said. An inversion represents a layer of the atmosphere that gets warmer with height. A layer of cooler air is trapped near the ground by a layer of warm air above the surface. When the air cannot rise, pollutant concentration increases. "Unless you have inclusive growth and the poor women can move from chulha to cleaner fuel, you will not get the air we deserve. "So, air quality is a contested issue, it's a political issue... if we don't get the politics of development right, we won't get the air we deserve... that's where politics and environment come together when it comes to air pollution," Narain, the director-general of the green think tank Centre for Science and Environment, said. "The government should come up with an air pollution subsidy programme in all non-attainment areas in India. This subsidy should be given to all households to move from solid fuels to LPG," she suggested, adding, "On a pan-India basis, my suggestion would be to give people electricity to cook food." Non-attainment areas are those that have fallen short of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for over five years. The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, launched on May 1, 2016, aims to provide clean fuel to women below the poverty line to prevent health-related issues. Under the scheme, financial support of Rs 1,600 is provided for each LPG connection for BPL households. The connections are given in the name of the women head of the households. The scheme is being implemented using the money saved in LPG subsidy through the 'give-it-up' campaign. People who have given up subsidies are buying LPG cylinders at market price. Narain also said the overall pollution from electric vehicles is not lower than BS VI-compliant vehicles. "Only thing is you've moved pollutants from Delhi to Chhattisgarh where power plants are. "So, if we are looking to find a solution from electric vehicles (EV) we need to move our power plants to cleaner coal or move them to gas or renewables to reduce emissions. The overall impact of EVs will be much better if the electricity is clean," she said. However, EVs will play a much better role in Delhi as they do not have the factor of local pollution compared to diesel and petrol vehicles. "Still, you need to transform mobility if you want to have a greater impact of EVs. Bringing in a few cars and autos won't work. We will see an impact if we have all cars, taxis, autos and buses running on electricity," Narain said. She also said there has been a lot of effort to complicate the sources "so that we do not act (against air pollution)". "We need more knowledge, science, we need to know more sources of pollution. But we first need to act on what we know. "The inability to act has also a lot to do with the fact that it is an extremely politically contested issue... Air pollution is not a very polite issue which can be discussed very gently because it has interests which are in the interest of air pollution versus what needs to be done," the environmentalist said. Narain said a lot has been done to improve the quality of fuel and vehicle technology. But "now the problem is the very large number of vehicles on the roads", she said. "It's simple science. If you keep adding vehicles on the roads, you end up negating the impact of cleaning the fuel and vehicles. We need a complete reinvention of mobility, which we have not even begun to address," she said.

Why cities are hiring devoted officers to organize for excessive warmth

The urgency to rent warmth officers globally displays a counting on warmth unfolding internationally When Jane Gilbert heard final April that she had been appointed Miami-Dade County’s chief warmth officer — a primary for each america and the world — she was not stunned. Already employed as the primary chief resilience officer of the Metropolis of Miami, one of many 34 municipal areas underneath the Miami-Dade County in Florida, she knew that it was time the world centered on excessive warmth introduced on by local weather change. “Excessive warmth is the primary climate-related killer, however it has been comparatively underneath addressed. Now cities are starting to take motion on warmth mitigation and administration,” says Gilbert, in an electronic mail interview with Down To Earth (DTE). She plans to deal with the challenges posed by excessive warmth in a extra holistic method, somewhat than simply specializing in emergency response or mitigation methods. In lower than a yr since Gibert’s appointment, 4 extra cities have adopted. In July 2021, Athens, the capital of Greece, named its former deputy mayor Eleni Myrivili as chief warmth officer. In October, Phoenix metropolis in Arizona, US, and Freetown in Sierra Leone, Africa, named their chief warmth officers. On March 3, 2022, Santiago, the capital of Chile, appointed city planner Cristina Huidobro because the world’s fifth chief warmth officer. Los Angeles in California, US, has additionally marketed a emptiness for the function. The brand new-found urgency with which cities are hiring warmth officers displays a counting on warmth unfolding internationally. Heatwaves claimed over 166,000 lives between 1998 and 2017, in response to the World Well being Group. The human value is sure to extend because the incidence and depth of heatwaves are on the rise. The Sixth Evaluation Report, Local weather Change 2021: The Bodily Science Foundation, launched by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Local weather Change on February 27, 2022, states that 33 per cent of the world’s inhabitants is already uncovered to warmth stress. This might improve to 48-76 per cent of the inhabitants by the 2100. “We all know the Earth is warming and that cities are heating up quicker than peri-urban areas. Now we have reported as much as a ten levels Celsius (°C) distinction in daytime temperatures and a 5°C distinction at night time between Athens and peri-urban areas. Even inside the metropolis, we’ve got measured substantial temperature variations,” says Myrivili, over a video interview, with DTE. Unsure occasions “A chief warmth officer wakes up each morning worrying concerning the warmth going up due to world warming, and worrying about the truth that cities aren’t actually taking it significantly sufficient,” says Myrivili. Virtually all of the chief warmth officers took up their new roles simply when their cities confronted the worst heatwave in many years. The delay in response and an absence of communication, they are saying, current a grim image of the preparedness of each policymakers and the general public. Subsequently, they’ve recognized spreading aware-ness on the dangers of maximum warmth as a key a part of their jobs. Gilbert has begun elevating public consciousness by social and conventional media messaging. She has put up multilingual posters in public areas, and the introduction of instructional programmes in summer season camps. In Athens, Myrivili makes an attempt to classify heatwaves on the premise of well being impacts. This may assist individuals perceive the hazard that’s looming whereas enabling decision-makers to set off insurance policies that will higher shield them, she says. Town has additionally launched EXTREMA International, a cell software that enables customers to evaluate heat-health dangers in actual time. Freetown chief warmth officer Eugenia Kargbo is growing a warmth plan for the town. She works with stakeholders to implement adaptive measures to cut back warmth stress and concrete warmth island impact. Her speedy problem is to gather complete warmth information. “We should not have a definitive baseline when it comes to temperatures and susceptible areas within the metropolis, that are essential for coverage intervention,” says Kargbo, in an electronic mail interview with DTE. Inclusive plans The warmth officers, by their initiatives, plan to safeguard probably the most susceptible inhabitants. Whereas most excessive climate occasions result in the destruction of property and bodily areas, heatwaves instantly affect the human physique. “The blood circulation will get deregulated at excessive temperatures, and it impacts the functioning of various organs. Excessive temperatures through the nighttime imply lack of sleep and fatigue, which ends up in office accidents,” says Myrivili. She says virtually 1 / 4 of the inhabitants can not afford air con and different cooling options. “The worst affected are the outdated inhabitants and the poor,” she says, including that the susceptible inhabitants often will get disoriented as a result of lack of sleep and fatigue, which ends up in a rise in violence towards ladies and kids. Myrivili’s medium-term plans concentrate on figuring out and making a community of susceptible individuals and making certain they’ve sure amenities equivalent to constant power provide, so when the climate goes above a selected diploma they don’t have blackouts. Gilbert is looking for options to safeguard the well being of the 30,000 outside staff in Miami, that suffer from persistent diseases due to the intense warmth. She is sensitising residents of Miami-Dade County to garner assist for the passing of a pending state laws on the well being of out of doors staff. Three states within the US (Oregon, California, and Washington) have related laws that requires employers to offer coaching and schooling about methods to keep away from heat-related diseases and so they even have provisions to offer water on the worksite and relaxation breaks when the mercury crosses protected thresholds. She can also be growing local weather resilience hubs, the place individuals can go whether it is too scorching. “It’s a trusted place in a group the place individuals can come to chill off, cost their telephones, get providers, and perhaps have preparedness coaching and find out about power effectivity,” she says. Miami already has cooling centres in parks and libraries, however they don’t at all times have backup energy if there’s widespread energy loss. With only one hub at present designated, opening extra “is our first precedence,” Gilbert says. The general problem is that excessive warmth is each a shock and a stress. Whereas, on the one hand, it claims plenty of lives yearly, the extreme use of air con is resulting in substantial greenhouse fuel emissions which can be solely aggravating the local weather disaster. ‘Have to make county heat-safe equitably’ JANE GILBERT | World’s first chief warmth officer appointed at Miami-Dade County, Florida, US DATE OF JOINING: April 30, 2021 WHY WAS SHE APPOINTED: To enhance coordination and speed up present warmth safety efforts and provoke new work that reduces the dangers and impacts of warmth stress for susceptible communities within the county JOB DESCRIPTION Create public consciousness by social and conventional media messaging concerning the growing risks of maximum warmth Produce device kits for warmth motion to assist municipalities and different companions perceive the completely different actions obtainable to forestall heat-related diseases and deaths Conduct warmth well being vulnerability evaluation to know populations most in danger to heat-related diseases Create a three-year Local weather and Warmth Well being Motion Plan that can come out by the top of Could 2022 Educate residents and stakeholders about pending laws for security of out of doors staff Create community-level local weather resilience hubs the place individuals can take refuge throughout excessive warmth occasions Eleni Myrivili | Chief heat officer, Athens, Greece‘Have to sensitise individuals to take warmth waves significantly’ ELENI MYRIVILI | Chief warmth officer, Athens, Greece DATE OF JOINING: July 23, 2021 WHY WAS SHE APPOINTED: To lift consciousness among the many residents concerning the risks of maximum warmth and assist decision-makers take motion to chill the town JOB DESCRIPTION Elevating consciousness about warmth waves. Creating a technique that brings collectively meteorological information with well being information, morbidity and mortality and put them collectively to classify warmth waves Popularise using EXTREMA International, a wise cellphone software that enables individuals to evaluate real-time warmth well being danger. It additionally attracts a map with all protected spots throughout a warmth occasion and is beneficial as a information Establish a community of susceptible individuals and hold a watch on them Thermally insulate buildings and public areas with shading. Make use of conventional information on cooling buildings Eugenia Kargbo | Chief heat officer, Freetown, Sierra Leone‘Will arrange taskforce, draw temperature map of the town’ EUGENIA KARGBO | Chief warmth officer, Freetown, Sierra Leone DATE OF JOINING: October 26, 2021 WHY WAS SHE APPOINTED: To develop a warmth plan for the town and work with stakeholders to implement adaptive and mitigative measures to cut back warmth stress JOB DESCRIPTION Develop a plan centered on 4 key components: behavioural change and communications, coordination and networking, constructing group resilience and regulatory framework Conduct a warmth mapping evaluation to establish susceptible communities, and perceive particular patterns of warmth stress in Freetown Set up a heat-health taskforce and develop an software to disseminate well being alerts Make use of design improvements (cool roofs, avenue shades) and pure measures (mangrove forestry) to boost group resilience Develop warmth insurance policies and strengthen legal guidelines Develop a plan that may be replicated in Africa This was first printed within the 1-15 April, 2022 version of Down To Earth We’re a voice to you; you’ve got been a assist to us. Collectively we construct journalism that’s impartial, credible and fearless. You’ll be able to additional assist us by making a donation. This may imply rather a lot for our capacity to deliver you information, views and evaluation from the bottom in order that we will make change collectively.

Need air pollution subsidy for women to move from solid fuels to LPG: Sunita Narain

“LPG cylinder has reached the people, but they are not buying a refill… The problem is we do not value the labour of women,” Narain said in response to a question at a discussion on air pollution. Eminent environmentalist Sunita Narain has stressed the need for an “air pollution subsidy” programme to make households move from solid fuels to LPG and reduce the burden on the health of poor women. She also said air pollution is a political issue and people won’t get the air they deserve if “we don’t get the politics of development right”. “The government’s Ujjawala programme is an excellent effort and Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) said ‘I am taking the subsidy from the rich and giving it to the poor and I am also doing it to prevent women from getting exposed to air pollution’. This is an excellently structured programme.”LPG cylinder has reached the people, but they are not buying a refill… The problem is we do not value the labour of women,” Narain said in response to a question at a discussion on air pollution. Solid fuel is not a predominant source when it comes to pollution in Delhi. However, it’s a very prime source when it comes to women’s health in rural areas in north India where the inversion of air happens, she said.An inversion represents a layer of the atmosphere that gets warmer with height. A layer of cooler air is trapped near the ground by a layer of warm air above the surface. When the air cannot rise, pollutant concentration increases. “Unless you have inclusive growth and the poor women can move from chulha to cleaner fuel, you will not get the air we deserve.”So, air quality is a contested issue, it’s a political issue… if we don’t get the politics of development right, we won’t get the air we deserve… that’s where politics and environment come together when it comes to air pollution,” Narain, the director-general of the green think tank Centre for Science and Environment, said. “The government should come up with an air pollution subsidy programme in all non-attainment areas in India. This subsidy should be given to all households to move from solid fuels to LPG,” she suggested, adding, “On a pan-India basis, my suggestion would be to give people electricity to cook food.” Non-attainment areas are those that have fallen short of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for over five years. The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, launched on May 1, 2016, aims to provide clean fuel to women below the poverty line to prevent health-related issues. Under the scheme, financial support of Rs 1,600 is provided for each LPG connection for BPL households. The connections are given in the name of the women head of the households. The scheme is being implemented using the money saved in LPG subsidy through the ‘give-it-up’ campaign. People who have given up subsidies are buying LPG cylinders at market price. Narain also said the overall pollution from electric vehicles is not lower than BS VI-compliant vehicles.”Only thing is you’ve moved pollutants from Delhi to Chhattisgarh where power plants are.”So, if we are looking to find a solution from electric vehicles (EV) we need to move our power plants to cleaner coal or move them to gas or renewables to reduce emissions. The overall impact of EVs will be much better if the electricity is clean,” she said. However, EVs will play a much better role in Delhi as they do not have the factor of local pollution compared to diesel and petrol vehicles.”Still, you need to transform mobility if you want to have a greater impact of EVs. Bringing in a few cars and autos won’t work. We will see an impact if we have all cars, taxis, autos and buses running on electricity,” Narain said. She also said there has been a lot of effort to complicate the sources “so that we do not act (against air pollution)”.”We need more knowledge, science, we need to know more sources of pollution. But we first need to act on what we know.”The inability to act has also a lot to do with the fact that it is an extremely politically contested issue… Air pollution is not a very polite issue which can be discussed very gently because it has interests which are in the interest of air pollution versus what needs to be done,” the environmentalist said. Narain said a lot has been done to improve the quality of fuel and vehicle technology. But “now the problem is the very large number of vehicles on the roads”, she said.”It’s simple science. If you keep adding vehicles on the roads, you end up negating the impact of cleaning the fuel and vehicles. We need a complete reinvention of mobility, which we have not even begun to address,” she said.

After Ghazipur blaze: Why landfill fires are easy to ignite and difficult to put out, explained

After Ghazipur blaze: Why landfill fires are easy to ignite and difficult to put out, explained The fire at Ghazipur landfill in New Delhi could be put out after almost 48 hours. What makes such sites prone to frequent fires? A fire broke out at Ghazipur landfill in New Delhi on March 28 and could be put out nearly 48 hours later, while plumes of smoke arose from the mounds of garbage. Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Wednesday that the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) had been directed to impose a fine of Rs50 lakh on the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC), which manages the landfill. The Ghazipur dumpsite, which covers around 70 acres in East Delhi, is not a scientifically planned sanitary landfill. The Solid Waste Management Rules issued by the MoEFCC in 2016 state that only non-recyclable, non-biodegradable and non-combustible waste should go to a sanitary landfill. “These landfill sites are not scientifically designed. We are not segregating the waste and these landfills receive mixed waste, including organic waste as well as ignitable material and plastics,” said Richa Singh, programme officer, Waste Management Programme at the Centre for Science and Environment. The biodegradable or food waste decomposes over time. The anaerobic decomposition (breakdown of organic waste in the absence of oxygen) of organic waste generates methane gas and heat. “Methane is present in air only in traces. But at dumpsites, methane can range between 3.5% and 13%. If there is anything combustible at the dumpsite, it can catch fire quickly. Natural fires are very common at dumpsites,” Singh said. At sanitary landfills, waste should be compacted and a thick soil cover should be placed over it. “Soil acts as a fire suppressant and restricts the passage of oxygen that is required for combustion,” Singh said. “At Ghazipur, since there is legacy waste from many years, there is a lot of formation of methane and the temperatures are very high. This can lead to fires,” said a senior EDMC official. A bird flies past an earthmover as smoke rises from fire at the Ghazipur garbage dump in New Delhi, India, Monday, March 28, 2022. (Photo: AP) Why is it difficult to douse fires that break out at landfills? Scientifically designed landfills are expected to have leachate collection systems and gas collection systems, while the waste is to be compacted properly and pathways are to be provided through the dumpsite. At uncontrolled landfills, access can be difficult. “A lot of methane is already trapped at the dumpsite. Using water to douse fires at these sites means that it will generate leachate and heat. The best fire suppressant is soil or construction debris. Wind speed can also hinder attempts to douse it,” Singh said. How much waste is generated and treated? According to a progress report for January submitted by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee to the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the city generates around 11,119 TPD (tonnes per day) of municipal solid waste. The total capacity of existing municipal solid waste processing facilities is only 5530 TPD, around 49.7% of the total generation. This existing capacity is also underutilised – only around 4,646 TPD of waste was being processed in January, mostly at the city’s waste-to-energy (WTE) plants. Small quantities are also being treated at compost plants and bio-methanation plants. The EDMC area, comprising 64 wards, generates 2,700 TPD of municipal solid waste, of which only 0.6% or 15 TPD was being processed in January, since work was under way at the 1,300-TPD waste-to-energy plant at Ghazipur. The reports from August, September and October last year state that only around 600 TPD of waste was being processed at the Ghazipur WTE plant. The plant is still being renovated, the EDMC official said. Consequently, around 2,685 TPD was being disposed at the landfill at Ghazipur in January. While 100% of the waste is being collected, as per the DPCC report, only 50% was being segregated in 61 wards, and 80% to 100% was being segregated in the remaining three wards. The EDMC had proposed to set up a 2,000-TPD solid waste processing plant at Ghonda Gujran – a proposal that was recently rejected since the site was on the floodplains of the Yamuna. The EDMC has placed a request with the Delhi Development Authority for an alternative site. On the orders of the NGT, biomining of waste is to be undertaken at the three non-engineered landfills at Ghazipur, Bhalswa and Okhla. The action plan submitted by the EDMC to the NGT set December 2024 as the deadline to remediate all of the waste lying at the landfill. Of the 140 lakh tonnes of legacy (or old) waste dumped at the site in 2019, 8.74 lakh tonnes or only 6.4% of the total was processed by Jan 31 this year. And, the landfill receives more waste every day. As per a 2019 assessment, the Ghazipur landfill had the highest quantity of legacy waste – 140 lakh tonnes – as opposed to the Okhla landfill which had 60 lakh tonnes, and the Bhalswa landfill that had 80 lakh tonnes.

Over 2,500 Trees Cut For NH-37', Alarmed Citizens Write To Assam CM https://thelogicalindian.com/environment/tree-felling-nh37-assam-34802

In a study conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment, Guwahati turned out to be the most polluted city in the entire north-eastern region with PM 2.5 concentration above WHO's annual air quality standards. The National Highways Authority of India started cutting trees to expand National Highway 37 amid protests in Assam. Over 2,500 trees would face the axe along the Guwahati bypass as per the project. The NHAI will develop the NH-37 from Jalukbari to Khanapara from the present four-lane to six-lane. However, concerned citizens and activists have raised concerns over the massive tree-felling, citing the already deteriorating air quality of the city. Activists belonging to Friday For Future from Guwahati, organised a protest to raise their voice and protest against the "ruthless cutting down of trees". 63 Out Of 100 Cities With Worst Air Quality In India Activists from the NGO wrote a letter to the Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma citing several reasons like groundwater problems, flash floods and Guwahati's position as the most polluted city in the North-Eastern region. The letter-copy received by The Logical Indian by mail read, "In the World Air Quality Report, 2021, prepared by a Swiss Organisation, IQAir, it was stated that based on air quality data collected from 6475 cities in 117 countries, 63 out of 100 cities with the worst air quality were in India. In a study conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment, Guwahati turned out to be the most polluted city in the entire north-eastern region, with a winter average of PM2.5 of 81 ug/m3. PM2.5 concentration of Guwahati's air is currently 32.8 times above the WHO annual air quality standards and falls into the "very unhealthy" category". https://thelogicalindian.com/environment/tree-felling-nh37-assam-34802

Need air pollution subsidy for women to move from solid fuels to LPG: Sunita Narain

Eminent environmentalist Sunita Narain has stressed the need for an “air pollution subsidy” programme to make households move from solid fuels to LPG and reduce the burden on the health of poor women. She also said air pollution is a political issue and people won’t get the air they deserve if “we don’t get the politics of development right”. “The government’s Ujjawala programme is an excellent effort and Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) said ‘I am taking the subsidy from the rich and giving it to the poor and I am also doing it to prevent women from getting exposed to air pollution’. This is an excellently structured programme. “LPG cylinder has reached the people, but they are not buying a refill… The problem is we do not value the labour of women,” Narain said in response to a question at a discussion on air pollution. Solid fuel is not a predominant source when it comes to pollution in Delhi. However, it’s a very prime source when it comes to women’s health in rural areas in north India where the inversion of air happens, she said. VDO.AI An inversion represents a layer of the atmosphere that gets warmer with height. A layer of cooler air is trapped near the ground by a layer of warm air above the surface. When the air cannot rise, pollutant concentration increases. “Unless you have inclusive growth and the poor women can move from chulha to cleaner fuel, you will not get the air we deserve. “So, air quality is a contested issue, it’s a political issue… if we don’t get the politics of development right, we won’t get the air we deserve… that’s where politics and environment come together when it comes to air pollution,” Narain, the director-general of the green think tank Centre for Science and Environment, said. “The government should come up with an air pollution subsidy programme in all non-attainment areas in India. This subsidy should be given to all households to move from solid fuels to LPG,” she suggested, adding, “On a pan-India basis, my suggestion would be to give people electricity to cook food.” Non-attainment areas are those that have fallen short of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for over five years. The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, launched on May 1, 2016, aims to provide clean fuel to women below the poverty line to prevent health-related issues. Under the scheme, financial support of Rs 1,600 is provided for each LPG connection for BPL households. The connections are given in the name of the women head of the households. The scheme is being implemented using the money saved in LPG subsidy through the ‘give-it-up’ campaign. People who have given up subsidies are buying LPG cylinders at market price. Narain also said the overall pollution from electric vehicles is not lower than BS VI-compliant vehicles. “Only thing is you’ve moved pollutants from Delhi to Chhattisgarh where power plants are. “So, if we are looking to find a solution from electric vehicles (EV) we need to move our power plants to cleaner coal or move them to gas or renewables to reduce emissions. The overall impact of EVs will be much better if the electricity is clean,” she said. However, EVs will play a much better role in Delhi as they do not have the factor of local pollution compared to diesel and petrol vehicles. “Still, you need to transform mobility if you want to have a greater impact of EVs. Bringing in a few cars and autos won’t work. We will see an impact if we have all cars, taxis, autos and buses running on electricity,” Narain said. She also said there has been a lot of effort to complicate the sources “so that we do not act (against air pollution)”. “We need more knowledge, science, we need to know more sources of pollution. But we first need to act on what we know. “The inability to act has also a lot to do with the fact that it is an extremely politically contested issue… Air pollution is not a very polite issue which can be discussed very gently because it has interests which are in the interest of air pollution versus what needs to be done,” the environmentalist said. Narain said a lot has been done to improve the quality of fuel and vehicle technology. But “now the problem is the very large number of vehicles on the roads”, she said. “It’s simple science. If you keep adding vehicles on the roads, you end up negating the impact of cleaning the fuel and vehicles. We need a complete reinvention of mobility, which we have not even begun to address,” she said. PTI GVS NB NB NSD NSD

सीएसई का खुलासा : सर्दी में प्रदूषण के लिए स्थानीय स्रोत 80 फीसदी जिम्मेदार, शोधकर्ताओं ने दी चेतावनी

दिल्ली-एनसीआर में हर साल सर्दी में हवा के दमघोंटू होने पर पराली का धुएं आरोप प्रत्यारोप की राजनीति का आधार बनता है। इसके विपरीत बीते वर्ष की सर्दी में दमघोंटू हवा के लिए स्थानीय स्तर का प्रदूषण 80 फीसदी जिम्मेदार पाया गया है। इस संबंध में सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड इनवायरमेंट (सीएसई) ने विश्लेषण किया है। शोधकर्ताओं ने चेतावनी दी है कि अगर इस पर तुरंत कार्रवाई नहीं की गई तो आने वाले वर्षों में यह प्रवृत्ति और खराब हो सकती है। सीएसई ने एक अक्तूबर 2021 से 28 फरवरी 2022 के दौरान दिल्ली-एनसीआर में निगरानी स्टेशनों से वास्तविक समय के आंकड़ों का विश्लेषण किया है। इससे पता चलता है कि इस सर्दी में विभिन्न चरणों में भारी और लंबे समय तक बारिश के बावजूद धुंध और प्रदूषण के स्तर में वृद्धि हुई है। इस दौरान कोरोना महामारी के कारण लगने वाले लॉकडाउन और बारिश के कारण कुछ दिन संतोषजनक श्रेणी के भी दर्ज किए गए हैं, जो कि बीते तीन सीजन में दर्ज नहीं हुए। सीएसई के कार्यकारी निदेशक अनुमिता चौधरी कहती हैं कि बढ़े हुए प्रदूषण के स्तर और स्मॉग एपिसोड प्रणालीगत प्रदूषण का एक प्रमाण है, जो सभी क्षेत्रों में प्रदूषण नियंत्रण के लिए अपर्याप्त बुनियादी ढांचे और प्रणालियों के कारण क्षेत्र में जारी है। इसे तभी काबू में किया जा सकता है जब साल भर की कार्रवाई सभी क्षेत्रों और क्षेत्र में अधिक कठोर और एक समान हो जाए। स्वच्छ वायु मानकों को पूरा करने के लिए कार्रवाई का प्रदर्शन आधारित होना चाहिए। सीएसई के अर्बन लैब एनालिटिक्स के कार्यक्रम प्रबंधक अविकल सोमवंशी कहते हैं कि भले ही पूरे क्षेत्र में मौसमी औसत में काफी भिन्नता है, लेकिन बड़ी दूरी के बावजूद इस क्षेत्र में सर्दियों के प्रदूषण के एपिसोड खतरनाक रूप से उच्च हैं। विश्लेषण में प्रयुक्त डाटा विश्लेषण के लिए केंद्रीय प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्ड (सीपीसीबी) के 81 वायु गुणवत्ता निगरानी स्टेशनों द्वारा दर्ज आंकड़ों का विश्लेषण किया है। साथ ही खेत में पराली धुएं के आंकड़े सिस्टम ऑफ एयर क्वालिटी एंड वेदर फॉरकास्टिंग एंड रिसर्च (सफर) से लिए गए हैं। मौसम के आंकड़े भारतीय मौसम विभाग के सफदरजंग मौसम केंद्र से लिए गए हैं। पराली के धुएं का 48 फीसदी तक योगदान सफर के अनुसार, उत्तरी राज्यों में पराली के धुएं ने 10 अक्तूबर 2021 से दिल्ली के पीएम 2.5 स्तर में योगदान देना शुरू कर दिया था। इसका प्रभाव 30 नवंबर 2021 तक रिकॉर्ड किया गया। इन 52 दिनों के दौरान प्रदूषण में इसका योगदान एक फीसदी से 48 फीसदी के बीच रहा। इस सर्दी पराली की आग का वायु गुणवत्ता पर असर पिछले दो सर्दियों की तुलना में चार दिन कम था। बीते वर्ष सर्दी में 25 दिन गंभीर स्तर की वायु गुणवत्ता दर्ज की गई। वहीं, इससे पिछली सर्दियों में ऐसे 23 दिन दर्ज हुए थे।

सर्दी में रिकार्ड बारिश के बाद भी दिल्ली-एनसीआर के वायु प्रदूषण में मामूली सुधार, मौसम ने बिगाड़ा हवा का हाल

नई दिल्ली, राज्य ब्यूरो। बीती सर्दी के मौसम में रिकार्ड बारिश के बावजूद दिल्ली-एनसीआर के वायु प्रदूषण में मामूली सुधार देखा गया। बुधवार को जारी की गई सेंटर फार साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) की एक रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, अक्टूबर 2021 व फरवरी 2022 के बीच प्रदूषण का स्तर तय मानकों से कहीं अधिक था। रिपोर्ट में कहा गया है कि पराली के धुएं से इतर प्रदूषण के अन्य स्नोतों का मौसमी औसत पीएम 2.5 स्तर का लगभग 80 प्रतिशत हिस्सा रहा। रिपोर्ट में कहा गया है कि 217 मिमी की औसत वर्षा के साथ दिल्ली में पीएम 2.5 का औसत स्तर 172 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर, जबकि सर्वाधिक स्तर 516 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर रहा। वर्ष 2021-21 की सर्दी के मौसम में यह क्रमश: 189 और 542 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर था, जबकि बारिश 114 मिमी थी। बढ़े हुए प्रदूषण के स्तर और धुंध के एपिसोड प्रणालीगत प्रदूषण का सुबूत है, जो सभी क्षेत्रों में प्रदूषण नियंत्रण के लिए अपर्याप्त बुनियादी ढांचे और प्रणालियों के कारण इस क्षेत्र में जारी है। सीएसई की कार्यकारी निदेशक अनुमिता राय चौधरी कहती हैं, ‘इस पर तभी काबू पाया जा सकता है जब साल भर की कार्रवाई सभी क्षेत्रों और क्षेत्र में अधिक कठोर और समान हो जाए।’ रिपोर्ट में कहा गया है कि पराली जलाने से पीएम 2.5 का औसत स्तर 28 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर प्रति दिन था, जबकि बाकी प्रदूषण के लिए अन्य स्रोत जिम्मेदार रहे। इस रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक एनसीआर में ‘गंभीर’ श्रेणी की वायु गुणवत्ता वाले दिनों की संख्या सबसे अधिक दिल्ली में ही थी। दिल्ली में इस सर्दियों के दौरान ‘गंभीर’ श्रेणी की हवा वाले 25 दिन दर्ज किए गए। इसके बाद गाजियाबाद में 16 दिन का रिकार्ड रहा। नोएडा, फरीदाबाद और गुरुग्राम में 15, 13 और पांच दिन दर्ज किए गए।’ इसमें आगे कहा गया है कि दिल्ली के 38 वायु गुणवत्ता निगरानी स्टेशनों में से 30 में इस सर्दी में मौसमी औसत में गिरावट दर्ज की गई है। हालांकि, लोधी रोड और रोहिणी में प्रदूषण उच्चतम शिखर पर दर्ज किया गया। वजीरपुर एकमात्र हाटस्पाट था, जिसने हवा की गुणवत्ता में गिरावट दर्ज की। वजीरपुर को छोड़कर, दिल्ली-एनसीआर की हाटस्पाट सूची के सभी स्थानों में पिछली सर्दियों की तुलना में मौसमी पीएम 2.5 के स्तर में गिरावट देखी गई। 131 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर के मौसमी औसत के साथ बहादुरगढ़ हाटस्पाट में सबसे कम प्रदूषित बना हुआ है, जबकि जहांगीरपुरी मौसमी औसत 252 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर के साथ दिल्ली में सबसे गंदा था। एनसीआर की बात करें तो रिपोर्ट बताती है कि फरीदाबाद और गुरुग्राम में मौसमी औसत में बढ़ोतरी हुई है, जबकि गाजियाबाद और नोएडा में गिरावट देखी गई है। गाजियाबाद में लोनी 247 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर के मौसमी औसत के साथ उभरते हाटस्पाट्स में सबसे प्रदूषित था। सीएसई की रिपोर्ट दिल्ली-एनसीआर में तय मानकों से बहुत अधिक था अक्टूबर 2021 और फरवरी 2022 के बीच प्रदूषण का स्तर एनसीआर में गंभीर श्रेणी की वायु गुणवत्ता वाले सर्वाधिक दिन दिल्ली में ही दर्ज किए गए सीएसई निदेशक ने कहा, प्रदूषण पर काबू पाने के लिए पूरे साल करनी होगी कठोर कार्रवाई इस साल मार्च में बारिश बिल्कुल नहीं हुई। दूसरी तरफ हवा की दिशा पश्चिम ज्यादा रही। मध्य पाकिस्तान और राजस्थान से धूल भरी गर्म हवाएं लगातार चलती रही हैं, जिससे प्रदूषक कण बढ़े। स्थानीय कारक तो हमेशा अपनी भूमिका निभाते ही हैं। डा. दीपांकर साहा पूर्व अपर निदेशक, सीपीसीबी

Delhi: Local and regional sources more responsible for air pollution in winter than stubble burning, reveals study

Among cities in the National Capital Region (NCR), Delhi recorded the most “severe” air days this season (25 days), followed by Ghaziabad (16 days). The overall contribution of local and regional sources to PM 2.5 levels in the national capital during winter is higher than the contribution from stubble burning, an analysis of air pollution levels in the past winter by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has revealed. “Winter gets smoggy even without the stubble smoke,” notes the analysis by Anumita Roychowdhury and Avikal Somvanshi at CSE. In the 52 days in October, November and December last year, the average concentration of stubble fire smoke in Delhi was 28 ug/m3 per day. The contribution of other sources was 151 ug/m3, more than 80% of the average concentration of 179 ug/m3. This was similar to previous winters when an average of 32 ug/m3 was found to be from stubble burning, and 159 ug/m3 from other sources. The analysis uses data from the SAFAR forecasting system, which provides the contribution of stubble smoke as a percentage, to arrive at these figures. “Smoke from stubble fires only tips over the local-regional pollution load, which is already elevated due to [winter] inversion, to severe category,” the report states, adding that smog episodes are recorded even in late December when stubble burning doesn’t happen. The average PM2.5 level this winter, from October 1 to February 28, was 172 ug/m3, similar to 173 ug/m3 in 2019-20, and lower than the 189 ug/m3 in 2020-21. The peak PM 2.5 concentration this winter (516 ug/m3) was lower than the two preceding ones — 542 ug/m3 in 2020-21, and 549 ug/m3 in 2019-20. The analysis states that this is only a marginal improvement in Delhi’s air quality, despite it being the wettest winter in over a century. The study also throws light on the long smog episodes this winter — especially a 10-day period that started around Diwali and was the longest one in the last three years. Another winter smog episode was observed from December 21, lasting for nine days and much longer than the previous winter’s that remained for only three. The average PM 2.5 concentration during the December smog episode was 340 ug/m3, even higher than the one around Diwali when the average was 318 ug/m3. “Relatively slow dissipation of smog episodes this year compared to previous year points towards increase in the overall pollution load in the larger air shed (all the gains of lockdowns lost) and ineffectiveness of ad-hoc pollution control efforts,” the report states, adding that the higher intensity of the smog episode in December also points towards increased contribution of local sources. The contribution of local sources is also highlighted by the large variations in pollution levels at different monitoring stations in the city — the average PM2.5 concentration this winter was highest at Jahangirpuri (252 ug/m3) and lowest at Aya Nagar (117 ug/m3). Stations at Anand Vihar, Wazirpur, Mundka, Rohini and Ashok Vihar also recorded an average above 200 ug/m3. Among cities in the National Capital Region (NCR), Delhi recorded the most “severe” air days this season (25 days), followed by Ghaziabad (16 days). Smog episodes were also found to be more intense and longer in Delhi. Though Delhi recorded an improvement in seasonal average PM 2.5 concentration this winter, other NCR towns like Hapur, Bhiwani and Manesar witnessed deteriorating air quality this season.

https://www.lokmattimes.com/national/regional-sources-bigger-contributor-than-stubble-smoke-to-delhi-ncr-winter-pollution-cse/

Despite being this winter being the wettest, the overall winter average of PM2.5 has stayed elevated and the overall contribution of the local and regional sources were higher than that from stubble smoke, an analysis of winter pollution for Delhi-NCR by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) showed on Wednesday.</p><div id="div-ub-lokmat"><script> window.unibots = window.unibots || { cmd: [] }; unibots.cmd.push(()=>{ unibotsPlayer('lokmat'); });</script> </div><p>While there had been a minor drop in the seasonal level compared to previous winters, the level is still extremely high, and far from meeting the safety standards, the CSE researchers said, warning that if not acted upon immediately, this trend can worsen in the coming years negating the downward dip of the pandemic years.</p><div id="inArticle1" class="inarticleAd" style="margin:0px auto; width:300px; height:250px; text-align:center;"><div id="div-gpt-ad-1636978810195-0" data-google-query-id="CIbj8LPj7_YCFYQJ1QodGdYD5A" style="display: none;"><div id="google_ads_iframe_/45238043/English_Generic_Article_Mobile_Desktop_300x250_1_0__container__" style="border: 0pt none; width: 300px; height: 0px;"></div></div><script type="text/javascript">googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1636978810195-0'); });</script></div><p>The CSE carried out the analysis of real-time data from monitoring stations in Delhi-NCR for the entire winter period - starting from October 1, 2021 till February 28, 2022.</p><p>"Elevated pollution levels and smog episodes are evidence of the systemic pollution that has continued in the region due to inadequate infrastructure and systems for pollution control in all sectors. This can be tamed only if round the year action becomes more stringent and uniform across sectors and the region," said Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, CSE.</p><div id="inArticle2" class="inarticleAd" style="margin:0px auto; width:300px; height:250px; text-align:center;"><div id="div-gpt-ad-1636978839832-0" data-google-query-id="CPOS8bPj7_YCFRLraAodYVEJQg" style="display: none;"><div id="google_ads_iframe_/45238043/English_Generic_Article_Mobile_Desktop_300x250_2_0__container__" style="border: 0pt none; width: 300px; height: 0px;"></div></div><script type="text/javascript">googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1636978839832-0'); });</script></div><p>Avikal Somvanshi, Programme manager, Urban Lab Analytics, CSE, said: "Even though there is considerable variation in seasonal averages across the region, winter pollution episodes are alarmingly high and synchronised in the region despite large distances. Despite being the wettest winter, the overall winter average of PM2.5 has stayed elevated and the overall contribution of the local and regional sources are higher than that from stubble smoke."</p><p>According to SAFAR, smoke from the stubble fire in northern states started contributing to Delhi's PM2.5 level from October 10, 2021 and ended on November 30, 2021. During these 52 days, the percentage contribution varied between one per cent and 48 per cent, with the latter being reported on November 7, 2021. This winter's stubble fire season was four days shorter than the ones in the previous two winters. The number of days when percentage contribution was over 40 per cent was the same this winter as last year: just two days.</p><div id="inArticle3" class="inarticleAd" style="margin:0px auto; width:300px; height:250px; text-align:center;"><div id="div-gpt-ad-1636978869388-0" data-google-query-id="CMX58LPj7_YCFQj7aAodHDYFHg" style="display: none;"><div id="google_ads_iframe_/45238043/English_Generic_Article_Mobile_Desktop_300x250_3_0__container__" style="border: 0pt none; width: 300px; height: 0px;"></div></div><script type="text/javascript">googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1636978869388-0'); });</script></div><p>But if looked at from absolute concentration terms, this year had twice the number of days when the PM2.5 load from stubble fire was high enough to plunge Delhi's air quality into 'very poor' category on its own. Further, these high contribution load days happened in a cluster, which indicates that the biggest bulk burning instances took place in a span of fewer days this year than in the previous years. This might be due to the extended monsoon which reduced the rain-free period before the sowing of the wheat crop.</p><p>The city-wide winter average for Delhi stood at 172 micro-gram per cubic metre, which is identical to the seasonal average of the winter of 2019-20 but is nine per cent lower than the seasonal average of 2020-21 winter. The seasonal peak was about five per cent lower than both preceding winters.</p><!-- break-4 --><p>Number of days with severe or worse air quality bounced back to pre-Covid levels: This winter, 25 days had the city-wide average in 'severe' or 'worse' AQI category up from 23 such days in the previous winter and on par with 25 days in the winter of 2019-20.</p><p>The CSE used data as recorded by 81 air quality monitoring stations under the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) while the farm stubble fire data was sourced from System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR). Weather data was sourced from the Safdarjang weather station of Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).</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>

Regional Sources Bigger Contributor than Stubble Smoke to Delhi-NCR Winter Pollution, Claims CSE

Despite being this winter being the wettest, the overall winter average of PM2.5 has stayed elevated and the overall contribution of the local and regional sources were higher than that from stubble smoke, an analysis of winter pollution for Delhi-NCR by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) showed on Wednesday. While there had been a minor drop in the seasonal level compared to previous winters, the level is still extremely high, and far from meeting the safety standards, the CSE researchers said, warning that if not acted upon immediately, this trend can worsen in the coming years negating the downward dip of the pandemic years. The CSE carried out the analysis of real-time data from monitoring stations in Delhi-NCR for the entire winter period - starting from October 1, 2021 till February 28, 2022. “Elevated pollution levels and smog episodes are evidence of the systemic pollution that has continued in the region due to inadequate infrastructure and systems for pollution control in all sectors. This can be tamed only if round the year action becomes more stringent and uniform across sectors and the region," said Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, CSE. Avikal Somvanshi, Programme manager, Urban Lab Analytics, CSE, said: “Even though there is considerable variation in seasonal averages across the region, winter pollution episodes are alarmingly high and synchronised in the region despite large distances. Despite being the wettest winter, the overall winter average of PM2.5 has stayed elevated and the overall contribution of the local and regional sources are higher than that from stubble smoke." According to SAFAR, smoke from the stubble fire in northern states started contributing to Delhi’s PM2.5 level from October 10, 2021 and ended on November 30, 2021. During these 52 days, the percentage contribution varied between one per cent and 48 per cent, with the latter being reported on November 7, 2021. This winter’s stubble fire season was four days shorter than the ones in the previous two winters. The number of days when percentage contribution was over 40 per cent was the same this winter as last year: just two days.