Bihar, Delhi-NCR top pollution charts, air quality major crisis: CSE
with the PM2.5 winter average of the eastern region was over three times the average of the cities in southern India and 22 per cent more polluted than north Indian cities. This alarming observation was found in a detailed, all-India winter analysis done by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and released on Wednesday. Even though the overall regional averages of PM2.5 levels were lower than the previous winter in most regions, the winter smog episodes recorded severe spikes in several regions. Peak pollution was alarmingly high and synchronised, despite large distances within the regions - especially in the northern and eastern plains, the analysis said. The analysis has been done for the 2021-22 winter tracker initiative of CSE's Urban Data Analytics Lab. "Clearly, the winter pollution challenge is not limited to mega cities or to one specific region; it is now a widespread national problem that requires urgent and deliberate action at a national scale. This requires quicker reforms and action in key sectors of pollution - vehicles, industry, power plants and waste management to bend the annual curve and daily spikes," CSE's Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, Anumita Roychowdhury said.
