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2020 के लॉकडाउन के दौरान गिरे प्रदूषण के स्तर में फिर से उछाल आने का खतरा: CSE

इस वर्ष प्रदूषण के स्तर में वृद्धि के साथ, 2020 में महामारी के कठिन लॉकडाउन चरणों से प्रेरित गिरावट जारी नहीं रहेगी, सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) द्वारा किए गए क्षेत्रीय प्रदूषण प्रवृत्तियों के एक नए विश्लेषण से पता चला है। “2019-2021 की अवधि के लिए वास्तविक समय वायु गुणवत्ता डेटा के इस विश्लेषण से पता चलता है कि प्रदूषण में गिरावट जो 2020 में महामारी के कठिन लॉकडाउन चरणों से प्रेरित थी, 2021 में पहले से ही बढ़ रहे स्तरों के साथ वापस उछाल की धमकी दे रही है। लेकिन कई मामलों में, स्तर अभी भी 2019 से नीचे हैं। यह इस क्षेत्र में और अधिक बिगड़ने से रोकने और प्रवृत्ति को रोकने के लिए सभी क्षेत्रों में कार्रवाई को बढ़ाने की तात्कालिकता को रेखांकित करता है, ”अनुमिता रॉयचौधरी, कार्यकारी निदेशक, सीएसई में अनुसंधान और वकालत ने कहा। नतीजतन, भारत के पूर्वी राज्य यानी बिहार, पश्चिम बंगाल और ओडिशा – अब बढ़ते हुए वायु प्रदूषण का दंश महसूस कर रहे हैं, जैसा कि अध्ययन में दिखाया गया है। जैसा कि नवंबर की शुरुआत में उत्तर भारत को घेरने वाला शीतकालीन स्मॉग दिसंबर के अंत और जनवरी की शुरुआत में पूर्व की ओर बढ़ने लगता है, बिहार, पश्चिम बंगाल और ओडिशा ज्यादातर इस समय प्रभावित होते हैं जब सर्दियों का उलटा और ठंडी और शांत स्थिति स्थानीय प्रदूषण को फंसा लेती है जो पहले से ही है। उच्च। “भले ही इन राज्यों में वायु गुणवत्ता पर अधिक अद्यतित और वास्तविक समय की जानकारी प्रदान करने के लिए वास्तविक समय वायु गुणवत्ता निगरानी का विस्तार शुरू हो गया है, लेकिन लापता डेटा और अंतराल के बारे में गंभीर चिंताएं हैं जो उचित जोखिम मूल्यांकन को मुश्किल बनाती हैं। बिहार और ओडिशा के कुछ स्टेशनों में डेटा उपलब्धता इतनी कम है कि प्रवृत्ति का आकलन नहीं किया जा सकता है। डेटा का गुणवत्ता नियंत्रण आवश्यक है, ”अर्बन डेटा एनालिटिक्स लैब, सीएसई के प्रोग्राम मैनेजर अविकल सोमवंशी ने कहा। सीएसई द्वारा रीयल-टाइम प्रदूषण डेटा का यह नया विश्लेषण इसकी अर्बन डेटा एनालिटिक्स लैब की वायु गुणवत्ता ट्रैकर पहल का एक हिस्सा है, जिसका उद्देश्य विभिन्न क्षेत्रों में प्रदूषण की प्रवृत्ति और परिमाण को समझना है, जहां वास्तविक समय में वायु गुणवत्ता की निगरानी होती है। सिस्टम यह 1 जनवरी, 2019 से 4 जनवरी, 2022 की अवधि के लिए PM2.5 सांद्रता में वार्षिक और मौसमी रुझानों का आकलन है, जिसमें उपरोक्त तीन राज्यों के 12 शहरों में फैले 29 निरंतर परिवेशी वायु गुणवत्ता निगरानी स्टेशन (CAAQMS) शामिल हैं।

In a flux over smog towers

A walk of up to one km in three different directions from the smog tower in Connaught Place with a handheld air quality monitoring device has revealed fluctuating levels of the chief pollutant, PM 2.5. What is interesting is while the air closest to the tower should be cleanest, the device recorded the opposite in several instances — falling pollution levels as one moved away from the tower. The data was collected by this reporter on an air quality monitor of ‘Prana Air’ provided by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), and was shared with three experts, who observed that multiple factors influence the air quality at the height where the readings were taken. While a detailed study factoring in all sources of pollution is required to arrive at the final conclusion, the experts were unanimous about increase in levels of pollution as one moves away from the tower in an ideal situation. A paradox Anju Goel, a Fellow at the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), said the air closest to the tower should be the cleanest because it sucks in the dirty air from the top of the tower and releases filtered air near the surface through fans on the sides of the tower. Whereas the value of PM 2.5 decreased as you moved away from the tower, which is in contradiction to normal scenario. The readings indicate the efficiency of the smog tower is not enough to clean the air to the extent it is needed. At the height of 1.5 to two metres from the surface, it is a mixed zone with high turbulence. Your readings also fall under this category,” she responded. When approached, a Delhi government official held that multiple factors could be responsible for such variations and therefore, the data is not showing a clear trend of reduction in pollution with distance from the tower. This reporter walked towards RML Hospital, where the value of PM2.5 was 327.5 ug/m3 at 50 metres from the tower and 325 at 100 metres from the tower, but it dropped to 301 at 300 metres and raised slightly to 307 at 500 metres. Towards Connaught Place also a similar trend was observed, but towards Parliament House, there was a rise after the fall in values. The readings were taken on December 25, when the city’s air quality was ‘severe’. Multiple monitors A CEEW Fellow, Karthik Ganesan, said, multiple monitors should be ideally used to measure pollution at all points at the same time to get accurate results. “If at all the smog tower has an impact, then the pollution should increase as you move away from the tower. But the recorded values show a decrease. Which means that at different points along the road, there is an impact of different sources of pollution. This also shows that the impact of the smog tower is negated by all these sources,” Mr. Ganesan said. Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director of Centre for Science and Environment, a research and advocacy NGO, said focus has to be on reducing emissions at sources than attempting to purify dynamic and voluminous air in outdoor conditions. She wondered how tiny whiffs of purified air mixed with polluted air could help to improve the quality of air in general. “Instead of spending ₹40 crore on two towers, the government could have spent the funds on several other options such as replacing the small and polluting industrial boilers or the chulhas burning dirty fuel in poor households,” she said. Not viable The experts reiterated the smog towers are not a viable method to clean city’s air. The pilot project spending ₹20 crore was constructed following a Supreme Court order and was inaugurated by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on August 23, who had promised then that data analysis would begin immediately and a detailed performance report would be obtained within two years after the performance is examined by experts. Also, he said the government would get monthly trends to analyse how efficiently the tower is working. Earlier, the government had talked about 80% pollution reduction at inlet and outlet of the tower but never mentioned about the effect of distance from the tower. On October 1, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said that a committee constituted to look into the efficacy of smog tower would submit three reports to the government at the end of every three months. But the government is yet to release any data on what impact the smog tower has made on the quality of air when at a distance from the tower.

Following dip during lockdowns, rising trend of air pollutants: Centre for Science and Environment

The winter smog that engulfs north India during early November begins to extend eastwards during late December and early January After an initial drop in the PM2.5 levels during Covid-related lockdowns in 2020, the eastern states of Bihar, West Bengal and Odisha saw a rising trend in the air pollutants in 2021, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said on Monday. "It is January, and the eastern states of India - Bihar, West Bengal and Odisha -- are now feeling the sting of increased winter air pollution. Advertisement "The winter smog that engulfs north India during early November begins to extend eastwards during late December and early January. Bihar, West Bengal and Odisha are affected mostly during this time when winter inversion and the cool and calm conditions trap the local pollution that is already high," the environment think-tank said. The analysis found that nearly all cities in the region showed a drop in the annual average PM2.5 level in 2020, which was also the year with maximum lockdown phases. "But there is a rebound and a rising trend once again in 2021, though in several cases, the levels are lower than the 2019 level. Durgapur, a big industrial hub of West Bengal that is also designated as a critically polluted area by the CPCB, has the most polluted air in the region with a 2021 average at 80 ug/m3. This is followed by Muzaffarpur and Patna with the 2021 annual average of PM2.5 at 78 ug/m3 and 73 ug/m3 respectively," it said. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at the CSE, said the analysis of real-time air quality data for the 2019-2021 period shows the downward dip in pollution that was induced by the lockdown phases of the pandemic in 2020 is threatening to bounce back with the levels in 2021 rising. "But in many cases, the levels are still lower than 2019. This underscores the urgency of scaling up action across all sectors to prevent further worsening and arrest the trend in this region," she said. Another expert said there are serious concerns around the missing data and gaps that make proper risk assessment difficult. "Even though real-time air quality monitoring has begun to expand in these states to provide more up to date and real-time information on air quality, there are serious concerns around missing data and gaps that make proper risk assessment difficult. In some stations of Bihar and Odisha, data availability is so low that the trend cannot be assessed. Quality control of data is necessary," said Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager at the Urban Data Analytics Lab, CSE. This new analysis of real-time pollution data by the CSE is a part of the air quality tracker initiative of its Urban Data Analytics Lab. The objective of this new analysis is to understand the trend and magnitude of pollution in different regions that have real-time air quality monitoring systems. It covers 29 continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS) spread across 12 cities in the three states. In West Bengal, there are seven stations in Kolkata, three in Howrah and one each in Asansol, Siliguri, Durgapur and Haldia. In Bihar, there are six stations in Patna, three in Gaya, three in Muzaffarpur and one in Hajipur. In Odisha, there is one station each in Talcher and Brajrajnagar. Even though there are more real-time monitors in a few other cities of these states, those could not be considered due to data gaps and a lack of quality data, it said. "Moreover, in several cases, the real-time monitors have been set up recently and therefore, long-term data is not available. Several cities of Bihar got their real-time monitors between July and November 2021. There are two stations in Bhagalpur and one each in Bettiah, Bihar Sharif, Darbhanga, Motihari, Araria, Arrah, Buxar, Chhapra, Katihar, Kishanganj, Manguraha, Munger, Purnia, Rajgir, Saharsa, Sasaram and Siwan. "But due to the excessive amount of missing data from these stations, a meaningful analysis has not been possible. Hajipur in Bihar has data availability for over two years," it said. The CSE said in West Bengal, real-time monitors in Durgapur and Haldia became operational only near the end of 2020, which limits the possibility of doing long-term trend analysis for these cities. Odisha has very limited real-time monitoring. "Therefore, data is indicative of the current status of air quality and seasonal variation in particulate pollution in medium and smaller cities," it said. The analysis also found that the cities in these three states did not experience "severe" days in 2021 but the share of "poor" and "very poor" days was high. "During 2021, severely polluted days have not been noted in any city. Share of 'very poor' days was highest in Muzaffarpur at 93, followed by Durgapur at 71, Patna with 67 days and Howrah with 58 days. "Days with poor air quality were the highest in Durgapur at 71, followed by 67 in Patna, 53 in Kolkata and 51 in Howrah. These bad air quality days are concentrated during winter months," it said. It also said there was a significant increase in the amount of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the air in all the cities of these states in December, compared to the months of November, October and September. "Brajrajnagar (Odisha) registered a 3.6-time jump in the monthly NO2 level, Kolkata registered a 2.8-time increase, while Patna, Talcher (Odisha) and Asansol (WB) registered a 2.5-time increase. "In absolute concentration terms, Patna registered the highest monthly average of 51 g/m3 for December. It was followed by Kolkata (50 g/m3) and Talcher (44 g/m3). Muzaffarpur, Howrah and Hajipur showed an increase in the amount of NO2 in November as compared to December," the CSE said.

Kolkata air quality moves closer to pre-Covid level

Centre for Science and Environment analyses data generated by the central pollution control board The level of the most toxic air pollutant — PM 2.5 — in Calcutta’s air has inched closer to pre-Covid times after a lockdown-triggered low in 2020, shows an analysis by the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The analysis, released on Monday, was carried out on the basis of real time air pollution data generated by the central pollution control board (CPCB) in seven stations across the city during the period of 2019 to 2021. ADVERTISEMENT The analysis found that the annual average of PM 2.5 pollution in Calcutta had jumped from 48 micrograms per cubic metre in 2020 to 56 micrograms in 2021. The city’s PM 2.5 level in 2019, before Covid, was 69 micrograms. The national limit is 40 micrograms while the World Health Organisation’s recently set annual standard for PM 2.5 is 5 micrograms. PM 2.5 is the tiniest particle that can enter the deep crevices in lungs and trigger several diseases, including fatal ones like cancer. Another air pollution analysis, independently carried out by Delhi-based Climate Trend also corroborates the same trend. Though the analysis — based on the National Clean Air Programme — indicated that the 2021 level has touched the 2019 level. CSE analysis shows that adjoining Howrah’s PM 2.5 pollution follows the similar trend with its 2021 annual average — 61 micrograms –— increased over 2020 average of 54 micrograms but still less than its the 2019 pollution level of 74 micrograms. “This analysis of real-time air quality data for the period 2019-2021 shows that the downward dip in pollution that was induced by the lockdown in 2020 is threatening to bounce back. The levels in 2021 are already rising,” Anumita Roychowdhury, the executive director of CSE told Metro. However, Roychowdhury pointed out that in Calcutta and elsewhere, the levels were still lower than 2019 which “underscores the urgency of scaling up action across all sectors to prevent further worsening and to arrest the trend”. Clearly, the trend is continuing as this newspaper found that on Monday, the air quality indices in all the stations across the city ranged between poor and very poor and PM 2.5 was the responsible pollutant for the surge. “The winter smog that engulfs north India during early November begins to extend eastwards during late December … mostly during this time when winter inversion and the cool and calm conditions trap the local pollution that is already high,” said the report. The CSE report pointed out that Calcutta had 53 “poor” air quality days in 2021. Kalyan Rudra, the chairman of state pollution control board, however, said: “We should not compare 2020 with any prior or after year. There was a lockdown and the PM 2.5 level in the city got significantly reduced.” “Through our analyses we are now understanding that the rise in PM 2.5 level in Calcutta during the winter is not exclusively because of local sources of air pollution. Calcutta and the rest of West Bengal, being at the tail end of the Indo-Gangetic plains, receives a huge pollution load from the northern part of the country during this period,” the chairman said.

Revising vacation, N95 masks for kids: Suggestions to panel on pollution control

Last month, the commission had invited suggestions from the public and experts on a "permanent solution for air pollution in Delhi-NCR." The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has constituted a group of experts which will examine suggestions it has received on curbing air pollution. Last month, the commission had invited suggestions from the public and experts on a “permanent solution for air pollution in Delhi-NCR.” This was done on the basis of a Supreme Court order which directed the CAQM to invite suggestions with the aim of finding a permanent solution. The commission had provided 14 days for submission of suggestions. The nine-member expert group will be headed by the chairman of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board. The group includes Mukesh Sharma, professor at IIT-Kanpur; Sachin Ghude, scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology; Anumita Roychowdhury at the Centre for Science and Environment; and Prashant Gargava, Member Secretary, Central Pollution Control Board. The group will be required to examine the suggestions received, recommend measures for “formulating a permanent solution for the air pollution menace,” and suggest a “policy” to curb air pollution. It is required to submit its report within two months. Among those who sent suggestions is a group of parents of school-going children in the NCR. The communication sent by the parents to the CAQM earlier this week includes a suggestion to reorganise the school vacation. “The CAQM, in consultation with state governments, should evaluate reorganisation of annual school vacations such that the worst pollution period in Delhi-NCR is treated as school vacation. This will ensure that children do not suffer from learning loss on account of school closures,” the letter stated. The communication, signed by 110 parents, also suggests that specific scientifically proven measures be considered for schools, such as providing N95 masks to reduce exposure. Another set of suggestions was sent by the Clean Air Collective, a network of organisations and individuals across the country who work on air pollution issue. Suggestions include revising the Graded Response Action Plan before peak pollution season in 2022, using the Early Warning Forecasting System proactively to reduce emissions, strengthening agencies like the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, and making all buses in NCR districts run on CNG.

Dabur's latest regional ad compares honey to 24k gold

Dabur honey's latest telugu ad features a bride decked up in resplendent 24k jewelry and the comparison of the purity of the jewels is to the purity of the gold. In December 2021 (last year), Dabur had released another 'purity' themed ad for the International day of persons with disabilities. The ad says “achaai ki parakh sirf aakhon se nahi hoti”. It’s apt because the brand features a blind couple in its ad where the lady is preparing a delicious dessert and a dazzle of Dabur Honey is the icing on the cake. If you're wondering why the brand is stressing so much on the 'purity' factor of the product, there's a long history behind it. It first started in August 2020, with a seemingly innocuous ad for Saffola Honey. An ad made by 82.5 Communications, had a title which reads, "Saffola Honey - 100% Pure 100%". The YouTube description of the ad, however, caught our eye: "Every batch of Saffola Honey is tested using the most advanced NMR Test (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) in one of the best-in-class German laboratories to ensure that it is pure, free from any form of adulteration and with no added sugar." It was the first time such a scientific test was referenced in a category that otherwise stressed on wholesomeness, goodness and other more intangible values in its ads. This ad was published a month after Dabur had taken Saffola to court (in July 2020) over similarities in honey packaging. The ad made Dabur sit up and take notice. Shortly after on October 16 2020, an ad for Dabur Honey made by Havas Creative, took a dig at Marico’s Saffola Honey. The 40-second ad (which has been removed from the brand's YouTube channel), saw a man dissuade a lady from buying what appears to be a bottle of Dabur Honey but is, in fact, a lookalike. The second part of the ad talks about the NMR test and 60+ quality checks Dabur Honey undergoes which help to support the brand’s claim of being the world’s leading honey brand. However, neither brand could have been prepared for what came next. On December 2 2021, major honey brands such as Dabur, Patanjali, and Emami (Zandu Pure Honey) failed a purity test conducted by a German laboratory, as informed by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), Delhi-based public interest research and advocacy organisation. Out of the 13 honey brands that were tested, Marico’s Saffola honey was the only big brand to pass all the tests. As part of its investigation, the CSE selected 13 top and smaller brands of processed and raw honey being sold in India. It first tested the samples of these brands at the Centre for Analysis and Learning in Livestock and Food (CALF) at National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) in Gujarat – all brands passed the purity test except Apis Himalaya. CSE also said a few smaller brands failed the tests to detect C4 sugar – “call it basic adulteration using cane sugar.” Shortly after on 7 December, Dabur claimed that rival Marico’s Saffola Honey is adulterated and that it would be filing a complaint with the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), a self-regulatory body of the advertising industry in India. A Dabur spokesperson said, “Saffola Honey sample from the market has failed the NMR test. Test reports clearly indicate presence of sugar syrup in Saffola honey. Their claim on NMR test is misleading the consumers.” “Dabur has cleared all the FSSAI-mandated tests, including SMR, besides voluntarily conducting NMR test periodically to ensure that our consumers get 100% Pure honey with no added sugar/syrups or any other adulterants,” remarked the spokesperson. On the other hand, a Marico spokesperson said that on 3 December 2020, the company had filed a complaint before ASCI wherein it challenged the claim made by ‘Dabur India Ltd.’ that “Dabur Honey has passed the German NMR test”. The FMCG major said the complaint has been admitted by ASCI and taken on record for further hearing. Also Read: Saffola Honey's new ad touts honey that is '100% pure' with purity certificate Marico's Saffola refused to stay quiet on this subject. On December 14 2021, the brand released an ad in which it claims that its honey also compliant with each of the quality parameters mandated by FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India). A press note claims that Saffola guarantees every batch of Saffola Honey is NMR tested (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance test), which is one of the most advanced tests in the world and is considered the gold-standard for detecting adulteration in honey.

Pollution levels that dipped during 2020 lockdown threaten to bounce back: CSE

New Delhi: With the levels of pollution rising this year, the downward dip, induced by the hard lockdown phases of the pandemic in 2020, will not persist, a new analysis of regional pollution trends done by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) showed. “This analysis of real time air quality data for the period 2019-2021 shows that the downward dip in pollution that was induced by the hard lockdown phases of the pandemic in 2020 is threatening to bounce back with the levels in 2021 already rising. But in many cases, the levels are still lower than 2019. This underscores the urgency of scaling up action across all sectors to prevent further worsening and to arrest the trend in this region,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at CSE. As a result, the eastern states of India i.e. Bihar, West Bengal and Odisha — are now feeling the sting of increased winter air pollution, the study showed. MS Education Academy As the winter smog that engulfs north India during early November begins to extend eastwards during late December and early January, Bihar, West Bengal and Odisha are affected mostly during this time when winter inversion and the cool and calm conditions trap the local pollution that is already high. “Even though real time air quality monitoring has begun to expand in these states to provide more up to date and real time information on air quality, there are serious concerns around missing data and gaps that makes proper risk assessment difficult. In some stations of Bihar and Odisha, data availability is so low that the trend cannot be assessed. Quality control of data is necessary,” said Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager at Urban Data Analytics Lab, CSE. This new analysis of real-time pollution data by the CSE is a part of the air quality tracker initiative of its Urban Data Analytics Lab, whose objective is to understand the trend and magnitude of pollution in different regions that have real-time air quality monitoring systems. This is an assessment of annual and seasonal trends in PM2.5 concentration for the period January 1, 2019, to January 4, 2022, which covers 29 continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS) spread across 12 cities in the above mentioned three states.

Following dip during lockdowns, rising trend of air pollutants in WB, Bihar, Odisha: CSE

New Delhi, Jan 10 (PTI) After an initial drop in the PM2.5 levels during Covid-related lockdowns in 2020, the eastern states of Bihar, West Bengal and Odisha saw a rising trend in the air pollutants in 2021, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said on Monday. “It is January, and the eastern states of India — Bihar, West Bengal and Odisha — are now feeling the sting of increased winter air pollution. “The winter smog that engulfs north India during early November begins to extend eastwards during late December and early January. Bihar, West Bengal and Odisha are affected mostly during this time when winter inversion and the cool and calm conditions trap the local pollution that is already high,” the environment think-tank said. The analysis found that nearly all cities in the region showed a drop in the annual average PM2.5 level in 2020, which was also the year with maximum lockdown phases. “But there is a rebound and a rising trend once again in 2021, though in several cases, the levels are lower than the 2019 level. Durgapur, a big industrial hub of West Bengal that is also designated as a critically polluted area by the CPCB, has the most polluted air in the region with a 2021 average at 80 ug/m3. This is followed by Muzaffarpur and Patna with the 2021 annual average of PM2.5 at 78 ug/m3 and 73 ug/m3 respectively,” it said. VDO.AI Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at the CSE, said the analysis of real-time air quality data for the 2019-2021 period shows the downward dip in pollution that was induced by the lockdown phases of the pandemic in 2020 is threatening to bounce back with the levels in 2021 rising. “But in many cases, the levels are still lower than 2019. This underscores the urgency of scaling up action across all sectors to prevent further worsening and arrest the trend in this region,” she said. Another expert said there are serious concerns around the missing data and gaps that make proper risk assessment difficult. “Even though real-time air quality monitoring has begun to expand in these states to provide more up to date and real-time information on air quality, there are serious concerns around missing data and gaps that make proper risk assessment difficult. In some stations of Bihar and Odisha, data availability is so low that the trend cannot be assessed. Quality control of data is necessary,” said Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager at the Urban Data Analytics Lab, CSE. This new analysis of real-time pollution data by the CSE is a part of the air quality tracker initiative of its Urban Data Analytics Lab. The objective of this new analysis is to understand the trend and magnitude of pollution in different regions that have real-time air quality monitoring systems. It covers 29 continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS) spread across 12 cities in the three states. In West Bengal, there are seven stations in Kolkata, three in Howrah and one each in Asansol, Siliguri, Durgapur and Haldia. In Bihar, there are six stations in Patna, three in Gaya, three in Muzaffarpur and one in Hajipur. In Odisha, there is one station each in Talcher and Brajrajnagar. Even though there are more real-time monitors in a few other cities of these states, those could not be considered due to data gaps and a lack of quality data, it said. “Moreover, in several cases, the real-time monitors have been set up recently and therefore, long-term data is not available. Several cities of Bihar got their real-time monitors between July and November 2021. There are two stations in Bhagalpur and one each in Bettiah, Bihar Sharif, Darbhanga, Motihari, Araria, Arrah, Buxar, Chhapra, Katihar, Kishanganj, Manguraha, Munger, Purnia, Rajgir, Saharsa, Sasaram and Siwan. “But due to the excessive amount of missing data from these stations, a meaningful analysis has not been possible. Hajipur in Bihar has data availability for over two years,” it said. The CSE said in West Bengal, real-time monitors in Durgapur and Haldia became operational only near the end of 2020, which limits the possibility of doing long-term trend analysis for these cities. Odisha has very limited real-time monitoring. “Therefore, data is indicative of the current status of air quality and seasonal variation in particulate pollution in medium and smaller cities,” it said. The analysis also found that the cities in these three states did not experience “severe” days in 2021 but the share of “poor” and “very poor” days was high. “During 2021, severely polluted days have not been noted in any city. Share of ‘very poor’ days was highest in Muzaffarpur at 93, followed by Durgapur at 71, Patna with 67 days and Howrah with 58 days. “Days with poor air quality were the highest in Durgapur at 71, followed by 67 in Patna, 53 in Kolkata and 51 in Howrah. These bad air quality days are concentrated during winter months,” it said. It also said there was a significant increase in the amount of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the air in all the cities of these states in December, compared to the months of November, October and September. “Brajrajnagar (Odisha) registered a 3.6-time jump in the monthly NO2 level, Kolkata registered a 2.8-time increase, while Patna, Talcher (Odisha) and Asansol (WB) registered a 2.5-time increase. “In absolute concentration terms, Patna registered the highest monthly average of 51 µg/m3 for December. It was followed by Kolkata (50 µg/m3) and Talcher (44 µg/m3). Muzaffarpur, Howrah and Hajipur showed an increase in the amount of NO2 in November as compared to December,” the CSE said. PTI AG RC

Pollution levels that dipped during 2020 lockdown threaten to bounce back: CSE

New Delhi, Jan 10 (IANS) With the levels of pollution rising this year, the downward dip, induced by the hard lockdown phases of the pandemic in 2020, will not persist, a new analysis of regional pollution trends done by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) showed. 'This analysis of real time air quality data for the period 2019-2021 shows that the downward dip in pollution that was induced by the hard lockdown phases of the pandemic in 2020 is threatening to bounce back with the levels in 2021 already rising. But in many cases, the levels are still lower than 2019. This underscores the urgency of scaling up action across all sectors to prevent further worsening and to arrest the trend in this region,' said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at CSE. As a result, the eastern states of India i.e. Bihar, West Bengal and Odisha -- are now feeling the sting of increased winter air pollution, the study showed. As the winter smog that engulfs north India during early November begins to extend eastwards during late December and early January, Bihar, West Bengal and Odisha are affected mostly during this time when winter inversion and the cool and calm conditions trap the local pollution that is already high. 'Even though real time air quality monitoring has begun to expand in these states to provide more up to date and real time information on air quality, there are serious concerns around missing data and gaps that makes proper risk assessment difficult. In some stations of Bihar and Odisha, data availability is so low that the trend cannot be assessed. Quality control of data is necessary,' said Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager at Urban Data Analytics Lab, CSE. This new analysis of real-time pollution data by the CSE is a part of the air quality tracker initiative of its Urban Data Analytics Lab, whose objective is to understand the trend and magnitude of pollution in different regions that have real-time air quality monitoring systems. This is an assessment of annual and seasonal trends in PM2.5 concentration for the period January 1, 2019, to January 4, 2022, which covers 29 continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS) spread across 12 cities in the above mentioned three states.

2020 के लॉकडाउन के दौरान घटे प्रदूषण के स्तर में फिर से उछाल आने का खतरा : सीएसई

नई दिल्ली: इस वर्ष प्रदूषण के स्तर में वृद्धि है, क्योंकि 2020 में महामारी के कठिन दौर में कई चरणों में लॉकडाउन लगाया गया था, जिसका प्रदूषण पर सकारात्मक प्रभाव पड़ा था। यह बात सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) द्वारा किए गए क्षेत्रीय प्रदूषण प्रवृत्तियों के नए विश्लेषण से पता चली है। सीएसई में अनुसंधान विभाग की कार्यकारी निदेशक अनुमिता रॉयचौधरी ने कहा, 2019-2021 की अवधि के लिए वास्तविक समय वायु गुणवत्ता डेटा के इस विश्लेषण से पता चलता है कि प्रदूषण में गिरावट जो 2020 में महामारी के कठिन लॉकडाउन चरणों से प्रेरित थी, 2021 में पहले से ही बढ़ रहे स्तरों के साथ फिर से उछाल की चेतावनी दे रही है। हालांकि कई मामलों में प्रदूषण का स्तर अभी भी 2019 से कम है। नतीजतन, भारत के पूर्वी राज्य यानी बिहार, पश्चिम बंगाल और ओडिशा - अब बढ़ते वायु प्रदूषण का दंश महसूस कर रहे हैं, जैसा कि अध्ययन में दिखाया गया है। नवंबर की शुरुआत में उत्तर भारत को घेरने वाला शीतकालीन स्मॉग दिसंबर के अंत और जनवरी की शुरुआत में पूर्व की ओर बढ़ने लगता है, जिससे बिहार, पश्चिम बंगाल और ओडिशा ज्यादा प्रभावित होते हैं। अर्बन डेटा एनालिटिक्स लैब, सीएसई के प्रोग्राम मैनेजर अविकल सोमवंशी ने कहा, इन राज्यों में वायु गुणवत्ता पर अधिक ताजा और वास्तविक जानकारी देने के लिए वायु गुणवत्ता निगरानी का विस्तार शुरू हो गया है। लापता डेटा और अंतराल के बारे में गंभीर चिंताएं हैं, जो उचित जोखिम मूल्यांकन को मुश्किल बनाती हैं। बिहार के कुछ स्टेशनों और ओडिशा में डेटा उपलब्धता इतनी कम है कि प्रवृत्ति का आकलन नहीं किया जा सकता। डेटा का गुणवत्ता नियंत्रण आवश्यक है।

CSE analysis shows pollution bouncing back in West Bengal, Bihar and Odisha after a short decline due to pandemic disruption

It is January, and the eastern states of India – Bihar, West Bengal and Odisha — are now feeling the sting of increased winter air pollution, says a new analysis of regional pollution trends done by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The winter smog that engulfs North India during early November begins to extend eastwards during late December and early January. Bihar, West Bengal and Odisha are affected mostly during this time when winter inversion and the cool and calm conditions trap the local pollution that is already high. “This analysis of real time air quality data for the period 2019-2021 shows that the downward dip in pollution that was induced by the hard lockdown phases of the pandemic in 2020 is threatening to bounce back with the levels in 2021 already rising. But in many cases, the levels are still lower than 2019. This underscores the urgency of scaling up action across all sectors to prevent further worsening and to arrest the trend in this region,” says Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at CSE. “Even though real time air quality monitoring has begun to expand in these states to provide more up to date and real time information on air quality, there are serious concerns around missing data and gaps that makes proper risk assessment difficult. In some stations of Bihar and Odisha, data availability is so low that the trend cannot be assessed. Quality control of data is necessary,” says Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager at Urban Data Analytics Lab, CSE. This new analysis of real time pollution data by CSE is a part of the air quality tracker initiative of the Urban Data Analytics Lab of CSE. The objective of this new analysis is to understand the trend and magnitude of pollution in different regions that have real time air quality monitoring systems. This is an assessment of annual and seasonal trends in PM2.5 concentration for the period January 1, 2019 to January 4, 2022. This analysis is based on the real time data available from the current working air quality monitoring stations. A huge volume of data points have been cleaned and data gaps have been addressed based on the USEPA (United States Environment Protection Agency) method for this analysis. This analysis covers 29 continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS) spread across 12 cities in the three states: West Bengal — seven stations in Kolkata, three stations in Howrah, and one station each in Asansol, Siliguri, Durgapur, Haldia; Bihar – six stations in Patna, three stations in Gaya, three stations in Muzaffarpur and one in Hajipur; Odisha — one real time station each in Talcher and Brajrajnagar. Even though there are more real time monitors in a few other cities of these states, those could not be considered due to data gaps and lack of quality data. Moreover, in several cases the real time monitors have been set up recently and therefore long term data is not available. Several cities of Bihar have got their real time monitors between July and November 2021. There are two stations in Bhagalpur and one station each in Bettiah, Bihar Sharif, Darbhanga, Motihari, Araria, Arrah, Buxar, Chhapra, Katihar, Kishanganj, Manguraha, Munger, Purnia, Rajgir, Saharsa, Sasaram, and Siwan. But due to excessive amount of missing data from these stations meaningful analysis has not been possible. Hajipur in Bihar has data availability for over two years. In West Bengal, real time monitors in Durgapur and Haldia became operational only near the end of 2020 which limits the possibility of doing long term trend analysis for these cities. Odisha has very limited real time monitoring. Therefore, data is indicative of the current status of air quality and seasonal variation in particulate pollution in medium and smaller cities. The key findings Challenge of data gaps and quality despite automation: Review of data availability from the automated monitoring stations in the region under the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) programme of CPCB, shows major data gaps. Data availability calculated as number of days with adequate data for computation of a valid 24hr-average has been low in five of the 12 cities in the region. For the year 2021 (January to December) data availability at Kareemganj station of Gaya and MIT station of Muzaffarpur has been just 10 per cent and 8 per cent respectively. Stations at Fort William in Kolkata, Bajrajnagar in Odisha and IGSC in Patna fare better with 63 per cent, 56 per cent, and 49 per cent data availability respectively. Most stations of West Bengal perform better as they have data availability of more than 95 per cent. Stations at Talcher in Odisha, and Collectorate in Gaya meet the minimum 80 per cent data availability requirement. In contrast the CAAQMS stations at Rajbansi Nagar in Patna have 100 per cent data availability. It is not clear why these stations have such poor data availability but it probably has to do with poor electricity and internet connectivity in the region. This requires an assessment. However, several other stations in Kolkata, Howrah, Siliguri, and Durgapur in West Bengal; and a few in Patna, Gaya, and Muzaffarpur in Bihar show between 95-100 per cent availability with some variation. Most cities show a rising trend in annual PM2.5 levels after an initial drop during 2020 with more pandemic related lockdown phases: Nearly all cities in the region show a drop in annual average PM2.5 level in 2020 that was also the year with maximum lockdown phases. But there is a rebound and a rising trend once again in 2021 though in several cases the levels are lower than the 2019 level. Durgapur, a big industrial hub of West Bengal that is also designated as a critically polluted area by CPCB, has the most polluted air in the region with 2021 average at 80 ug/m3. This is followed by Muzaffarpur and Patna with 2021 annual average of PM2.5 at 78 ug/m3 and 73 ug/m3 respectively. If the real time data is taken as an indicator, in West Bengal, Durgapur needs to reduce annual average PM2.5 by 50 per cent to meet the annual PM2.5 standard, Howrah 34 per cent, Asansol 32 per cent, Siliguri 32 per cent, Kolkata 28 per cent. Haldia met the standard in 2021. In Bihar, Muzaffarpur needs reduction in annual average PM2.5 level by close to 49 per cent to meet the standard, Patna 45 per cent, Hajipur 33 per cent, Gaya 18 per cent. Odisha is the only state where Bajrajnagar and Talcher have met the annual standard with average. The cities in eastern region did not experience ‘severe’ days during 2021 but the share of ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ days are high: During 2021 severely polluted days have not been noted in any city. Share of very poor days has been highest in Muzaffarpur at 93 in Bihar followed by Durgapur at 71 in West Bengal, Patna with 67 days in Bihar and Howrah with 58 days in West Bengal. Days with poor air quality is highest in Durgapur at 71 followed by 67 in Patna, 53 in Kolkata and 51 in Howrah. These bad air quality days are concentrated during winter months. The overall number of ‘good’ and ‘satisfactory’ air quality days have also increased during the pandemic. Bad air days begin to build up around the same time in the cities of eastern states that end of December During but it seems it persists longer in some cities like Siliguri, Durgapur, and Patna. In the next rung are Muzaffarpur and Howrah. High weekly pollution episode during winter can be more than double the annual concentration in several cities: During the worst weekly pollution episode in winter the PM2.5 concentration can increase significantly higher than the annual PM2.5 average – about two times high in several cities. During the high pollution episodes weekly PM2.5 levels can go as high as 213 ug/m3 as recorded in Muzaffarpur in December 2021. This winter so far the highest weekly level has recorded 171 ug/m3 in Durgapur, 166 ug/m3 in Patna, 148 ug/m3 in Howrah, 137 ug/m3 Hajipur, 118 ug/m3 in Kolkata, and 114 ug/m3 in Asansol. The levels are marginally lower this winter compared to last winter except in Hajipur which shows 1.8 times increase comparing to previous winters. Changing ratio of PM2.5:PM10 during different seasons of 2021: The PM2.5/PM10 ratio is a useful indicator to understand the impact of coarse dust vs tinier dust from combustion sources on air quality. Higher share of smaller particles in total particle concentration makes the air more toxic. The indicative ratio for all cities show there is a seasonal variation. The share of smaller PM2.5 is higher than the coarser PM10 in monsoon and winter. The long-term variation of the PM2.5/PM10 ratio was analyzed from weekly data average for three different seasons: Summer (March – May), monsoon (June – October), and winter (November – January). The PM2.5/PM10 ratio in all the cities of West Bengal has an increasing slope from summer to winter except Siliguri, which is showing high percentage of PM2.5/PM10 ratio in summers with 58 per cent and then gradually dropping to 50 per cent in monsoon which again spikes to 52 per cent in winter. Mostly, the concentration of PM2.5/PM10 ratio is higher during winter’s months (November to January) hovering around 53 per cent in West Bengal cities. This is indicative and there can be variation across years. However, this trend is broadly consistent with what has been noted in parts of the country. In Bihar, Gaya has the highest PM2.5/PM10 ratio in all the three seasons with the PM2.5 share as high as 73 per cent in winter. Hajipur is showing high percentage of PM2.5/PM10 ratio in monsoon with 51 per cent and then dropping to 47 per cent in winter. Overall in Bihar the concentration of PM2.5/PM10 ratio is higher during winter (November to January) hovering around 55 per cent. Brajrajnagar in Odisha has data gaps for the month from September to October. Therefore, this station has not been included in this analysis. Winter pollution can be a toxic cocktail of particulate and gases: There is a significant increase in amount of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in air of all cities of eastern states during December compared to the previous months of November, October and September. Brajrajnagar registered 3.6 times jump in monthly NO2 level, Kolkata registered a 2.8 times increase while Patna, Talcher, and Asansol registered a 2.5 times increase. In absolute concentration term, Patna registered the highest monthly average of 51 µg/m3 for December. It is followed by Kolkata (50 µg/m3) and Talcher (44 µg/m3). Muzaffarpur, Howrah and Hazipur showed increase in amount of NO2 in month of November as compared to December. NO2 levels corelate well with traffic peaks in cities: All cities show peaking of hourly NO2 concentration between 6pm and 8pm which coincides with evening rush hour in the cities. Hourly NO2 in Siliguri increases four-folds between noon and 7pm. The NO2 cycle is equally sharp in Muzaffarpur and Asansol with 3.5-3 times increase noted at evening compared to the afternoon. All cities have a morning NO2 peak around 7-8am but this is relatively lower` than the evening peak. In Patna and Kolkata high NO2 levels persist up till midnight indicating presence of pollution from night-time truck movement in the city. Conclusion and the way ahead The eastern region that spans across middle and low Indo Gangetic Plains experiences winter smog towards the end of December and early January. Pollution trapping can be high during adverse winter conditions as the overall pollution level in cities are high. The region is already experiencing rebound of pollution after the temporary dip in 2020 due to the pandemic linked hard lockdown phases. The city and state action plans in the concerned states require stronger multi-sector interventions to reduce pollution in a time bound manner and to meet the national ambient air quality standards. Scale up access to clean fuel and technology in industry and power plants, transform public transport, walking and cycling at a scale, address old vehicles and speed up electrification of new fleet, amend municipal bylaws and scale up infrastructure for management and recycling of all waste streams, eliminate solid fuel for cooking, control dust from construction sector and adopt greening and afforestation strategy for dousing dust. This agenda is non-negotiable to meet the clean air target. (Report sent by Pratyusha Mukherjee)

Pollution levels could rise again after 2020 lockdown-induced dip: Study

With the levels of pollution rising this year, the downward dip, induced by the hard lockdown phases of the pandemic in 2020, will not persist, a new analysis of regional pollution trends showed With the levels of pollution rising this year, the downward dip, induced by the hard lockdown phases of the pandemic in 2020, will not persist, a new analysis of regional pollution trends done by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) showed. "This analysis of real time air quality data for the period 2019-2021 shows that the downward dip in pollution that was induced by the hard lockdown phases of the pandemic in 2020 is threatening to bounce back with the levels in 2021 already rising. But in many cases, the levels are still lower than 2019. This underscores the urgency of scaling up action across all sectors to prevent further worsening and to arrest the trend in this region," said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at CSE. As a result, the eastern states of India i.e. Bihar, West Bengal and Odisha -- are now feeling the sting of increased winter air pollution, the study showed. As the winter smog that engulfs north India during early November begins to extend eastwards during late December and early January, Bihar, West Bengal and Odisha are affected mostly during this time when winter inversion and the cool and calm conditions trap the local pollution that is already high. "Even though real time air quality monitoring has begun to expand in these states to provide more up to date and real time information on air quality, there are serious concerns around missing data and gaps that makes proper risk assessment difficult. In some stations of Bihar and Odisha, data availability is so low that the trend cannot be assessed. Quality control of data is necessary," said Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager at Urban Data Analytics Lab, CSE. This new analysis of real-time pollution data by the CSE is a part of the air quality tracker initiative of its Urban Data Analytics Lab, whose objective is to understand the trend and magnitude of pollution in different regions that have real-time air quality monitoring systems. This is an assessment of annual and seasonal trends in PM2.5 concentration for the period January 1, 2019, to January 4, 2022, which covers 29 continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS) spread across 12 cities in the above mentioned three states.

Delhi: Over 63mm rainfall in just 3 days makes it wettest January in 27 years

NEW DELHI: The city logged 63.6mm of rainfall in the last three days, making it the wettest January in the past 27 years. Before this, Safdarjung, the city's base weather station, had received 69.8mm of rainfall in January 1995. The rain also cleaned the air with air quality index (AQI) remaining in the "satisfactory" category for 48 hours. It was the first January to experience a "satisfactory" air day since Central Pollution Control Board started maintaining AQI from April 2015. Two "satisfactory" days in January this year also made it rarer. The AQI was 91 on Saturday, which improved to 69 on Sunday. RK Jenamani, senior scientist at IMD, said, "Under the influence of the most active western disturbance of this season, Delhi received rain for two and a half days. This western disturbance was unique because of three factors - it remained for a longer period over north Pakistan and adjoining plains, vertical extension of the system was stronger and extended up to the upper troposphere and it picked very high moisture from Arabian Sea." Safdarjung recorded 5.4mm rainfall on Sunday between 8.30am and 5.30pm. Narela received the highest rainfall (12.1mm), while Lodhi Road logged 5.6mm. Rain was now unlikely till January 18. Delhi recorded the lowest maximum temperature of the season at 15 degrees Celsius, four notches below normal. The minimum temperature settled at 13.8 degrees Celsius, seven degrees above normal. "The day and night temperatures remained almost the same for 48 hours. There was a marginal difference in minimum and maximum temperatures due to the western disturbance," said Jenamani. Gufran Beig, founder project director, SAFAR, said. "Due to unprecedented rain in January, AQI has been unusually low since Saturday. It's rare that two consecutive satisfactory days were recorded in January." SAFAR said, "From Monday, air pollutants may gradually accumulate in the air in the absence of rainfall and relatively moderate ventilation. AQI is likely to be satisfactory on Monday and degrade to moderate on January 11 and 12 due to low wind speeds." Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment, said, "Rain and improved wind speed washed out the pollutants. We will have to see how pollution bounces back after the rain stops and moisture content increases, while the cold conditions continue to prevail."