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Climate change: Cleaning up India's energy systems

Expert Sunita Narain writes that in the fight against climate change, India's real challenge will not be building infrastructure, but ensuring that even the poorest can pay the cost of this 'clean' energy When it comes to climate change, three truths must define the way the world, and India, act to combat this challenge. First, we must recognise the urgent reality of extreme weather, attributed to emissions from burning of fossil fuels, that is devasting the entire world. Therefore, the world must act to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, fast and drastically. There should be no arguments on this.

Will 2022 bridge the yawning gaps in national and state level clean air action?

n 2022, as many as 132 cities that are currently implementing clean air action plans under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), will have only two years left to meet the 2024 target of 20-30% cut in annual average particulate pollution from 2017 levels. While these generic targets are common for all cities, the city-wise target for meeting the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for both particulate matter of size less than 10 micron and 2.5 micron (PM10 and PM2.5) are significantly tighter for some. Especially those in the Indo Gangetic Plain, where the reduction needed is 50-60% or more. But even before cities could come closer to meeting their minimal air quality targets, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has started the process of further tightening of air quality standards. The World Health Organisation (WHO) too has raised the bar to protect public health. The new WHO guidelines for particulate matter are eight to four times more stringent than the current Indian standards. his raises questions about the effectiveness of the action initiated under two funding streams that are currently available to support clean air action in cities. Under NCAP, about Rs 460 core were earmarked out of which about Rs 375.44 crore (81%), has been disbursed, with allocation varying between Rs 10-20 crore per city. The other is a bigger kitty of Rs 4,400 crore for urban local bodies in 42 cities with more than a million population (ULB Funding) for air pollution mitigation, sanctioned by the 15th Finance Commission. Poor fund utilisation The recent status update on NCAP funding by the Ministry of Environment and Forests and Climate Change shows poor utilization — a mere 33.53% at the end of three years of NCAP implementation. While Bihar and Chandigarh have shown high utilization, 76.98% and 81.55% respectively, it is just 7.92% in Maharashtra. North eastern states like Assam, Nagaland and other and the hill states like Himachal Pradesh also show very low utilisation. Other comparatively better performers include West Bengal (57.63%), Rajasthan (57.24%), Uttarakhand (53.17%) and Jharkhand (50%). Southern states of Karnataka, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh indicate utilisation of 34.35%, 16.90% and 9.61%, respectively. If funding of clean air action has to become more performance-oriented in the coming years, it is necessary to understand the scope and nature of funding for verifiable improvement in air quality. Low fund utilisation indicates shortfall in targeted action. But what ultimately matters is not only the full implementation of the plans but the effectiveness of the actions. Currently, the NCAP funding is largely designed to improve air quality monitoring and support emissions source inventory and source apportionment studies. While this technical support for air quality management is important, direct mitigation action is not the core focus of the NCAP funding yet. The available funding for mitigation is largely limited to road dust control (mechanical sweeping and water sprinkling); it is not designed for deep, multi-sector action identified under NCAP. Addressing capacity gaps There is an expectation that state governments will also provide funding support. But there is little clarity about the scope of funding on pollution mitigation related to industry, vehicles, transport, waste management, clean fuel access, among others. There is largely no additional committed funding at the state level except the existing line funding which is quite status quo in its approach. There is also not enough evidence on ground to demonstrate the level of reduction that has been possible with the current effort to reduce pollution towards air quality targets. Similar assessment of the spending pattern of ULB Funding under the 15th Finance Commission is not yet available. As this is a new line of funding, most cities are either preparing or have just started implementing the micro-action plans to utilize this fund. However, these plans have created opportunities for more granular planning in each sector requiring sector-wise and indicator-wise target setting and earmarking of funds. Delhi air quality File pic of Smog in Delhi. Every winter, air quality in Delhi touch hazardous levels. Pic: Wikimedia Commons This has, for the first time, pushed the concerned sectoral departments in cities to align their programmes and budget to deliver on clean air targets. CPCB has defined more than 250 indicators covering all sectors for planning and reporting. If action, compliance and progress can be tracked for each indicator every quarter, more systemic changes are possible for clean air gains. Read more: Delhi’s toxic air: From emergency measures to sustained action However, a review of this process in a few states by the Centre for Science and Environment shows that while this is a useful exercise to align inter-departmental work, a lot more is needed to build capacity for planning and compliance at the city level. Even though plans have taken shape, the scope of action for effective mitigation is often not clear to the agencies. Therefore, planning for adequate infrastructure, system change and regulatory and administrative measures to support action remains limited. For instance, action on industrial pollution is largely in status quo in terms of monitoring, inspection and issuance of consent to operate or closure notices. Focus on targeted introduction of clean fuels, adoption of emissions control technologies in big and small scale units, enforcement of new standards and advanced monitoring for compliance have not been adequately addressed. Similarly, while action on public transport, walking and cycling are included in the plans, there is little clarity about designing these strategies for effective increase in their mode share and to reduce traffic volume and vehicular kilometers travelled. On the contrary, inappropriate approaches like road widening, flyovers and increasing parking supply that increases traffic intensity and emissions, have qualified for funding. Data collection and analysis gaps This exercise has also shown how unprepared the departments are in tracking data for reporting progress on all sectoral indicators. It is often not well-understood how to record and use data for reporting progress. Often several other actions under way, which have a bearing on air quality improvement, remain underreported because of this lack of clarity. Scope of action also remains narrow. For instance, control of road dust is largely limited to sweeping of roads and sprinkling water and ignores paving and greening. Not enough connection is made with plantation and protection of forests and water bodies, green walling and soil stabilisation techniques in agriculture to control dust. Nearly all cities have found it challenging to set targets for future action as comprehensive policy planning aligning with the clean air indicators have not been carried out at the state and departmental levels. Nearly every action requires standard operating procedures and management information systems within departments. This needs comprehensive mapping of enforcement strategy, strengthening of regulatory and administrative measures, and building infrastructure and skills to provide targeted support and set targets. Finally, the NCAP is also preparing to come up with state level action plans to address the problem at a regional scale and not remain confined to city limits. It is not yet clear how this will operate to include both urban and rural sources within an accountability framework and as shared responsibility between different jurisdictions. The bottom line is that 2022 has to be about measurable and verifiable improvement in air quality across all regions.

From the Editor-in-Chief

India Today Editor-in-Chief Aroon Purie on India's big concerns through insights from a panel of experts in their particular fields We entered 2022 with a sense of déjà vu because the new year seems a lot like the year gone by. Covid-19 cases are rising again and a far more contagious strain of the novel coronavirus is spreading across the globe. The good thing, though, is that two years on, Covid-19 is no longer an unknown unknown. We know the nature of the beast and experienced the worst of it last year when the Delta variant tore across India, triggering the second wave of infections, aggravated by an acute medical oxygen crisis and black fungus cases, all of which collectively killed over 200,000 people in the country. We are now far better prepared with vaccine stocks and the government’s booster dose programme. Covid-19 has claimed 5.4 globally, just a tenth of the estimated 50 million deaths from the 1918 influenza pandemic, also referred to as the ‘Spanish flu’. The outbreak raged for about two years and infected a third of humanity. The new Omicron strain of Covid, from all available evidence, is milder than Delta. That’s a relief. Although we are still in the midst of the pandemic, we seem to be much better off. But this should not breed complacency. Viruses seldom behave the way you want them to. The world today has four times the population it had a century ago and is far more interconnected. One study finds that the global economy could lose almost $3 trillion (Rs 223 lakh crore) due to Covid-19. It is projected to grow at 4.3 per cent in 2022, slightly below the 5.8 per cent it achieved last year (after -3.3 per cent in 2020). The International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates global GDP losses could rise to $5.3 trillion (Rs 393 lakh crore) over five years with several million lives lost. Strong economic growth is a key imperative for India if it is to pull more people out of poverty. The pandemic’s trajectory, particularly its linkage with the wellness of people, will be the most important factor determining global economic recovery in 2022. In addition to these two intertwined concerns, India has a third sharp end of a threat triangle to deal with— China. In May 2020, a belligerent Beijing shredded three decades of peace and tranquillity protocols when it moved heavy military units to the boundary in eastern Ladakh, where both sides remain entrenched. Apart from concerns of health, economy and security, several other factors will weigh on the minds of the political establishment in 2022. This year, we celebrate the 75th anniversary of our independence. There will be elections to the office of the President and Vice-President and to seven state assemblies. The BJP is in power in six of these states, including Prime Minister Modi’s home state of Gujarat. The party’s strategy to fight anti-incumbency will be closely watched. There are, however, more long-term concerns in the year ahead and beyond. Our special issue, ‘2022: Hope & Fear’, put together by Editor (Features) Kai Friese, looks at these concerns through insights from a panel of experts in their particular fields. For instance, virologist Gangandeep Kang says science and public health, supported by policy, need to be at the forefront of our control endeavours because the threat from global waves of SARS-CoV-2 variants is not going away. China watcher Andrew Small explains that Beijing now has a greater appetite for escalating crises than it did in the past and thinks it can live with antagonistic relationships on multiple fronts. Former foreign secretary Shyam Saran believes 2022 will be more unpredictable and hopes for it to be India’s year of a revitalised Act East policy and engagement with economic blocs, such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). Financial strategist Neelkanth Mishra feels India should seize the opportunity and focus on increasing its share of global trade, both in services and merchandise. Economist Jahangir Aziz outlines five broad trends to watch for—Covid-19 turning endemic, the impact of COP26 commitments on future energy sources, a policy regime change in China, the permanent damage caused by the Covid pandemic, and global electoral cycles in the next few years. Environmentalist Sunita Narain says it is time for India to reinvent growth without pollution by designing a more resource efficient, affordable and sustainable climate change model. Former agriculture secretary Siraj Hussain and researcher Shweta Saini write about how the farmers’ agitation against the central farm laws should not be seen as the end of the road for agri- cultural reforms. For technologist Rohan Murty, a major theme of 2022 will be deploying tech to improve people’s experience at work. The RSS, the BJP’s ideological parent, will celebrate 100 years of its existence in 2025. According to RSS ideologue Ram Madhav, the challenge for the organisation will be to find a balance between pride and anger, ensuring that neither spills over. Author and Trinamool Congress leader Pavan K. Varma, however, argues that Hindutva aims to overturn the inclusiveness and eclecticism of Hinduism. Group Editorial Director (Publishing) Raj Chengappa writes about the need for the Modi government to stay the course on economic reforms. Senior advocate Arvind P. Datar says India must nurture the institutional independence of courts and tribunals if it wants to be treated on par with the great western democracies, while globalisation specialist Parag Khanna sees the waves of migrating Indians as reshaping the world. Finally, sports writer Sharda Ugra predicts that the new year will be one of a resurgence of Indian athletes across all sport. This is truly a galaxy of fine writers and if you want to know the direction the country and the world are taking, or ought to be taking, this special issue is a must read. Enjoy.

Delhi plans mesh of sensors to monitor pollution air hot spots

Pollution is one of the biggest problems dogging Delhi, and the city experiences a public health emergency every winter with the air quality deteriorating to hazardous levels The national capital’s 40 real-time ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS) account for a network that roughly covers every 37 sq km of Delhi’s 1,484 sq km area, if these stations were spread out at equal distance from each other across the city. While this network is considerably denser than the four stations functional each in Gurugram, Ghaziabad, Noida and Faridabad, and the two stations in Greater Noida, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) is now considering deploying multiple low-cost sensors to enhance the coverage further. The idea is to install these sensors at the neighbourhood level to create a spatial grid alerting the anti-pollution body of changes in air quality levels in different parts of the same area, to enable local interventions in places where spikes are reported, DPCC officials aware of the matter said. If approved, the plan is start by using these sensors in Delhi’s 13 pollution hot spots, where urgent corrective action in needed, they added. “These sensors function in a similar way to an automatic real-time stations present in Delhi, but they will also be able to identify local sources of pollution, which otherwise cannot be detected by a real-time station as it covers a substantially larger area. Depending on which sensor is showing high-levels of pollution, we can take corrective action, for example acting on dust in its vicinity or any kind of garbage burning,” said a senior DPCC official who asked not to be named. Pollution is one of the biggest problems dogging the national capital, and the city experiences a public health emergency every winter with the air quality deteriorating to hazardous levels. Between November and December last year, for example, the city witnessed 17 “severe” days, and even “very poor” and “poor” days on the Air Quality Index (AQI) rating scale are considered periods of respite. To be sure, this problem is not restricted to winter. Delhi’s average PM2.5 level in 2021 was 87 micrograms per cubic metre, 17 times higher than safety levels prescribed by the World Health Organization (WHO). In 2018, DPCC identified 13 pollution hot spots, which have a substantially higher annual PM 2.5 concentration than the city’s mean average. These are Jahangirpuri, Anand Vihar, Ashok Vihar, Wazirpur, Punjabi Bagh, Dwarka Sector 8, Rohini Sector 16, RK Puram, Bawana, Mundka, Narela, Okhla Phase II and Vivek Vihar. Initially, it is these areas that DPCC wants to target with the network of low-cost sensors. While an automatic monitoring station costs around ₹1-1.5 crore, a low-cost sensor costs only ₹50,000, if it is to measure both PM 2.5 and PM 10 particulate matter. For each additional sensor to measure gases such as SO2, O3 and NOx, the cost goes up by ₹25,000 per filter. In Delhi, the 40 real-time stations have been installed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and DPCC, each measuring PM 10, PM 2.5, SO2, NOx, NH3, CO, O3 and benzene. The low-cost sensors are relatively less accurate but experts said that the data can be used very effectively for analysis and intervention. Ronak Sutaria, founder, Respirer Living Sciences, who specialises in gathering local-level data from low-cost sensors, says while a real-time station influences area of 3-5 sq km, low-cost sensors could cover a radius of 1 sq km easily, creating both a spatial and temporal grid that can be analysed by DPCC. “If we have to assume each pollution hot spot in Delhi is spread over an area of 5 sq km, five such low-cost sensors can be installed covering a kilometre each and you can then identify in which grid the pollution levels are higher. The denser the grid, the more accurate the readings will be,” he says, stating while costing nearly 30-40 times lesser than an ambient air quality station, these low-cost sensors still have an accuracy that is only around 10-15% apart from a real-time station. “If the real-time station is showing “severe” air, then these sensors will show”severe” air too, and the actual concentration may be 10-20 micrograms apart, but it will still give a good idea of the concentration levels in the area,” he added, pointing out that local data also gives a better idea of spike of bad air spikes during different times of the day. Professor SN Tripathi from IIT Kanpur, who is part of a committee formed by CPCB to look at ways to utilise both low-cost sensors and ambient air quality monitoring stations together, says Delhi could benefit with a low-cost network in addition to the existing stations. “While the existing network of 40 stations in Delhi is good enough for policy-level decisions, low-cost sensors will be able to give an idea of certain locations at the neighbourhood-level which have a higher concentration level. Based on this, you could strategically act on the sources of pollution around that sensor,” he said, adding that Beijing is uses a network of over 3,000 low-cost sensors. Anumita Roychowdhury says the approach to use low-cost sensors to tackle hots pot pollution can help coordinate ground-level action better. “Only once we know the source, can we act on it. Ground-level action such as high readings from burning of waste or dust can be easily captured,” she said.

New rules on fly ash disposal a ‘positive step’, but experts say health, ecology risks remain

Fly ash is the residue of coal combustion, which, if disposed of improperly, is hazardous. New govt rules include a system of environmental compensation based on polluter-pays principle. New Delhi: Thermal power plants and lignite plants that do not utilise 100 per cent of the fly ash they generate in an “eco-friendly” way will now face penalties, under a new set of rules notified by the Narendra Modi government. Fly ash is the residue of coal combustion, which, if disposed of improperly, is hazardous for health and the environment due to the concentrated presence of heavy metals. The notification from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change intends to “bring out a comprehensive framework for ash utilisation including a system of environmental compensation based on polluter-pays principle”. This is a first in the country. Thermal power plants must utilise 100 per cent of their yearly fly ash output within a three-year cycle to avoid penalties, the 31 December notification says, adding that “at no point” should utilisation fall below 80 per cent. The plants that fail to have 100 per cent utilisation levels within this period will be forced to pay the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) Rs 1,000 per tonne of unutilised ash. VDO.AI The notification acknowledges “legacy ash”, or the build-up of fly ash by thermal power plants over decades, saying that this must be utilised over a period of 10 years from the time the notification is applicable, from 1 April 2022 onwards. Legacy ash must be dealt with “over and above” the yearly ash output by power plants, the notification says. India has over 200 coal power plants that generate an enormous amount of fly ash. According to the Central Electricity Authority, India’s coal plants generated 232.56 million tonnes of fly ash in 2020-2021. Although 93 per cent of it was utilised, millions of tonnes accumulated over the years lie unused. A study by think tank Centre for Science and Environment in March 2021 found that over half of India’s power plants failed to fully utilise their fly ash and fell behind previous government targets. The new notification will replace the 1999 notification that had originally set up rules for fly ash utilisation. It will also supersede the various amendments to the 1999 notification made in 2003, 2009 and 2016, which have all sought to manage the generation of fly ash. ‘Eco-friendly’ utilisation The latest notification is largely similar to the draft that had been released for public comments in April 2021. Dumping fly ash on land needs to be prevented, and it should be dealt with in an “eco-friendly” manner, the new notification says. It lists “the only” ways in which the fly ash can be utilised, which include the manufacturing of bricks, tiles, cement, construction of roads, and export to other countries. It also allows for the “filling of low-lying areas”, filling of empty mines, and “agriculture in a controlled manner based on soil testing”. The notification adds that the compensation money collected by the CPCB for ash that hasn’t been utilised will be used “towards the safe disposal of the unutilised ash” as well as research on ash-based products. What experts say According to experts, the introduction of a penalty for non-compliance and acknowledgement of legacy ash is a step in the right direction, but there are other facets that the notification doesn’t adequately address. “The notification calls the filling of low-lying areas an eco-friendly method of utilising fly ash, but more often than not, this is a euphemism for irresponsibly dumping ash. Dumping ash in low-lying areas can lead to severe ecological consequences,” said Sehr Raheja, a researcher with Manthan Adhyayan Kendra, a civil society organisation that wrote to the government in April last year, when comments on the draft notification had been invited. A report co-authored by Manthan found that there were eight major fly ash breaches between 2019 and 2021, leading to destruction and contamination. While the notification says that all yearly and legacy ash must be utilised, it also makes a provision for ash stored in dykes and ponds — structures built for large amounts of ash disposal — saying that as long as such storage is “stabilised” or reclaimed by growing plantations, coal power plants certified with the CPCB can be excluded from the 10-year deadline. “We also worry that this will create a loophole for coal power plants not to utilise their legacy ash,” Raheja added. Think tank Centre for Policy Research (CPR) had also submitted comments in April last year, saying a 10-year deadline to comply with 100 per cent utilisation of legacy ash “eases the legal burden of compliance but allows for illegal dumps of overloaded ash dykes to continue” despite risks of accidents and contamination. The CPR also said the draft notification didn’t address the issue of fly ash generation, which is the underlying cause for build-up and environmental damage. It also urged the government to recognise that fly ash is a public health hazard. “It is critical to take policy measures to link fly ash utilisation with steps being taken by the government to prevent diseases and deaths and provide health services. The environmental regulation that emerges from this approach of ‘fly ash as a health risk’ has the potential to identify remedies to address legacy impact and prevent future legal breaches,” CPR wrote in its comments. However, the final notification does not incorporate this point.

Corona पर बड़ी लापरवाही: एक तरफ बढ़ते केस, दूसरी तरफ बेपरवाह जनता

नेशनल डेस्क: कोरोना महामारी की दूसरी लहर थमने के बाद शायद अब जनता दो साल बीता भयावह दौर नहीं देखना और न ही इसकी कल्पना करना चाहती है। जनता वैसे ही जीना चाहती है जैसे दो साल पहले महामारी से पहले जिया करती थी। इसमें भी कोई दोराय नहीं है कि नए साल ने पूरे विश्व में इस बार कोरोना के नए वेरिएंट ओमीक्रॉन के साथ दस्तक दी है और यह पूरे विश्व में तेजी से फैल रहा है। जबकि अब जनता बेरपवाह होकर जीना चाहती है, सड़कों पर मास्क लगा कर चलना छोड़ दिया है, दो गज की दूरी भूल गई है। जो लॉकडाउन झेला उसे दोबारा नहीं देखना चाहती है। समाजिक तौर पर इसकी वजह यह है कि भारत ही नहीं पूरे विश्व में लोगों के गुजरे हुए दो साल एक भयानक सपने की तरह गुजरे हैं। साल 2020 में जब कोरोना महामारी ने जब लोगों की दुनिया की रफ्तार को जाम कर दिया तो उन्हें अपनी जिंदगी किसी राजा के शाही फरमान के मुताबिक जीने को मजबूर होना पड़ा। वजह लाजमी थी कोरोना से निपटने के लिए दवाओं का पता नहीं था वैक्सीन थी नहीं ऐसे में लोगों ने अपनी जान बचाने के लिए वह सब किया जो उन्हें कभी पसंद नहीं था। खौफ से सरकारी फरमानों के मुताबिक लोगों ने घरों से बाहर निकलना बंद कर दिया। दो गज दूरी के चक्कर में एक दूसरे से मिलना ही बंद कर दिया। मास्क को अपने रोजमर्रा के कपड़ों का हिस्सा बनाया। ऑफिस छोड़ घरों से ऑनलाइन काम करना शुरु कर दिया। बच्चों के शिक्षण संस्थान बंद हो गए ऑनलाइन शिक्षा के चक्कर में विश्व के करोड़ों गरीब छात्र पढ़ाई से महरूम हो गए। भारत में सड़कों पर प्रवासी मजदूरों की भीड़ शहरों से गांव पलायन करने लगी। क्या अब वह भयावह दौर गुजर चुका है यह एक ऐसा भयावह मंजर था जिसे अमीर से अमीर और गरीब से गरीब व्यक्ति को झेलना पड़ा। करीब एक साल पहले जब कोरोना रोधी वैक्सीन उपलब्ध हुई तो दुनिया भर के देशों को लग रहा था कि अब हम कोरोना महामारी की चपेट से बाहर आ जाएंगे। कुछ हद तक भारत सहित कई देश इस बात को लेकर आश्वस्त होने लगे कि सब ठीक हो जाएगा। महामारी की भारत में दूसरी लहर धीमी पड़ने पर हमने भी मान लिया था कि अब वह भयावह दौर गुजर चुका है और हम अब वापिस मुड़ कर नहीं देखने वाले हैं। ऐसी हकीकत की कल्पना दोबारा कोई भी नहीं करना चाहेगा जब गंगा में शव लावारिस हो गए और कब्रिस्तान शवों को दफनाने के लिए कम पड़ने लगे थे। श्मशान में शवों की कतारें लगी थी और अस्थियों से भरी बोरियों के भी ढेर जमा हो गए थे। कारोना की रफ्तार थमने के बाद यह भी दावा किया जाता है कि 2022 के अंत तक लोगों को कोरोना से निजात मिल जाएगी। यह दावा वैक्सीनेशन पर आधारित है, ये माना जा रहा है कि विश्व में 70 फीसदी लोगों के टीकाकरण के बाद स्थिति काबू में आ जाएगी। जब तक सब सुरक्षित नहीं होंगे, तब तक कोई भी सुरक्षित नहीं सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) की महानिदेशक सुनीता नारायण अपने एक लेख में कहती है कि महामारी से जंग में वायरस और इसके वेरिएट्स की वैक्सीनेशन के साथ रेस थी। कहा गया कि ‘जब तक सब सुरक्षित नहीं होंगे, तब तक कोई भी सुरक्षित नहीं है’। यह स्लोगन हमें फिर से आश्वासन दिलाता था कि हम जीत की ओर बढ़ रहे हैं। हमने जी-7 में दुनिया के नेताओं से इसके बारे में तफसील से सुना। वह लिखती है कि जब हम नए साल में आने को तैयार थे और उम्मीद कर रहे थे कि सामान्य दिन वापस आ जाएंगे, कोरोना के नए वेरिएंट- ओमीक्रान ने दुनिया को झटका दिया। अगर 2020 नोवेल कोरोना वायरस का और 2021 इसके डेल्टा वेरिएंट का साल था तो 2022 में ओमीक्रान हमें डराने जा रहा है। अब इकलौता विकल्प बूस्टर देने का सुनीता नारायण ने उल्लेख किया है कि हमें नहीं पता कि यह कितना खतरनाक होगा। हम बस इतना जानते हैं कि इसके उत्परिवर्तन करने की दर काफी ज्यादा है और इसका संक्रमण बहुत तेज है। यह उस प्रतिरोधक क्षमता को नष्ट कर डालता है, जो हमने वैक्सीन से हासिल की है, यानी कि अब इकलौता विकल्प बचता है- बूस्टर देने का। उन सारे लोगों को बूस्टर देने का, जो वैक्सीन की पहली दोनों डोज ले चुके हैं ताकि वे ओमीक्रान के संक्रमण से कम प्रभावित हों। विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन जो हाल- फिलहाल तक अमीर देशों से कह रहा था कि वे कोरोना वायरस को रोकने के लिए अपने यहां सभी को बूस्टर डोज देने की बजाय गरीब देशों को वैक्सीन उपलब्ध कराएं, अब चिल्ला-चिल्लाकर बूस्टर, बूस्टर, बूस्टर कर रहा है। हम वाकई थक चुके हैं।

CSE finds early signs of rising air pollution in MP, Chhattisgarh

The CSE analysis of air quality status in cities of MP and Chhattisgarh is an assessment of annual and seasonal trends in PM2.5 concentration for the period January 1, 2019 to December 12, 2021 It is not only the northern part of India that is in the grip of severe winter pollution but several cities in other regions -- including in the central Indian states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh -- are experiencing a worsening of winter pollution, finds a latest analysis from Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The analysis shows that air pollution during winter is a problem in all the cities in these two states, with Gwalior and Singrauli having the worst air quality -- as bad as the winter air quality of cities in the National Capital Region and Uttar Pradesh. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution is also high in these cities, with Indore recording the highest for the region. Singrauli, a small town in eastern Madhya Pradesh, but designated as a critically polluted area by the Central Pollution Control Board, has the most polluted air in the region with a 2021 average of 81 micrograms per metre cube. It is followed by Gwalior and Katni that have 2021 averages of 56 micrograms per metre cube and 54 micrograms per metre cube, respectively. The 2021 average has bypassed the 2020 average in all the major cities -- Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur and Ujjain -- and it does not meet the annual standard as well. "Satna has the lowest 2021 average value, but the quality of data from the city's only station is suspect. Bilaspur, Bhilai and Maihar do not have adequate data for computation of annual values," a release from the CSE said on Monday. "Even though real time air quality data is extremely limited in this region, whatever real time data is emerging from only 17 cities of these two big states indicate a growing crisis and vulnerability to winter smog. This demands early and stronger multi-sector action at a regional scale to meet the clean air targets," said executive director, research and advocacy, CSE, Anumita Roychowdhury. "Gaps in air quality data and lack of quality control of data makes it difficult to construct reliable air quality trends and do proper risk assessment," said Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager, Urban Lab, CSE. "The worsening of air quality in the region has not drawn adequate public attention. In winter, air quality of cities such as Singrauli, Gwalior, Jabalpur and Katni could get nearly three times worse than their annual average levels." The CSE analysis of air quality status in cities of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh is an assessment of annual and seasonal trends in PM2.5 concentration for the period January 1, 2019 to December 12, 2021. This analysis is based on real time data available from the current working air quality monitoring stations in central India. The analysis covers 18 continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS) spread across 17 cities in the two states -- two stations in Gwalior and one station each at Bhopal, Damoh, Dewas, Indore, Jabalpur, Katni, Maihar, Mandideep, Pithampur, Ratlam, Sagar, Satna, Singrauli, Ujjain, Bhilai and Bilaspur. Air quality monitoring is still very limited in the central region. Cities in MP have data available for over two years; but real time monitors in Chhattisgarh became operational only in the latter half of 2021, which limits the possibility of assessing long term trends. Therefore, the data is indicative of the current status of air quality and seasonal variations in particulate pollution in medium and smaller cities in the region, the CSE release said.

CSE Finds First Signs of Rising Air Pollution in MP, Chhattisgarh

Not only is northern India gripped by heavy winter pollution, but several cities in other regions, including the central Indian states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, are experiencing worsening winter pollution. analysis from the Center for Science and the Environment (CSE). Analysis shows that winter air pollution is a problem for all cities in these two states, with Gwalior and Singrawi having the worst air quality – as bad as winter air quality in cities in the National Capital Region and Uttar Pradesh. These cities also have high levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution, with the highest in the region in Indore. Singrauli, a small town in the east of Madhya Pradesh, which has been designated as a Critically Polluted Area by the Central Pollution Control Board, has the most polluted air in the region, with an average of 81 micrograms per cubic meter in 2021. It is followed by Gwalior and Katney, who averaged 56 micrograms per cubic meter and 54 micrograms per cubic meter in 2021, respectively. The 2021 average surpassed the 2020 average for all major cities – Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur and Ujjain – and it also falls short of the annual standard. “Satna has the lowest average in 2021, but the quality of the data from the city’s only station is suspicious. Bilaspur, Bhilai and Mayhar do not have adequate data to calculate annual values, ”the CSE said in a statement on Monday. “While real-time air quality data for the region is extremely limited, any real-time data coming from just 17 cities in these two large states indicates a growing crisis and vulnerability to winter smog. regionally to achieve clean air targets, ”said Anumita Roychowdhuri, executive director of research and advocacy at CSE. “Gaps in air quality data and lack of quality control make it difficult to build reliable air quality trends and conduct proper risk assessments,” said Avikal Somvanshi, Program Manager, Urban Lab, CSE. “The deteriorating air quality in the region has not received enough public attention. In winter, the air quality in cities such as Singrawi, Gwalior, Jabalpur and Katni can be almost three times worse than their average levels. ” The CSE analysis of the air quality status in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh is an estimate of the annual and seasonal trends in PM2.5 concentrations from 1 January 2019 to 12 December 2021. This analysis is based on real-time data available from operational air quality monitoring stations in central India. The analysis covers 18 Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring (CAAQMS) stations located in 17 cities in two states – two stations in Gwalior and one station each in Bhopal, Damokh, Dewas, Indore, Jabalpur, Katni, Mayhar, Mandidipa, Pithampur and others. Ratlam , Sagar, Satna, Singrawi, Ujjain, Bhilai and Bilaspur. Air quality monitoring in the central region is still very limited. For cities, the MP has data for more than two years; but real-time monitors in Chhattisgarh only started working in the second half of 2021, limiting the ability to assess long-term trends. Thus, the data indicate the current state of air quality and seasonal fluctuations in particulate matter pollution in medium and small cities in the region, the CSE said.

CSE finds early signs of rising air pollution in MP, Chhattisgarh – New Delhi News

The evaluation reveals that air air pollution throughout winter is an issue in all of the cities in these two states, with Gwalior and Singrauli having the worst air high quality — as unhealthy because the winter air high quality of cities within the National Capital Region and Uttar Pradesh. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) air pollution can be excessive in these cities, with Indore recording the very best for the area. Join Our Telegram Group Get Free Free Fire Redeem Codes Daily Singrauli, a small city in japanese Madhya Pradesh, however designated as a critically polluted space by the Central Pollution Control Board, has probably the most polluted air within the area with a 2021 common of 81 micrograms per metre dice. It is adopted by Gwalior and Katni which have 2021 averages of 56 micrograms per metre dice and 54 micrograms per metre dice, respectively. The 2021 common has bypassed the 2020 common in all the key cities — Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur and Ujjain — and it doesn’t meet the annual customary as nicely. “Satna has the lowest 2021 average value, but the quality of data from the city’s only station is suspect. Bilaspur, Bhilai and Maihar do not have adequate data for computation of annual values,” a launch from the CSE stated on Monday. “Even though real time air quality data is extremely limited in this region, whatever real time data is emerging from only 17 cities of these two big states indicate a growing crisis and vulnerability to winter smog. This demands early and stronger multi-sector action at a regional scale to meet the clean air targets,” stated government director, analysis and advocacy, CSE, Anumita Roychowdhury. “Gaps in air quality data and lack of quality control of data makes it difficult to construct reliable air quality trends and do proper risk assessment,” stated Avikal Somvanshi, programme supervisor, Urban Lab, CSE. “The worsening of air quality in the region has not drawn adequate public attention. In winter, air quality of cities such as Singrauli, Gwalior, Jabalpur and Katni could get nearly three times worse than their annual average levels.” The CSE evaluation of air high quality standing in cities of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh is an evaluation of annual and seasonal tendencies in PM2.5 focus for the interval January 1, 2019 to December 12, 2021. This evaluation is predicated on actual time information accessible from the present working air high quality monitoring stations in central India. The evaluation covers 18 steady ambient air high quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS) unfold throughout 17 cities within the two states — two stations in Gwalior and one station every at Bhopal, Damoh, Dewas, Indore, Jabalpur, Katni, Maihar, Mandideep, Pithampur, Ratlam, Sagar, Satna, Singrauli, Ujjain, Bhilai and Bilaspur. Air high quality monitoring remains to be very restricted within the central area. Cities in MP have information accessible for over two years; however actual time screens in Chhattisgarh grew to become operational solely within the latter half of 2021, which limits the potential for assessing long run tendencies. Therefore, the information is indicative of the present standing of air high quality and differences due to the season in particulate air pollution in medium and smaller cities within the area, the CSE launch stated.

L'India e il difficile addio al carbone. Morire di smog o di povertà?

CHENNAI, TAMIL NADU - Nelle settimane in cui il premier indiano Narendra Modi preparava l'annuncio per Cop26 sull'obiettivo zero emissioni non prima del 2070, gli Stati del Nord dell'India erano tormentati dai blackout. Mentre Greta Thunberg affilava le accuse al "bla bla" di governi e industrie, e i ministri dell'Ambiente indagavano sulle possibilità di un accordo evanescente sui gas inquinanti, Delhi fronteggiava un serio incremento nella sospensione della fornitura di energia alla rete elettrica. Per chi vive in India, i blackout sono un fastidio familiare. Nei casi più fortunati, l'autorità locale li comunica in anticipo. E ci si può preparare. Alcune piccole ditte bloccano la produzione: il carburante per gli alimentatori autogeni costa troppo. Le industrie più grandi macinano altro inquinamento con generatori rumorosi e puzzolenti, accrescendo i costi di produzione. Anche perché, quando il carbone scarseggia, i prezzi schizzano in alto. Inoltre, quest'autunno il governo ha fatto male i conti: pensando che ci sarebbe stato un altro lockdown e che la produzione non sarebbe ripresa così celermente, non ha stoccato abbastanza riserve. In più, violenti acquazzoni hanno allagato molte miniere, inceppando i trasporti. Non c'era carbone per tutti. Elettricità vuol dire produzione, cioè sviluppo. Ma elettricità in India vuol dire, al 64%, carbone, cioè inquinamento. Prima d'infilarci nei tunnel oscuri delle nuove miniere che devastano le giungle e le popolazioni del Chhattisgarh, o che causano faide tra le mafie del Jharkhand, e prima di conoscere le lotte di pescatori e contadini contrari alla costruzione di nuove centrali sul litorale del Tamil Nadu, bisogna volgere lo sguardo alle centinaia di migliaia di indiani che muoiono soffocati da una gigantesca nuvola grigio-giallognola che opprime tutta la pianura del Gange da autunno a primavera, quando finalmente i salvifici monsoni spazzano via unto e polvere, portando acqua che sempre più spesso causa micidiali alluvioni. Delle 30 città più inquinate al mondo, 22 sono in India, Paese dove il 18% delle morti sono riconducibili all'inquinamento (circa 1,7 milioni nel 2019, dati Lancet). Nelle metropoli del Nord si vive 10 anni di meno a causa dell'inquinamento. Si è arrivati al punto, dice Anumita Roy Chowdhury, direttrice del Centro per le scienze ambientali, che "i nostri figli stanno crescendo con polmoni più piccoli del normale. Un bimbo indiano su tre ha i polmoni danneggiati e un numero molto alto di ragazzi ha emorragie polmonari da smog". Perché si consentono tali livelli di polveri sottili? Perché ogni mese l'economia indiana deve generare mezzo milione di posti di lavoro per una popolazione di 1,4 miliardi di persone, di cui metà ha meno di 25 anni. I morti da inquinamento sono morti di sviluppo. La scelta è tra morire asfissiati o morire di disoccupazione. Non è solo colpa delle centrali. D'inverno, l'aria fredda schiaccia i gas inquinanti verso il basso, comprese le nuvole di fumo generate dagli agricoltori negli Stati del Punjab e dell'Haryana che bruciano le stoppie per garantire i raccolti della prossima stagione. Ci si mette pure la sacra festa delle luci di Diwali, con quel messaggio di speranza nella ricerca di una fiamma che rischiari le tenebre. La contraddizione è che i fuochi accesi per celebrare quest'occasione gioiosa contribuiscono a nutrire quel mostro gassoso che aleggia su metropoli e campagne, notte e giorno, senza pausa e con poche possibilità di fuga. L'inquinamento è il profumo intossicante dello sviluppo. La terza potenza industriale in Asia, scatenata verso la crescita della produzione industriale e azzoppata dai blackout, è popolata da chi soffre economicamente per la carenza d'energia e muore asfissiato dalle emissioni: ogni anno le centrali a carbone vomitano 1,1 giga tonnellate di CO2 nell'aria, il 2,5% delle emissioni del mondo. L'India soffoca nella sua stessa crescita: negli ultimi mesi il consumo di energia è aumentato del 17% in rapporto al 2019, e il costo del carbone sul mercato internazionale è cresciuto del 40%. L'India è anche al secondo posto per importazioni di carbone nel mondo, nonostante sia quarta per riserve di carbone globali. Ma sia estrarre nuovo carbone sia importarlo costa. Chi paga? Il consumatore, con bollette più alte. Quindi il rischio è l'inflazione. Il ministro dell'Energia R.K. Singh lo ha detto chiaro e tondo: "Dobbiamo prepararci al peggio nei prossimi sei mesi". È un peggioramento critico, come avverte Zohra Chatterji, ex amministratrice delegata dell'ente statale del carbone, Coal India, che fornisce l'80% di questa materia al Paese: "La scarsità di carbone colpisce tutti i settori manufatturieri: cemento, acciaio ed edilizia". Quindi bisogna scavare, perché puntare sulle rinnovabili, dice il governo Modi, è una strategia per il medio e lungo termine. E qui l'esigenza è urgente. La richiesta di energia è troppa. La fame di carbone dell'India non è né un segreto né una novità. Già all'inizio dell'anno, ben prima di Glasgow, il ministro del Carbone, Pralhad Joshi, lo confermava: "In India, per diversi decenni, 'energià continuerà a voler dire 'carbone'". Estrarre carbone vuol dire enormi interessi e affari, quindi anche crimine. Nel 2013 emerse in modo innegabile il problema della mafia del carbone quando a un matrimonio venne ucciso con sette colpi di pistola Suresh King, "Il re del carbone", commerciante, politico e boss con 14 capi d'imputazione. Gestiva un cartello che controllava sindacati e trasporti, in un mare di corruzione. E carbone vuol dire morti in miniera. Tra 2016 e 2019 in India 238 minatori sono morti in diversi incidenti, 24 volte più dell'Australia e 16 più degli Usa per milione di tonnellate estratte. Estrazione di carbone vuol dire anche espropriare le popolazioni autoctone degli Adivasi, benché la Costituzione renda obbligatorio il loro consenso prima di devastarne le foreste. La battaglia, cruenta, si combatte da decenni. Lo ha scoperto sulla propria pelle Soni Sori, leader Adivasi ora impegnata per i diritti umani e candidata nel partito anticorruzione Aap di Chhattisgarh, stato che è la seconda riserva di carbone nel Paese dove però il 40% della popolazione langue sotto la soglia della povertà. Nel 2011, Sori fu incarcerata con l'accusa di fiancheggiamento a un movimento armato maoista. Torturata e seviziata, fu assolta da quasi tutte le accuse. Per nulla intimorita, oggi è una delle voci più note della resistenza agli espropri del governo tra le popolazioni Adivasi. Il governo ci sta imbrogliando, scacciandoci dalla nostra terra. Hanno provato picchiandoci, accusandoci di essere ribelli Naxal, bruciando le nostre case, ma non sono riusciti a liberarsi di noi", dichiara. "Preferiamo morire piuttosto che farci rubare la nostra acqua, la nostra foresta, la nostra terra". Se al Nord si resiste ai nuovi scavi, al Sud ci si oppone alla costruzione di nuove centrali. Modi ha promesso che ne verranno inaugurate 55 nei prossimi anni, di cui 40 nel Tamil Nadu, stato che dipende dal carbone per il 53% dell'energia e dove da decenni le popolazioni locali di pescatori e di agricoltori si oppongono nelle strade e nei Tribunali alla devastazione dell'ecosistema generata dalle centrali. Dalle parti di Uppur, cittadina affacciata sullo Sri Lanka, sta per ripartire il progetto di una centrale da 1,6 GW, per far fronte alla crescente richiesta di energia nel secondo stato più industrializzato dell'India. A marzo, il Tribunale nazionale verde negò il permesso ambientale. Ma il nuovo governatore del Tamil Nadu ha imposto il completamento della centrale per convenienza economica. Questa deriva verso l'aumento del carbone, mentre il mondo combatte i cambiamenti climatici, non deve necessariamente finire sempre così. Nella zona di Cheyyur, a un'ora e un quarto da Chennai, capitale del Tamil Nadu, da anni si minaccia di costruire un ecomostro che dovrebbe produrre 4mila MW con il carbone, costruendo un porto che distruggerebbe spiagge e coste. Grazie alla battaglia di pescatori e agricoltori, il progetto per ora resta bloccato perché l'ecosistema dell'estuario e l'habitat naturale di una zona chiamata "la Terra tra le due acque" (tra mare e laguna) sarebbero devastati da piogge acide e mercurio, col rischio di inquinare le falde acquifere. Anche nello sfortunato Chhattisgarh, travagliato dalle perforazioni per le miniere a danno degli Adivasi, c'è una storia a lieto fine. Il governatore dello Stato, coperto al 44% da foreste, ha investito nel programma "Solo transizione" che comprende più di 200 villaggi, stanziando fondi pubblici per l'acquisto di prodotti della foresta raccolti dagli aborigeni. Così, 1,7 milioni di famiglie Adivasi hanno ora un mercato garantito per cera, bacche, resina, gomma e bambù raccolti nella foresta. Pare che l'anno scorso ci sia stata la miglior raccolta di frutti di tamarindo del decennio. Qui si dice che è molto meglio il beige del tamarindo che il nero del carbone.

Bad air: Taking cue from Delhi, public transport in NCR cities must shift to CNG

New Delhi: The constant smell of soot and the irritation in his eyes and throat are the only memories that Dheeraj Sahu (aged 58) has from his initial years of travelling to office in Delhi. It was the time when Delhi only had diesel buses for public transport, most of which were old and highly polluting. But things changed rapidly after the Supreme Court in a landmark judgment in 1998 ordered a complete transition to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) for all buses, taxis and auto-rickshaws in Delhi. “I used to travel for at least three hours every day to and from office in those blue-line buses. I remember in the summers after wiping my face, my white handkerchief would turn grey at the end of the day. Times have changed since then, now we have the metro and all buses and taxis in Delhi run on CNG. So, the direct impact of pollution while being on city roads has certainly reduced,” said Sahu. More than two decades later, Delhi now has become the largest consumer of CNG in India among all states and Union Territories. Data from the ministry of new and renewable energy showed that in the past four-and-a-half years, Delhi consumed 4,434 thousand metric tonnes (TMT) of CNG which is 1.4 times more than Gujarat’s consumption of 3094, which is the second-largest market for CNG in terms of sales. But, even after Delhi’s complete transition to CNG, the city continues to be one of the most polluted cities in the country. And the experience which Sahu had in those rickety diesel-run blue-line buses can still be seen in some pockets of the city. A case in point is the Anand Vihar area which is at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh (UP) border. It houses the Anand Vihar ISBT on the Delhi side and the Kaushambi ISBT on the UP side. Data shows that pollution in this part of the city always remains 1-2 notches above the average for the city. Senior officials from the environment ministry said it is mainly because UP primarily operates diesel buses for its inter-state transports toxic emissions from which contribute to the unfavourable ambient air quality in the area. It is here that experts have time and again demanded that neighbouring states such as Uttar Pradesh and Haryana or at least the National Capital Region (NCR) cities should also shift their buses, taxis and autos completely to CNG. “At a time when Delhi plans to go all-electric in terms of any new purchases made by the government on buses and auto-rickshaws, the neighbouring states or the NCR cities such as Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Noida, Gurugram, clearly are lagging. While EVs [Electric Vehicles] are still an emerging market, CNG is sorted and can be easily lapped up by the respective state governments. So, the onus is on all stakeholders,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy), Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). Roychowdhury recalled that the former anti-pollution watchdog, Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) also pushed for CNG infrastructure and targeted the introduction of CNG vehicles in NCR like buses, taxis and other commercial vehicles. “Several issues related to setting up of CNG pipelines, stations, pricing of gas were addressed back then. There was also a problem that APM gas was not available in NCR. It had to be done by the private sector. But, all these can always be resolved and it ultimately comes down to the will or intent to do so,” she said. Delhi transport commissioner Ashish Kundra said he raised the need for NCR states to expand their CNG network in the recent meetings of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM). “Unfortunately, there were no binding obligations on the cities which surround Delhi for conversion to CNG. Every day, thousands of diesel buses and trucks enter the city, not just from NCR, but from Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir,” he said. Senior officials from the UP state transport corporation (UPSRTC) said they are working on a proposal to purchase 130 new CNG buses and that 50-100 CNG buses are likely to be given to the interstate bus terminal (ISBT) in Kaushambi, Ghaziabad, which shares its border with Anand Vihar in Delhi. The area has already been identified as a pollution hot spot by government agencies and residents are pursuing court cases against agencies for their failure to tackle different local sources of pollution affecting their area. Of the 500-odd buses operating from the Kaushambi ISBT, only 125 UPSRTC buses are CNG-based currently, while the others are running on diesel. On November 18, the Delhi government even wrote to the Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan governments asking them not to deploy diesel buses that are older than five years for inter-state transport to the national Capital. Delhi’s letter to the neighbouring states, a copy of which is with HT, stated that public transport in the national Capital runs 100% on CNG, while buses plying from other states continue to be largely based on diesel fuel. “NGT has already directed that diesel vehicles of more than 10 years of life will not be allowed to ply in NCR… I seek your support to strengthen our hands in dealing with the grave situation by minimising the deployment of diesel buses destined for Delhi. It would be appreciated if vehicles of more than five years vintage are not deployed on Delhi bound routes till such time the pollution abates,” read the letter written by Kundra. Data accessed by the HT from the ministry of petroleum and natural gas shows that there are 3,179 CNG stations in the country, of which Delhi has around 436. UP has set a target of setting up 795 CNG stations, of which around 485 were operational as of March 31, 2021. Haryana has 186 stations against the target of at least 280, Punjab has 101 against 278, while Uttarakhand has 17 of the 50 stations planned in the state. Kundra said since air pollution has no boundaries, a consolidated effort to harmonise these efforts within and outside the NCR will be crucial to reducing pollution.

CSE Discovers Early Traits of Worsening Winter Pollution in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh

It is not only the northern part of India that is in the grip of severe winter pollution, but several cities in other regions—including in the central Indian states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh—are experiencing a worsening of winter pollution, finds the latest analysis from Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The analysis shows that air pollution during winter is a problem in all the cities in these two states. Gwalior and Singrauli have the worst air quality—as bad as the winter air quality of cities in the National Capital Region and Uttar Pradesh. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution is also high in these cities, with Indore recording the highest for the region. Singrauli, a small town in eastern Madhya Pradesh but designated as a critically polluted area by the Central Pollution Control Board, has the most polluted air in the region, with a 2021 average of 81 micrograms per metre cube. Gwalior and Katni follow it with 2021 averages of 56 micrograms per metre cube and 54 micrograms per metre cube, respectively. The 2021 average has bypassed the 2020 average in all the major cities—Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur and Ujjain—and it does not meet the annual standard. "Satna has the lowest 2021 average value, but the quality of data from the city's only station is suspect. Bilaspur, Bhilai and Maihar do not have adequate data for computation of annual values," a release from the CSE said on Monday. "Even though real-time air quality data is extremely limited in this region, whatever real-time data is emerging from only 17 cities of these two great states indicate a growing crisis and vulnerability to winter smog. This demands early and stronger multi-sector action at a regional scale to meet the clean air targets," said executive director, research and advocacy, CSE, Anumita Roychowdhury. "Gaps in air quality data and lack of quality control of data makes it difficult to construct reliable air quality trends and do a proper risk assessment," said Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager, Urban Lab, CSE. "The worsening of air quality in the region has not drawn adequate public attention. In winter, the air quality of cities such as Singrauli, Gwalior, Jabalpur and Katni could get nearly three times worse than their annual average levels." The CSE analysis of air quality status in the cities of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh is an assessment of annual and seasonal trends in PM2.5 concentration for the period January 1, 2019, to December 12, 2021. This analysis is based on real-time data available from central India's current working air quality monitoring stations. The analysis covers 18 continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS) spread across 17 cities in the two states—two stations in Gwalior and one station each at Bhopal, Damoh, Dewas, Indore, Jabalpur, Katni, Maihar, Mandideep, Pithampur, Ratlam, Sagar, Satna, Singrauli, Ujjain, Bhilai and Bilaspur. Air quality monitoring is still very limited in the central region. Cities in MP have had data available for over two years. Still, real-time monitors in Chhattisgarh became operational only in the latter half of 2021, limiting the possibility of assessing long term trends. Therefore, the data is indicative of the current status of air quality and seasonal variations in particulate pollution in medium and smaller cities in the region, the CSE release said.

Mumbai’s first waste to energy plant gets Centre’s green nod

The BMC has proposed to build the plant, with 600 metric tonne per day capacity, at the city's oldest dumping ground, Deonar, on 12.19 hectares area and at a cost of Rs 504 crore. Mumbai’s first and upcoming Waste To Energy (WTE) plant at Deonar in Govandi area has received Environment Clearance (EC) from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change . Now, the BMC has approached Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) for its final consent. The BMC has proposed to build the plant, with 600 metric tonne per day capacity, at the city’s oldest dumping ground on 12.19 hectares area and at a cost of Rs 504 crore. Apart from incineration of waste in the dumping ground, the plant will also generate 4 megawatt electricity. The project got the mandatory EC on December 7. However, its copy was recently uploaded on the BMC website. Established in 1927, Deonar dumping ground is spread across 120 hectares. Out of about 7,000 metric tonne garbage generated daily in Mumbai, nearly 600 metric tonne is dumped in Deonar. State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), Maharashtra, has approved BMC proposals with certain conditions, such as, use of fly ash generated from the plant for brick manufacturing and road construction, air pollution control measures, and separate funds for implementation of the environment management plan. It has also directed BMC to set up an exclusive Environment Management Cell, a check on ground water level and measures to ensure no ground water pollution takes place. “We are now awaiting MPCB consent to start work,” said Minesh Pimple, Deputy Chief Engineer, (Projects), Solid Waste Management. The construction of the plant will be completed in about 40 months. The BMC has also set aside Rs 12.40 crore for the environment management plan to implement mitigation measures. The project has faced opposition from locals and environmentalists who raised concerns about pollution and health issues in the area due to the plant. On April 27, 2021, a public hearing was held for the project as the 2006 Environment Impact Assessment Notification mandates to hold public consultation for draft impact assessment. In the meeting, questions were also raised about the success of such plants. According to a report from Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) which was published in 2018, the first such plant was established in Timarpur in Delhi in 1987 but it was shut down soon. mail logo

सर्दियों में दिल्ली ही नहीं इन राज्‍यों की हवा भी हो रही जहरीली, CSE की रिपोर्ट में बड़ा खुलासा

दिल्ली और एनसीआर सहित उत्तर भारत के ज्यादातर हिस्से सर्दियां बढ़ने के साथ गंभीर प्रदूषण का सामना कर रहे हैं। लेकिन सिर्फ उत्तर भारत में ही नहीं मध्य भारत के भी कई हिस्से जैसे मध्य प्रदेश और छत्तीसगढ़ के लोगों को गंभीर वायु प्रदूषण का सामना करना पड़ रहा है। सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) की ताजा रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक, सेंट्रल इंडिया के राज्यों मध्य प्रदेश और छत्तीसगढ़ सहित अन्य क्षेत्रों के कई शहर सर्दियों के प्रदूषण की गंभीर स्थिति का सामना कर रहे हैं। सीएसई की ताजा रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक, 2021 में सिंगरौली में 95 दिन हवा में प्रदूषण की स्थित या तो बेहद खराब या खतरनाक स्तर पर रही। ये लगभग दिल्ली में दर्ज किए गए प्रदूषण के स्तर के बराबर है। इसी तरह नवम्बर 2021 में भोपाल में 38 दिन, इंदौर में 36 दिन, ग्वालियर में 72 दिन, जबलपुर में 49 दिन और उज्जैन में 30 दिन हवा में प्रदूषण का स्तर बेहद खराब स्तर पर रहा। वहीं, सर्दियों के मौसम में सिंगरौली, कटनी, ग्वालियर, जबलपुर और भोपाल में हवा में सबसे ज्यादा प्रदूषण दर्ज किया गया जिससे स्मॉग जैसे हालात बने। हालांकि वार्षिक औसत देखा जाए तो हवा में प्रदूषण का स्तर सामान्य रहा लेकिन सर्दियों में हवा में प्रदूषण का स्तर तीन गुना तक बढ़ गया। कई शहरों में तो सर्दियों के महीनों में नाइट्रोजन डाइऑक्साइड का स्तर हवा में काफी बढ़ जाती है। कुछ जगहों पर तो हवा में नाइट्रोजन डाइऑक्साइड की मात्रा उत्तर भारत के शहरों की तुलना में ज्यादा दर्ज की गई हैं। हवा में नाइट्रोजन डाइऑक्साइड की इतनी मात्रा ऑफिस टाइम के दौरान बड़े पैमाने पर ट्रैफिक और उससे निकलने वाले धुएं को दर्शाता है। सीएसई की एक्जीक्यूटिव डायरेक्टर रिसर्च एंड एडवोकेसी अनुमिता रॉय चौधरी के मुताबिक, राष्ट्रीय स्वच्छ वायु कार्यक्रम के तहत वायु गुणवत्ता निगरानी को मजबूत करने और बहु-क्षेत्रीय स्वच्छ वायु कार्य योजनाओं के समयबद्ध कार्यान्वयन के लिए तत्काल ध्यान देने की जरूरत है। मध्य भारत में फिलहाल हवा की गुणवत्ता का उपलब्ध डेटा बहुत सीमित है। इसके लिए सीएसई ने बड़े पैमाने पर कदम उठाए हैं। सर्दियों में बढ़ते वायु प्रदूषण पर नजर रखने के लिए मध्य प्रदेश और छत्तीसगढ़ जैसे बड़े राज्यों के 17 शहरों में वायु प्रदूषण का रियल टाइम डेटा कलेक्ट करने के लिए लैब बनाई गई है। बढ़ते वायु प्रदूषण को ध्यान में रखते हुए इन राज्यों में कई सेक्टरों में बड़े पैमाने पर कदम उठाए जाने की जरूरत है। सीएसई ने मध्य प्रदेश और छत्तीसगढ़ तें वायु में प्रदूषण के स्तर पर बड़े पैमाने पर डेटा जुटा कर उस पर अध्ययन किया और पाया कि सर्दियों में सिंगरौली, ग्वालियर और जबलपुर जैस शहरों में हवा में प्रदूषण का स्तर औसत से तीन गुना तक बढ़ जाता है। CSE ने मध्य प्रदेश और छत्तीसगढ़ में हवा की गुणवत्ता पर नजर रखने के लिए कई जगहों पर Urban Data Analytics Lab भी लगाई है, जिसके आधार पर सर्दियों में हवा में प्रदूषण के स्तर पर नजर रखी जा रही है। मध्य प्रदेश और छत्तीसगढ़ के शहरों में वायु प्रदूषण के स्तर पर किया गया ये आकलन 1 जनवरी, 2019 से 12 दिसंबर, 2021 के बीच हवा में PM2.5 की मात्रा के आधार पर किया गया है। यह विश्लेषण मध्य भारत में वर्तमान में काम कर रहे वायु गुणवत्ता निगरानी स्टेशनों से उपलब्ध वास्तविक समय के आंकड़ों के आधार पर किया गया है। इस विश्लेषण के लिए यूएसईपीए (यूनाइटेड स्टेट्स एनवायर्नमेंटल प्रोटेक्शन एजेंसी) पद्धति के आधार पर डेटा बिंदुओं का बड़ी बारीकी से विश्लेषण किया गया है। विश्लेषण में दो राज्यों के 17 शहरों में फैले 18 रियलटाइम एयर क्वॉलिटी मॉनिटरिंग सेंटरों को शामिल किया गया है। ग्वालियर में दो स्टेशन और भोपाल, दमोह, देवास, इंदौर, जबलपुर, कटनी, मैहर, मंडीदीप, पीथमपुर, रतलाम सागर, सतना, सिंगरौली, उज्जैन, भिलाई और बिलासपुर में एक एक सेंटर बनाए गए हैं।

CSE finds early signs of rising air pollution in MP, Chhattisgarh

The CSE analysis shows that air pollution during winter is a problem in all the cities in these two states, with Gwalior and Singrauli having the worst air quality It is not only the northern part of India that is in the grip of severe winter pollution but several cities in other regions -- including in the central Indian states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh -- are experiencing a worsening of winter pollution, finds a latest analysis from Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The analysis shows that air pollution during winter is a problem in all the cities in these two states, with Gwalior and Singrauli having the worst air quality -- as bad as the winter air quality of cities in the National Capital Region and Uttar Pradesh. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution is also high in these cities, with Indore recording the highest for the region. Singrauli, a small town in eastern Madhya Pradesh, but designated as a critically polluted area by the Central Pollution Control Board, has the most polluted air in the region with a 2021 average of 81 micrograms per metre cube. It is followed by Gwalior and Katni that have 2021 averages of 56 micrograms per metre cube and 54 micrograms per metre cube, respectively. The 2021 average has bypassed the 2020 average in all the major cities -- Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur and Ujjain -- and it does not meet the annual standard as well. "Satna has the lowest 2021 average value, but the quality of data from the city's only station is suspect. Bilaspur, Bhilai and Maihar do not have adequate data for computation of annual values," a release from the CSE said on Monday. "Even though real time air quality data is extremely limited in this region, whatever real time data is emerging from only 17 cities of these two big states indicate a growing crisis and vulnerability to winter smog. This demands early and stronger multi-sector action at a regional scale to meet the clean air targets," said executive director, research and advocacy, CSE, Anumita Roychowdhury. "Gaps in air quality data and lack of quality control of data makes it difficult to construct reliable air quality trends and do proper risk assessment," said Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager, Urban Lab, CSE. "The worsening of air quality in the region has not drawn adequate public attention. In winter, air quality of cities such as Singrauli, Gwalior, Jabalpur and Katni could get nearly three times worse than their annual average levels." The CSE analysis of air quality status in cities of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh is an assessment of annual and seasonal trends in PM2.5 concentration for the period January 1, 2019 to December 12, 2021. This analysis is based on real time data available from the current working air quality monitoring stations in central India. The analysis covers 18 continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS) spread across 17 cities in the two states -- two stations in Gwalior and one station each at Bhopal, Damoh, Dewas, Indore, Jabalpur, Katni, Maihar, Mandideep, Pithampur, Ratlam, Sagar, Satna, Singrauli, Ujjain, Bhilai and Bilaspur. Air quality monitoring is still very limited in the central region. Cities in MP have data available for over two years; but real time monitors in Chhattisgarh became operational only in the latter half of 2021, which limits the possibility of assessing long term trends. Therefore, the data is indicative of the current status of air quality and seasonal variations in particulate pollution in medium and smaller cities in the region, the CSE release said.