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Delhi air cleaner this year than pre-lockdown 2019

NEW DELHI: This year has fared better than 2019 as far as the capital’s air quality is concerned. AQI was between 201 and 500 (poor category or worse) on 164 days in 2021, compared to 183 days in 2019. Till December 27, there were 197 days when AQI was in good, satisfactory and moderate categories, i.e., between 0 and 200. The year 2020 had seen 139 days with AQI in the 201-500 range, but it was cleaner mainly on account of the lockdown. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data shows the number of days with AQI between 201 and 500 have reduced over the years and those with AQI of 0-200 have gone up. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment, said, “It is already evident from CPCB data that the long-term PM2.5 curve has bent in Delhi. Also, the days in ‘satisfactory’ and ‘poor’ categories are increasing annually. Despite this improvement, the annual average concentration of PM2.5 still requires substantial reduction — close to 60% — to meet the clean air standards. Only round-the-year sustained action on sources can reduce the overall base pollution in Delhi-NCR and prevent ‘severe’ episodes during winter.” VK Soni, head, environment and research centre, India Meteorological Department, said, a season-wise analysis should be done of the past five years to draw a pattern. “The air quality deteriorated in November and December as fewer number of rain days were observed.” Dipankar Saha, former head of CPCB’s air laboratory, said, “Our air quality is mostly dependent on meteorological factors like wind speed and humidity. They are the driving force behind dilution and disposal of pollutants. This year, extended rain has reduced the number of bad days.” He added, “Disturbances in the south-east and west made the air quality poor in December this year. It is necessary to cut down emissions from all sectors to improve air quality.” According to the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi, the air quality of the capital is likely to remain in the ‘poor’ category for the remaining days of the month.

पूर्वोत्तर में सबसे प्रदूषित शहरों में शामिल अगरतला और गुवाहाटी

नई दिल्ली स्थित थिंक टैंक सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (CSE) ने चौंका देने वाला खुलासा किया है। इन्होंने कहा कि गुवाहाटी और अगरतला (Agartala) पूर्वोत्तर में सबसे अधिक आबादी वाले शहर हैं। नई दिल्ली स्थित थिंक टैंक सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (CSE) ने चौंका देने वाला खुलासा किया है। इन्होंने कहा कि गुवाहाटी और अगरतला (Agartala) पूर्वोत्तर में सबसे अधिक आबादी वाले शहर हैं। CSE के अनुसार, गुवाहाटी (Guwahati) का 2020 का वार्षिक औसत भी 2019 के औसत से अधिक था जो शहर में हवा के लगातार खराब होने का संकेत देता है। दूसरी ओर, अगरतला 2020 के औसत 45 माइक्रो ग्राम प्रति घन मीटर (ug/m3) के साथ इस क्षेत्र का दूसरा सबसे प्रदूषित शहर (polluted city) है, जबकि कोहिमा 2020 के औसत 35 ug/m3 के साथ तीसरा सबसे प्रदूषित शहर है। कार्यकारी निदेशक, अनुसंधान और वकालत, अनुमिता रॉयचौधरी ने कहा कि "भारत-गंगा के मैदान और समग्र उत्तर भारत में उच्च प्रदूषण सांद्रता के साथ वर्तमान जुनून वायु प्रदूषण और सार्वजनिक स्वास्थ्य पर राष्ट्रीय प्रवचन में हमारे पूर्वोत्तर राज्यों में संकट के शुरुआती संकेतों की देखरेख करता है और उन्हें दरकिनार करता है।" CSE ने असम, मेघालय, त्रिपुरा, नागालैंड, मिजोरम और अरुणाचल प्रदेश राज्यों में शहरी वायु गुणवत्ता की स्थिति का विश्लेषण किया है। यह CSE की अर्बन डेटा एनालिटिक्स लैब की वायु गुणवत्ता ट्रैकर पहल का हिस्सा है, जिसे पिछली सर्दियों में शुरू किया गया था। इस नए विश्लेषण का उद्देश्य क्षेत्र के प्रमुख शहरों में सर्दियों के प्रदूषण (winter pollution) की भयावहता और प्रवृत्ति को समझना है, जिसने हाल ही में वास्तविक समय में वायु गुणवत्ता की निगरानी शुरू की है।

अगरतला और गुवाहाटी पूर्वोत्तर में सबसे प्रदूषित शहरों में हुए शामिल

नई दिल्ली स्थित थिंक टैंक सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (CSE) ने चौंका देने वाला खुलासा किया है। इन्होंने कहा कि गुवाहाटी और अगरतला (Agartala) पूर्वोत्तर में सबसे अधिक आबादी वाले शहर हैं। CSE के अनुसार, गुवाहाटी (Guwahati) का 2020 का वार्षिक औसत भी 2019 के औसत से अधिक था जो शहर में हवा के लगातार खराब होने का संकेत देता है। दूसरी ओर, अगरतला 2020 के औसत 45 माइक्रो ग्राम प्रति घन मीटर (ug/m3) के साथ इस क्षेत्र का दूसरा सबसे प्रदूषित शहर (polluted city) है, जबकि कोहिमा 2020 के औसत 35 ug/m3 के साथ तीसरा सबसे प्रदूषित शहर है। Also Read - ओमिक्रॉन पर चौंकाने वाली रिसर्च : ओमिक्रॉन है ' होस्ट जंपिंग' का मामला कार्यकारी निदेशक, अनुसंधान और वकालत, अनुमिता रॉयचौधरी ने कहा कि "भारत-गंगा के मैदान और समग्र उत्तर भारत में उच्च प्रदूषण सांद्रता के साथ वर्तमान जुनून वायु प्रदूषण और सार्वजनिक स्वास्थ्य पर राष्ट्रीय प्रवचन में हमारे पूर्वोत्तर राज्यों में संकट के शुरुआती संकेतों की देखरेख करता है और उन्हें दरकिनार करता है।" CSE ने असम, मेघालय, त्रिपुरा, नागालैंड, मिजोरम और अरुणाचल प्रदेश राज्यों में शहरी वायु गुणवत्ता की स्थिति का विश्लेषण किया है। यह CSE की अर्बन डेटा एनालिटिक्स लैब की वायु गुणवत्ता ट्रैकर पहल का हिस्सा है, जिसे पिछली सर्दियों में शुरू किया गया था। इस नए विश्लेषण का उद्देश्य क्षेत्र के प्रमुख शहरों में सर्दियों के प्रदूषण (winter pollution) की भयावहता और प्रवृत्ति को समझना है, जिसने हाल ही में वास्तविक समय में वायु गुणवत्ता की निगरानी शुरू की है। https://jantaserishta.com/national/agartala-and-guwahati-among-the-most-polluted-cities-in-the-northeast-1107827

India put climate change at the centre of its environmental policies in 2021

Placing climate change at the centre of its environmental policies, India took bold pledges in 2021 with Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserting at the crucial international climate summit COP 26 that it is the only country delivering in “letter and spirit” the commitments under the Paris Agreement. From pledging to become net zero emitter of carbon by 2070 to achieving 500 gigawatts non-fossil energy capacity by 2030, India led from the front on environmental issues this year, grabbing eyeballs across the world. At the UN climate meet, India once again highlighted that developed nations have not only failed to meet the USD 100 billion goal annually of support to developing nations since 2009 but also continue to present it as the ceiling of their ambition all the way to 2025. Addressing the world leaders at United Nations COP 26 at Glasgow, Modi listed out five commitments of India to combat climate change with a bold announcement that it will achieve the target of net zero emissions by the year 2070, achieving 500 giga watt non-fossil energy capacity by 2030, fulfilling 50 per cent of its energy requirements from renewable energy sources by 2030. India also launched ‘One Sun, One World, One Grid’ (OSOWOG) at the conference with an aim to harness solar energy wherever the sun is shining, ensuring that generated electricity flows to areas that need it most. VDO.AI Towards the end of the summit, the country drew sharp criticism from several nations for allegedly watering down the global commitment to cut down use of coal in the climate pact adopted at COP26 by using the term “phase down” instead of “phase out” of coal in the Glasgow pact. However, India countered the criticism and denied making the amendment saying it had only read out the text at COP26 and had not authored the text. India also pressed the issue of emission reduction to combat climate change at the 16th G20 Summit held in Naples, where it urged the G20 countries to bring down per capita emissions to global average by 2030 in view of the “fast-depleting available carbon space”. Speaking to PTI, Bhupender Yadav, who took charge as the Union Environment Minister in July and led the Indian delegation at the climate summit in Glasgow, said that India successfully represented the developing nations and put forward a strong front. Listing and lauding the initiatives taken by his ministry, Yadav said it was more successful in curbing stubble burning this year compared to 2020. “Since the time I became the minister, our 14 tiger reserves have got CA|TS accreditation, 47 sites have been declared as Ramsar protected sites, 10 beaches have got Blue Flag certification… We have established a new commission for Delhi’s pollution for which we brought a new legislation, we have amended the biodiversity and wildlife laws, regional conferences under NCAP have begun in Mumbai and Guwahati. We will do it across India. “Process of public opinion and consultation on amending Forest Conservation Act has been completed. We have been more successful in curbing stubble burning this year compared to the previous year,” he said. The year also saw several initiatives being taken by the government to tackle the menace of toxic air in the capital and adjoining areas. India entered into Climate Action and Finance Mobilization Dialogue (CAFMD) with the US under India-US Climate Clean Energy Agenda 2030 aimed to provide both the countries an opportunity to renew collaborations on climate change while addressing the financing aspects. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) was established after a bill was passed by the Parliament which initially also provided for penalizing farmers for causing pollution by burning stubble. However, this provision was later withdrawn. Bio-decomposer solution was introduced in the city and neighbouring states to decompose the stubble left after the harvest. India also launched a campaign ‘Plastic Hackathon 2021’ to ensure that the country becomes free of single-use plastic by 2022. The beginning of the year saw environment activists expressing disappointment with the Supreme Court’s nod to the government’s ambitious Central Vista Project saying the project is harmful for the environment and is an encroachment of public places. Several reports also made headlines in 2021, bringing India’s pollution and climate situation under scanner. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report ‘Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis’ warned that the Indian Ocean is warming at a higher rate than other oceans and that India will witness increased heat waves, heavy rainfall and flooding, which will be the irreversible effects of climate change. The World Air Quality Report, prepared by a Swiss agency, found that 22 of the top 30 most polluted cities in the world are in India with Delhi ranked as 10th most polluted city and the top polluted capital city in the world. Eyebrows were raised when a report by Greenpeace India revealed that Delhi saw a spike of 125 per cent in air pollution due to nitrogen dioxide in April compared to the same month last year. Another report claimed that 39 lakh people in India were displaced in 2020 due to climate disasters and conflicts, making it the fourth worst-hit country in the world to have such a high number of internal displacements. A report by the Centre for Science and Environment raised concern that Ozone is becoming more widespread in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) across all seasons. Soon after the report, the government gave its nod for ratification of the Kigali Amendment for phase down of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) by India under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. PTI AG ZMN

Smoke-spewing factories, brick kilns choke Jhajjar

Jhajjar: Home to 415 brick kilns, 650 industries, 16 hot mix plants and five stone crushes, Jhajjar is one of Haryana’s 14 districts in the National Capital Region which has recorded a steep slide in air quality, a direct corollary of air fouled by dirty diesel exhaust fumes, construction dust, rising industrial emissions, road dust and crop burning. The average air quality index (AQI) in the district has been recorded in the ‘very poor’ category since November. While the average December AQI (until 25th of the month) was recorded at 320, the overall November AQI was around 347, several notches up from an AQI of 293 recorded in the corresponding period last year. Elderly people, used to the clear, sunny winters, said the morning sky glowed like an ominous shade of orange. “We can barely see down the street these days during the morning walks. Stepping out for a walk or work early in the morning or late at night cause breathing issues. The pandemic has made the situation scarier,” Suresh Singh, a resident of Sector 16, said. With infrastructure projects underway in areas like Beri Road, Badli Road and Sector 9 bypass, residents said there was no respite from suspended dust particles. “The problem is that these suspended particles linger even after the air has cleared. Scant rainfall year after year ensures that it does not settle down. These tiny specks, we fear, can increase the risk of acute respiratory infections, especially in children and older adults,” Karamvir Dahiya, a resident of Beri Road, said. Experts claim the source of air pollution in Jhajjar is not entirely local. “Jhajjar is not a very urbanised district and does not have many active and modern sources of emissions but is surrounded by industries and brick kilns that are major pollution sources. It is also a major rice cultivation region in the state and sees some instances of stubble burning,” Shubhansh Tiwari, a research associate at Amity Centre for Air Pollution Control, told TOI. Executive director of research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Anumita Roychowdhury, meanwhile, pressed for a holistic mitigation plan. “Pollution sources do not change through the year. What changes in winter is that cold air settles close to the ground and trap pollutants. When Delhi and its surrounding cities choke, it’s not necessarily when stubble burning is at its peak, but when weather conditions are conducive. It is the same here,” she said. Action still not taken The district at present is dependent on its lone ambient air quality station at Bahadurgarh mini secretariat. This, experts said, was insufficient to screen the air quality of a district spread across 1,834 square kilometres. The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), however, has no plan to increase the number of air monitoring stations. “We have installed an online station to monitor the ambient air quality of Bahadurgarh town and have two manual ambient air quality stations. We also have prepared an action plan to mitigate pollution in the district,” Dinesh Kumar, the regional officer of HSPCB, said. Civic agencies, including the municipal council, traffic police, HSIIDC and the pollution board, have begun a crackdown on illegally parked vehicles on the congested roads, he said. The civic agencies will start sprinkling water on dust patches, mechanical sweeping of roads, and initiating work to fill potholes. The pollution board has been tasked to ensure that all building materials are covered and anti-smog guns installed at all construction sites, Kumar said, adding work is on towards phasing out petrol and diesel vehicles that are over 15 and 10 years old, respectively.

Delhi recorded sixth 'severe' air quality day in a row on Sunday

NEW DELHI: The city recorded its sixth “severe” air quality day in a row on Sunday. It is the worst prolonged spell of “severe” days in December since 2015 when Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) started measuring the air quality index (AQI). Due to stubble burning and Diwali, November usually reports several “severe” days, but the number of consecutive “severe” days is usually lower in December. Track the pollution level in your cityCPCB data showed three consecutive “severe” days each in December of 2020 and 2019, four in 2018 and two in 2016. So far, seven “severe” air quality days have been seen in December this year. A higher number of such days (8) were seen in 2018 and 2019. System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) said Delhi was likely to record “severe” days on Monday and Tuesday and significant improvement in air quality was expected from December 29 due to easterly winds at higher speed. The AQI on Sunday was 459. Experts said adverse weather conditions along with local and NCR pollution led to the long spell of “severe” days. Gufran Beig, founding project director, SAFAR, said, “It’s unusual for such a prolonged number of severe days to be recorded in December. Though adverse weather conditions played an important role, there is a possibility of unknown local sources of pollution.” Experts pointed out that the agencies concerned should focus on bringing down the emissions from local sources of pollution. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment, said, “Clearly, local pollution can also have such pronounced and severe impacts when atmospheric conditions are adverse. This demands deeper action in all key sectors, including industry, power plants, vehicles, waste, household fuels and soil stabilisation, across 24 districts of the NCR to cut the base pollution.” Explaining the meteorological factors, RK Jenamani, senior scientist at IMD, said, “Due to high moisture content, there was no dense fog formation. The dense fog could have acted as a scavenger to reduce pollution. Light to calm winds were recorded this time, which affected the dispersion of pollution. Only feeble western disturbances impacted the region, which could have led to rain and helped in cleaning Delhi’s air.” Dipankar Saha, former head of CPCB’s air laboratory, said there should be a sound prediction system in place to protect people from such high exposure to pollutants and emissions from all sectors must be reduced.

2BHK projects lack access to basic services’

Hyderabad: The on-ground assessment of the state’s 2BHK scheme shows that as most affordable housing projects are in the city periphery, they have poor access to basic services like transport, schools and healthcare, and if the issue is not addressed, it can increase the cost of living for residents and compromise sustained occupancy. In the pilot assessment of the affordable housing schemes carried out by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), it was also pointed out that there is still considerable scope of reducing heat gain in buildings, improving ventilation and day-lit areas to improve thermal comfort and reduce energy intensity of structures. The report, ‘Guidelines for Affordable Housing in Telangana’, was released by special chief secretary Arvind Kumar at a meet organised jointly by CSE and Administrative Staff College.“The report has underscored the importance of integrating thermal comfort requirements when real estate recovery is likely to add millions of dwelling units to formal housing stock in next 3-4 years in India. Else, the new infrastructure can lock in enormous energy and resources guzzling when India has to meet a target of billion tonnes of carbon reduction by 2030,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at CSE.

Guwahati, Agartala most polluted cities in Northeast- CSE

Guwahati has the most polluted air in northeastern India GUWAHATI- Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) warns of growing air pollution in cities of northeast. The CSE in it’s recent report said put the Guwahati and Agartala at top the list of most polluted cities in the northeast region of India. A new analysis by CSE, the New Delhi-based think tank, says that the problem of air pollution is growing steadily in the northeast, putting paid to the impression of pristine blue skies and clean air that people usually have about this region. Guwahati has the most polluted air in northeastern India. Average PM2.5 levels in 2021 (uptill November 30) has already surpassed the 2019 annual average in Guwahati. The city’s 2020 annual average was also higher than its 2019 average which indicates continuous worsening of air in the city. Agartala with a 2020 average of 45 microgramme per cubic metre (ug/m3) is the second most polluted city in the region. Kohima with a 2020 average of 35 ug/m3 is the third most polluted city in the region. Aizwal and Naharlagun donot meet the minimum data availability requirement, but the limited data available indicates that these two would most probably be meeting the annual standard. This year, so far, the number of days with air quality in ‘very poor’ or ‘severe’ categories stands at 54 days in Guwahati city. This is comparable to cities of north India which are more polluted compared to those in the northeastern states. “The current obsession with high pollution concentration in the Indo-Gangetic Plain and in overall northern India overshadows and sidelines the early signs of the crisis in our northeastern states in the national discourse on air pollution and public health. Weak and inadequate air quality monitoring and paucity of data do not allow proper assessment of the risk. But even the limited evidence shows several cities – especially the state capitals — are already vulnerable to poor air quality and winter smog,” says Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, CSE.

Guwahati, Agartala most polluted cities in Northeast

The pollution level in the Northeast states has increased gradually over the last several years. Among other cities, Guwahati and Agartala are the most polluted. A new analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the New Delhi-based think tank, says that the problem of air pollution is growing steadily in the Northeast region, putting paid to the impression of pristine blue skies and clean air that people usually have about this region. “The current obsession with high pollution concentration in the Indo-Gangetic plains and in overall northern India overshadows and sidelines the early signs of the crisis in our northeastern states in the national discourse on air pollution and public health. Weak and inadequate air quality monitoring and paucity of data do not allow a proper assessment of the risk. But even the limited evidence shows several cities – especially the state capitals – are already vulnerable to poor air quality and winter smog,” says Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, CSE. The study methodology CSE has analysed the urban air quality status in the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh. This is part of the air quality tracker initiative of the urban data analytics lab of CSE, which was initiated last winter. The objective of this new analysis is to understand the magnitude and trend in winter pollution in major cities of the region which have recently started real-time air quality monitoring. This is an assessment of annual and seasonal trends in PM2.5 concentration for the period January 1, 2019, to December 7, 2021. This analysis is based on the real-time data available from currently functioning air quality monitoring stations in the northeast. A huge volume of data points have been cleaned and data gaps have been addressed based on the USEPA (the United States Environmental Protection Agency) method. This analysis covers seven continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS) spread across six cities in an equal number of states: two stations in Guwahati (Assam) and one station each in Shillong (Meghalaya), Agartala (Tripura), Kohima (Nagaland), Aizwal (Mizoram) and Naharlagun (Arunachal Pradesh). There is no real-time monitoring in Manipur and Sikkim, which is why the analysis is unable to cover these states. Even from the states covered, the data is limited. Guwahati and Shillong have data available for over two years. Real-time monitors in Agartala, Kohima and Aizwal became operational only near the end of 2020, which limits the possibility of doing long-term trend analysis for these cities. Naharlagun got its real-time monitor in March 2021. Due to the excessive amount of missing data from this station, any meaningful analysis is not possible. “Gaps in air quality data and lack of quality control of data make it difficult to construct reliable air quality trends for these cities,” says Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager, Urban Lab, CSE. ALSO READ: Female giraffe dies at Assam State Zoo in Guwahati due to strangulation “The air quality in the region is worsening. But this has not drawn adequate public attention. In winter, air quality of cities like Guwahati can be almost as bad as what we see in the National Capital Region (NCR) and cities of Uttar Pradesh. Pollution is also high in smaller cities like Agartala and Kohima.” Guwahati has the most polluted air Average PM2.5 levels in 2021 (up till November 30) have already surpassed the 2019 annual average in Guwahati. The city’s 2020 annual average was also higher than its 2019 average which indicates a continuous worsening of air in the city. Shillong is the only other city in the region that has a station generating data for over two years, but due to poor data availability, its annual averages cannot be considered credible. Nevertheless, the city’s average is considerably below the annual standard. Among other cities meeting the minimum data availability requirements, Agartala with a 2020 average of 45 micro gramme per cubic metre (ug/m3) is the second most polluted city in the region. Kohima with a 2020 average of 35 ug/m3 is the third most polluted city in the region. Aizwal and Naharlagun do not meet the minimum data availability requirement, but the limited data available indicates that these two would most probably be meeting the annual standard.

Worst December air spell holds Delhi in vice grip

Delhi recorded an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 459 on Sunday, the worst since November 12, when the index had a reading of 471. Air quality in Delhi remained severe on Sunday for the sixth consecutive day, the longest spell of such bad air since 2015, when the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) started maintaining detailed records. Delhi recorded an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 459 on Sunday, the worst since November 12, when the index had a reading of 471. Prolonged exposure to such air affects healthy people, and seriously impacts those with existing health conditions, according to the pollution watchdog. Delhi’s average AQI this December so far is 344, higher than December 2020 (331) and 2019 (337). It was only worse in 2018 (360) and 2016 (364), the data show. As a thick haze hung over the city, local sources of pollution, mostly open burning of biomass amid dipping temperature, and meteorological factors such as calm winds have led to higher concentration of pollutants close to the surface, experts said. It is time to weigh in emergency measures again if there is no improvement by Monday,” said Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director at the Centre for Science and Environment, an advocacy group. “This is certainly the longest episodic smog event in December for Delhi.” Emergency restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap), such as a ban on construction and demolition, and stopping the entry of trucks into Delhi, were lifted on 20 December by the Commission for Air Quality Management on an improvement in air quality. However, air quality slipped to the severe zone ever since. A meeting on Grap was held on 23 December, but emergency measures were not reimposed. There might be some relief as parts of Delhi received light rain on Sunday evening. There could be light rain on Monday and Tuesday as well, the India Meteorological Department has predicted. Delhi’s average PM 2.5 levels were in the emergency or severe plus range – 334 micrograms per cubic metre – for 18 hours, CPCB’s control room data showed at 5pm on Sunday. The safe limit is 60 micrograms per cubic metre. The concentration of PM2.5 has to stay above a threshold of 300 micrograms per cubic metre for 48 hours for restrictions such as ban on construction and entry of trucks to kick in, according to Grap guidelines. Unlike the bad air in November, burning of farm residue was not in play, and the pollution was from local sources, Roy Chowdhury said. “This shows background emissions are still high and, if meteorological conditions become adverse, we see severe air quality, particularly when wind speeds drop. This calls for stricter enforcement,” she said. The western disturbance on 22 December led to a negative pressure zone around the region, with pollutants unable to disperse, said Dipankar Saha, former head of CPCB’s air laboratory. “Air is not flowing from Delhi towards the Indo-Gangetic Plain after this western disturbance created a negative pressure,” Saha said. “Wind speeds have dropped and local pollution is accumulating in Delhi.” It was unusual to see such a long polluted spell in December, and local factors required greater scrutiny, said Gufran Beig, project director of the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research, a government forecasting body. “The moisture content at the moment is also not too high, and we are not recording dense fog, so such a spike in pollution is surprising,” Beig said. “Relief from rain is not expected immediately and, as per our forecast, air quality could remain in severe for the next 48 hours.” The AQI could return to the very poor category by Monday if Delhi receives enough rain, a forecast by the Early Warning System for Delhi showed.

Year In Review: Diluting Environmental Norms May Derail India's Ambitious Climate Goals

In 2021, the government pushed renewables to meet its updated climate targets, but also came up with plans to clear forests and reduced scrutiny of polluting units that could cause further environmental damage In 2021, India committed to achieving net zero by 2070, but the dichotomy between the ambitious target and the steps taken on the ground is hard to miss. The government has not only diluted environmental laws that regulate erring units but also devised plans to divert forest land to non-forest users. During this period, India announced other policy measures such as the National Hydrogen Mission for clean energy and the global solar Green Grids initiative to transition away from coal. However, amid the renewed stress on ramping up climate action, the Indian government also amended the Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980 to allow non-forest use of the land for "strategic" projects, stripped away the ecological protection of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and pushed palm oil cultivation in north east India and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. This happened in the backdrop of two major climate events: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Sixth Assessment Report (AR6)--the first after 2013--which presented a grim forecast on how global warming has impacted and will impact us in the near future; and countries across the world met for the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) in November, where they adopted the Glasgow Climate Pact to control global temperature rise. As the year comes to a close, we take a look at India's major energy, climate and environment policies and actions this year. Renewed push to renewable energy Renewable energy has been one of the fastest-growing sectors in India in recent years as successive governments have prioritised it, we reported in August 2021. Primary among the reasons is the quest for energy security because most of the conventional energy sources in India are either imported or of poor quality. India had set a target of 175 gigawatt (GW) of renewable capacity by year 2022 and 450 GW by 2030, under the Paris Agreement in 2015. By October 2021, India had already surpassed 100 GW capacity, according to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). By October 2021, 39% of India's installed power capacity came from non-fossil sources as against a target of 40% by 2022. In India, solar tariffs have also fallen dramatically; this is because the government has been awarding large projects through reverse auctions (where buyers request for goods and services and sellers bid for the prices at which they are willing to sell), which has resulted in global investors setting up very large projects at very low tariffs. Many industrial and commercial establishments in India also find RE power, especially solar, cheaper than the cost of sourcing power from a distribution company (DISCOM), as we reported in August 2021. While India is aggressively pushing large-scale clean energy projects--mainly wind and solar--these are leading to conflicts as rights of communities are not recognised over common lands used for renewable projects. Experts suggest that conflicts could grow as India pushes more clean energy projects such as large solar parks. Such conflicts could be reduced if India pushes for rooftop solar energy. But the high cost of rooftop solar systems and the patchy implementation of its subsidy schemes are holding the sector back, we reported in July 2021. Further, at the COP26, India raised the renewable energy targets to 500 GW by 2030 from the earlier target for 450 GW. India, along with the United Kingdom, launched an ambitious renewables venture called Green Grids Initiative--One Sun One World One Grid, a global solar grid linking 140 countries. While energy experts agree with the initiative's premise and appreciate its scale, they question its feasibility, because of geopolitics and the cost of undersea cables, we reported in October 2021. In August 2021, the prime minister also announced the National Hydrogen Mission to support India's energy transition goals. Green hydrogen is produced using renewable energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The use of green hydrogen will help India decarbonise sectors such as shipping and transportation where it can be used as a fuel, as well as in manufacturing industries such as steel and chemicals where it can be used as a raw material. It could also replace fossil fuels in power generation and be used to store renewable energy but only if it is commercially viable and as economically competitive as traditionally used fossil-based grey hydrogen, we reported in September 2021. Transition from coal About 70% of India's energy demand is met by two fossil fuels--coal (44%) and oil (25%). However, at the COP26, India committed to achieving a net zero target by 2070, which means India will have to significantly reduce its coal and oil reliance over the next decades. But, at the same time, India also issued a series of notifications that give polluting units "a license to pollute", according to a briefing note by the Centre for Science and Environment. In April 2021, through a notification, the environment ministry extended the timelines to comply with emission norms for a majority of coal-based power plants in India from 2022 to 2025. This means that 72% of coal-based power plants will continue to pollute for another two-three years. Further, in June 2021, the Central Electricity Authority called for extending the deadline for plants to 2035 to adopt emission norms set in 2015. "Given the 2070 net zero target, India will have to phase out coal by 2035; so, if they plan to give concessions to thermal plants until 2035, when will they phase out," said Shripad Dharmadhikary, analyst at the research organisation Manthan Adhyayan Kendra. In April 2021, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) issued a notification on 100% utilisation of ash generated by coal and lignite-based thermal power plants in an eco-friendly manner and introduced a fine for non-compliance. Over the last two decades, the environment ministry has been issuing similar notifications on the disposal and utilisation of fly ash, but over 50% of industries remain non-compliant, mostly dumping the ash in the open, in water bodies and in unlined and uncovered pits, we reported in August 2021. Environment laws diluted In October, the environment ministry proposed an amendment to the Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980, permitting non-forest activities--cultivation, construction, mining--in private forest land and state or Union government-notified forest land, where the owner can be any private or public sector entity. The proposed amendment deviates from the mandate to preserve forest by making exemptions to several developmental projects, environmentalists say. Forests are one of the critical elements in the fight against climate change. Apart from sustaining terrestrial biodiversity and livelihoods, forests significantly absorb the carbon dioxide released into the air. The Forest Act is the apex law in India to prevent deforestation, by prohibiting tree felling and other non-forestry activities on forest land without the permission of the Union or state governments. In March 2021, the central government issued an amendment diluting the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) framework of 2006, by exempting all projects from public hearing whose environmental clearance had expired and therefore had to apply afresh. According to the notification, the prior environmental clearance for a project was granted for a maximum period of 10 years, and in some cases five years. The projects which failed to complete within the granted time period had to undergo all the processes afresh, including conducting public hearing. However, as per the new amendment, the earlier compulsion of conducting public hearing was done away with if minimum 50% of the project had been implemented. The 2006 notification has undergone a total of 15 alterations until February 2020. In July 2021, the environment ministry further issued new standard operating procedures (SOPs) for dealing with cases of industrial projects that are operating without prior environmental clearance under the Environment Impact Notification (EIA), 2006. But these provisions will not act as a deterrent against violations of environment norms, defeating the purpose of prior environmental clearances mandated by the EIA 2006, an IndiaSpend investigation found in August. On November 1, MoEF&CC issued a gazette notification seeking an amendment to India's Coastal Regulation (CRZ) Notification, 2019, to exempt oil and natural gas exploration and development activities from obtaining mandatory prior Andaman forests denotified, push to palm oil The government is planning to set up big commercial, tourism and shipping projects in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands that would strip the protection that the ecologically and ethnically significant archipelago enjoys, we reported in April 2021. Earlier, in January, the MoEFCC amended the Island Coastal Regulation Zone Notification 2019, to move Great Nicobar from Group I of islands with a 200-metre buffer from the high-tide line to Group II with 100 metres' buffer. Andaman and Nicobar Islands comprise 836 islands with a total geographical area of about 8,249 square kilometres, 0.25% of the total geographical area of India. Of the 8,249 sq km, over 80% of the land (6,751 sq km) is recorded as forest land, which includes nine national parks, 96 wildlife sanctuaries and one biosphere reserve. Andaman and Nicobar Islands have seen a marginal rise in forest cover of 0.28% between 2011 and 2019, but have lost their moderately dense forests by 71%, or 1,732 sq km, a November 2021 Factchecker study found. In August 2021, the Union cabinet approved an outlay of Rs 11,040 crore for a proposal to expand palm oil production in India, towards its ultimate goal to have 1 million hectare of land under palm cultivation and becoming atmanirbhar, or 'self-sufficient', in oil. The scheme has identified India's northeast region and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as focus areas, which has raised concerns among environmentalists. Palm oil bears a significant threat to the water table of specific areas it is cultivated in, as seen in the major palm oil cultivating countries in southeast Asia. When it comes to air pollution, Northern India, again, saw a deterioration in air quality with the onset of winter. Our report shows that the number of air quality monitors in India per million people is much less compared to compatible countries.

61% of power pants to miss meeting their 2022 deadline on emission standards

NEW DELHI: Sixty-one percent of the coal-based power plants located near million-plus population cities, which have to meet their emission standards by December 2022, will miss their deadlines, shows an analysis of three different categories of power plants whose new targets to meet the green norms were set by the environment ministry early this year. The power plants which have to meet the December next year target are those which are located within 10 km radius of the National Capital Region (NCR) or cities having million-plus population. There are 79 coal-based power plants in this category (Category A) as per a categorisation list of a task force, constituted by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The task force, disaggregating 596 coal thermal power plants from across the country, had on December 13 released the list, putting 68 power plants in Category B (compliance deadline of December, 2023) and 449 in Category C (compliance deadline of December, 2024). The power plants which are located within 10 km radius of critically polluted areas or non-attainment cities fall under category B while the rest others (75% of total) fall in category C. he analysis, done by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), shows that 48 of 79 power plants (61%) in Category A will miss their emission standards deadlines -- it means the non-compliant power plants will continue to emit pollutants more than their acceptable limits, polluting air in the million-plus population cities. The list provided by the ministry on categories A,B and C is a much delayed exercise. They have taken so much time to prepare the list. It did not deliberate how plants in Category A will meet the deadline of 2022. Of course, they can pay a penalty and continue operating, but it's environmentally dangerous. The whole exercise of the ministry and the CPCB is farce and the majority of plants in each category will miss the extended deadline," said Nivit Kumar Yadav, programme director, CSE. The CSE's analysis shows that 35% of the total coal power capacity belonging to all three categories is going to miss their respective deadlines. It noted that a majority of the coal thermal power capacity that is likely to meet the emission norms belongs to the central sector, followed by the private sector. The environment ministry had in 2015 set new emission norms and fixed a deadline to meet it. The deadlines were, however, extended twice in the past six years. Thermal power plants (TPPs) located in different regions will, however, have different deadlines with maximum three years being given to those in comparatively lesser polluting areas. The TPPs will have to install pollution control equipment such as flue gas desulphurization (FGD) units within the extended deadline to meet the new emission norms of sulphur dioxides.

Delhi’s air pollution levels in ‘severe’ zone for 3rd consecutive day

Weather and environment experts have said that a mix of factors may have led to the worsening of air quality, including lower-than-expected wind speed and a poor assessment of the impact of lifting restrictions ir pollution-related restrictions on construction and demolition activities in the National Capital Region (NCR) and the ban on entry of diesel and petrol trucks into Delhi were lifted by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Monday, citing an improvement in air quality and a good wind speed forecast by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). However, the next day, Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) plunged into the “severe” category for the first time since December 2, and since then, it has remained “severe” with Delhi on Thursday logging the third consecutive day when the AQI was over 400. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, Delhi’s 24-hour average AQI on Thursday was recorded at 423, up from Wednesday’s 407, and the highest since December 2 when the city logged an AQI of 429. IMD said on Thursday that the situation may not improve till Sunday, when light rain is likely to help improve air quality. Weather and environment experts have said that a mix of factors may have led to the worsening of air quality, including lower-than-expected wind speed and a poor assessment of the impact of lifting restrictions. Tanushree Ganguly, Programme Lead at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) said a minor improvement in air quality was seen between December 17 and 19, but the PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations began to increase from December 20, the day the restrictions were lifted. “The average PM2.5 levels have been in the ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ category since December 20. CEEW’s analysis of meteorological parameters suggests that the ventilation index has been on the lower side since December 20, preventing the dispersion of pollutants,” said Ganguly. “Proactive directions by the CAQM on using air quality and meteorology forecasts are indeed steps in the right direction, but there is a need to calibrate actions on the ground as per the source contributions forecasted by the models. Dust and waste burning continue to dominate locally. Therefore, resuming activities at large construction sites might not be ideal unless authorities ensure stringent implementation of dust suppression measures,” she added. Despite three consecutive “severe” days, no restrictions were reimposed by CAQM on Thursday, however an official, on condition of anonymity, said that situation was being “closely monitored”. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said forecasts should serve as the basis of removing or imposing restrictions, and it was now important to factor in the impact of each section in air pollution. “Severe air pollution happens when pollutants get trapped locally because of a combination of factors, which includes the lifting of restrictions and meteorological conditions. We need our forecasts to be even more reliable and guide action in the future,” she said. Gufran Beig, project director and founder at the System for Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (Safar), a central forecasting body, said the “mixing height” has been a key factor in the last three days, dropping down to 500 to 700 metres. Mixing height is an invisible boundary layer, which if low, can trap pollutants close to the surface. A mixing height of 1-1.5 kms is considered enough to allow dispersal of pollutants.

Editorial: Uneven burden

Focus on clean air measures cannot be limited to big cities Breathing has become injurious to health. Two recent studies have identified the double burden of air pollution in India in different ways. A study published in Nature by researchers at the CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute found that cities along the Indo-Gangetic plain with a population of more than one million that do not meet the national ambient air quality standards consistently register the highest premature mortality because of diseases caused by air pollution. Furthermore, the study computed the economic burden of premature mortality in 31 non-attainment cities — metropolitan centres that have failed to meet air quality standards — and concluded that it was responsible for an estimated loss of $90 billion in 2017, accounting for about 3.4 per cent of India’s gross domestic product. Delhi tops the list followed by Mumbai, Hyderabad and Calcutta. Significantly, a disproportionate emphasis on the ill-effects of air pollution in bigger cities reveals only a part of the worrying tale. A new analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment, which coincides with the publication of the other study, found that while all of northern India experiences smog in winter, the otherwise cleaner, small towns witness episodes matching — or exceeding — the pollution levels reported in the Delhi-National Capital Region. It concluded that while Delhi’s average PM2.5 concentration during winter was nearly 4.5 times the national safety standard, towns such as Agra, Vrindavan and Firozabad fared much worse. The average urban concentration of particulate matter in Uttar Pradesh was eight per cent higher than that in NCR. Policy and public discourse have a tendency to perceive air pollution as a contagion that adversely affects big cities only. Policy action and public attention, therefore, ignore India’s smaller towns as well as its villages that suffer as much, if not more. Steps to alleviate poor air quality are, consequently, predominantly designed with urban agglomerations in mind. While the National Clean Air Programme focuses on initiatives in both cities and rural areas, the focus remains mostly on non-attainment cities. The scale of the crisis in India’s urban hinterlands is significant. Adding to the challenge is a decrepit healthcare infrastructure as well as an uneven template of development. Mitigatory intervention must encompass Tier-II cities and rural hamlets. Air pollution is a transboundary problem and policymakers must incorporate a regional outlook that would complement urban models for cleaning the air.

Delhi's air quality slips into 'severe' zone, likely to worsen further

NEW DELHI: After oscillating between "poor" and "very poor" for over two weeks, Delhi's air quality slipped into the "severe" category on Tuesday. The pollution monitoring agencies predict further drop in the next few days. According to Central Pollution Control Board, the air quality index (AQI), on a scale of 0 to 500, was 402 as against 332 a day earlier and 271 a day before that. Calm wind conditions and slight rise in humidity, among other meteorological reasons, led to accumulation of pollutants within Delhi, said Met officials. AQI slipped a day after Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) announced relaxations, allowing resumption of construction work and entry of the trucks in Delhi. Last time the national capital recorded a "severe" AQI was on December 2. "It's difficult to establish now if the accumulation of the pollutants have happened due to lifting the CAQM bans as the weather conditions have changed. We will have to observe the trend," said Anumita Roy Chawdhury, executive director at Centre for Science and Environment. According to SAFAR, the air quality is likely to worsen due to low wind speeds. The wind speed was almost nil by the evening and may remain low for the next few days, said Mahesh Palawat of Skymet.

NCR resolved 50% pollution-related complaints: CPCB

Among the NCR states, Delhi is faring best, having resolved nearly 63% (761) of the 1,214 complaints filed during this period. Nearly half of the pollution-related complaints made to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) or logged by its monitoring teams across the National Capital Region (NCR) between October 15 and December 19 are yet to be resolved, with data from the pollution watchdog showing that only 1,100 of the 2,207 complaints have been addressed so far. However, among the NCR states, Delhi is faring best, having resolved nearly 63% (761) of the 1,214 complaints filed during this period. In comparison, UP (134 of 370 complaints) and Haryana (184 of 509 complaints) have resolved 36% complaints, and Rajasthan (nine of 53 complaints) resolved only 17% complaints. A senior CPCB official, on the condition of anonymity, said most complaints were related to dust violations, construction and demolition waste and instances of open waste burning. “Data is collected each day from each agency and is being updated in real time. Agencies have been asked to ensure no complaints remain pending and are being asked to prioritise those complaints in particular which can be dealt with quickly,” the official said. CPCB data showed that in Delhi, most complaints (403) were recorded in areas under the jurisdiction of North Delhi Municipal Corporation but the civic body has addressed only 189 complaints (47%). South MCD received 359 complaints and resolved 232 (65%), whereas East MCD got 87 complaints, of which they have resolved 79 (91%). In comparison, other agencies with a high pendency rate include the Delhi government’s flood control department, which has only resolved four of its 17 complaints (24%), and the Delhi Police, which has addressed only 10 of its 24 complaints (42%). The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), the Delhi Cantonment Board and the Delhi transport department have meanwhile resolved all the complaints received so far. Among agencies in NCR which failed to solve a single complaint are the Central Public Works Department (56 complaints), Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (40 complaints), Haryana Urban Development Authority (21 complaints) and the UP state pollution control board (56 complaints). Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said it is important to act swiftly on all such complaints during the winter to somewhat halt the spike in air pollution. “In winters, you cannot carry out infrastructure-based intervention and therefore strict enforcement is essential. The CPCB may also need to carry out a system audit and assign accountability to agencies failing to solve complaints,” she said.