• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

CSE warns of growing air pollution in northeastern cities

Contrary to the impression of pristine blue skies and clean air that people usually have about the country's northeastern region, a new analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has shown that the problem of air pollution is growing steadily in the states of that region. Contrary to the impression of pristine blue skies and clean air that people usually have about the country's northeastern region, a new analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has shown that the problem of air pollution is growing steadily in the states of that region. "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," said Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager, Urban Lab, CSE. This is based on 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 (United States Environmental Protection Agency) method, the CSE said in a statement.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Several states failed to utilise funds for air pollution control: Data

Several states failed to utilise funds for air pollution control: Data A total of ₹375.44 crore was provided under NCAP to 114 cities from 2018-19 to 2020-21, and ₹290 crores to 82 cities for 2021-22. Several states failed to utilise the funds provided by the Centre under the national clean air programme (NCAP) to control air pollution in their respective states, according to data released by environment ministry during the first meeting of the NCAP’s National Apex Committee on Friday. A total of ₹375.44 crore was provided under NCAP to 114 cities from 2018-19 to 2020-21, and ₹290 crores was allocated to 82 cities for 2021-22. The Centre will be providing a further ₹700 crores for the 2021-26 period. But utilisation of the ₹375.44 crores given in the past two years has been low by most states, according to the data, with 22 states under NCAP collectively utilising only 33.53% of the amount. Bihar and Chandigarh utilised 77% and 82% respectively of the fund, but Punjab and Uttar Pradesh utilised only 17%, Chhattisgarh 21%, Andhra Pradesh 10%, Assam 4%, Himachal Pradesh 2%, and Jammu & Kashmir 1%. The utilisation by Uttarakhand and West Bengal was 53% and 58% respectively. “These states have about three months to utilise the funds until the next financial year starts. We have decided that allocation of funds will be performance and city specific from now on. Funds from states that fail to utilise the funds allocated to them will be provided to cities that are doing well in air pollution control,” said a senior environment ministry official after the meeting. NCAP does not have a legal mandate but aims to achieve a 20% to 30% reduction in PM 2.5 (respirable pollution particles) concentrations over 2017 levels in over 100 cities by 2024. The ministry in a statement said that the number of cities showing improvement in air quality increased from 86 in 2019 to 96 in 2020.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Threat of air pollution rising in 'pristine' Northeast: Centre for Science and Environment

The CSE analysis found Guwahati to be the city with the most polluted air in the Northeast <p>The problem of air pollution in the Northeast, particularly in the state capitals, is growing steadily but has not drawn much attention so far, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a New Delhi-based think tank has said after an analysis of the available data on air quality of the region, which is often projected as pristine. <p>“The air quality in the Northeast is worsening. 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. But this has not drawn much attention," Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager, Urban Lab of CSE said.</p><p>The warning by the reputed think tank could challenge the impression that the Northeast has pristine air with better forest cover and comparatively lesser development activities The CSE analysis found Guwahati to be the city with the most polluted air in the Northeast. "The average PM2.5 levels in 2021 (up till 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. 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," CSE said in a statement.</p><p>Among other cities meeting the minimum data availability requirements, Agartala (Tripura) – with a 2020 average of 45 microgramme per cubic metre (ug/m3) – has been called the second most polluted city in the region. Nagaland's capital Kohima, with a 2020 average of 35 ug/m3, was placed in third spot. Mizoram's capital Aizawl and Naharlagun town in Arunachal Pradesh 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, it said.</p><p>"Guwahati has almost two months of very poor air quality days. 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 CSE said.</p><p>In other cities, ‘good’ and ‘satisfactory’ days dominate but ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ days have also begun to emerge. Agartala registered 10 ‘very poor’ days, while Kohima had two. There is a considerable number of days in these cities for which the AQI (air quality index) could not be calculated due to poor data availability. All three cities meet the 24-hour standard for about half of the days in 2021 so far. The AQI chart for Shillong, Aizawl and Naharlagun could not be made as these cities do not have enough data.</p><p>Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, CSE said 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 the 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,” she said.</p><p>Roychowdhury further said, “Cities of northeastern states need urgent attention and support under the National Clean Air Programme for proper risk assessment. This is urgently needed to cut pollution from growing motorisation and congestion, use of solid fuels and open burning, and dispersed industrial sources at the early stages to prevent worsening of the public health crisis in this ecologically vulnerable region.”</p>

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

CSE warns of growing air pollution in NE cities

Contrary to the impression of pristine blue skies and clean air that people usually have about the country’s northeastern region, a new analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has shown that the problem of air pollution is growing steadily in the states of that region. “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,” said Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager, Urban Lab, CSE. This is based on 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 (United States Environmental Protection Agency) method, the CSE said in a statement. 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. “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,” said CSE’s executive director, research and advocacy, Anumita Roychowdhury. The CSE analysed the urban air quality status in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh as part of the air quality tracker initiative of the Urban Data Analytics Lab of CSE. The objective of this new analysis is to understand the magnitude and trend in winter pollution in major cities of the region, which have recently started real-time air quality monitoring. 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 excessive amount of missing data from this station, any meaningful analysis is not possible. Guwahati has the most polluted air in northeastern India: Average PM2.5 levels in 2021 (up till 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. 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. High pollution episodes are common during winters despite low annual levels: Except Guwahati, rest of the cities in the states in northeast have low annual PM2.5 levels; but during winters, episodes of high pollution are common, the CSE statement said.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

India doesn’t have enough air quality monitors to show the true extent of pollution in the country

Although the country has nine of the world’s top 10 polluted cities, it has fewer monitors per million people than other highly populated nations. With its size, population and aggravating air pollution, India needs 1,600 to 4,000 air quality monitors but has only 804 as of September 16, most of which are concentrated in urban areas, shows research. This, experts say, prevents India from knowing the true extent, scale and geographical spread of various pollutants and limits the government’s ability for preventive public health measures. India has nine of the 10 most polluted cities in the world, but with 200 particulate matter 2.5 monitoring sites in operation during the 2010-2016 period, India’s air quality monitor density – about 0.14 monitors per million people – is below China (1.2), the United States of America (3.4), Japan (0.5) and Brazil (1.8), according to research from 2019. As a consequence, India does not accurately know the spread of pollutants, including sulphur dioxide, nitrous dioxide, respirable PM 10, the finer particulate matter or PM 2.5, lead, carbon monoxide and ammonia. Chronic exposure to these pollutants contributes to the risk of developing ailments such as cardiovascular, respiratory diseases, as well as of lung cancer, according to the World Health Organization. Further, since existing air quality monitors are concentrated in urban areas, health and environmental authorities cannot assess the extent of air pollution in rural areas due to biomass, fuelwood, stubble burning and spraying of pesticides. Real-time monitoring Ambient air quality is monitored by observing pollutants, including sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, PM 10, PM 2.5, lead, carbon monoxide and ammonia, present in the air. Currently, the country’s clean air programme has set a tentative national target of 20%-30% reduction of air pollution in132 non-attainment cities by 2024, taking 2017 as the base year. The “non-attainment cities”, called so because they did not meet the national ambient air quality standards at the time, are required to formulate city-specific action plans in order to reduce air pollution. So, while the thrust is on the most-polluted cities, rural and semi-urban areas are not being fully monitored for want of monitors and protocols. In India, air quality has been traditionally monitored using manual readings. Data from 804 monitoring stations are used for monitoring ambient air quality. Even after the introduction of real-time monitors, the Central Pollution Control Board continues the practice of using data only from manual monitors to report compliance with air quality standards, according to a Centre for Science and Environment report from 2020. There are 261 real-time monitors whose data are updated on the central database. This network is technically part of the National Air Quality Monitoring Programme but its data are stored and treated separately because Central Pollution Control Board has not established a method of equivalence between the two monitoring techniques, the 2020 Centre for Science and Environment report pointed out. In the manual method, the monitoring of pollutants is carried out for 24 hours (four-hourly sampling for gaseous pollutants and eight-hourly sampling for particulate matter) with a frequency of only twice a week, whereas real-time monitors measure pollutants constantly. In simple terms, the readings from manual monitors are the ones the Central Pollution Control Board uses for ascertaining long-term air quality trends, including annual data on air quality. Data from real-time monitors are only included in calculating daily air quality index of a location. “These numbers from our 2020 report need updating but, in any case, coverage of overall urban population is inadequate and rural population is completely outside the ambit of monitoring today,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director at Centre for Science and Environment and the report’s author. Advertisement “Manual monitoring protocol requires readings from 104 days in a year but for some stations, we have found data was recorded only for 50 days-75 days,” she said. Manual monitors do not make sense for air quality monitoring anymore, said SN Tripathi, head of the civil engineering department at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and a member of the National Clean Air Programme steering committee. “It is a very tedious procedure and readings once or twice a week are not very helpful for a day-to-day understanding of air quality. We need more frequent measurements – at least hourly readings are needed.” Experts have suggested that data from real-time monitors also be used for ascertaining long-term trends and not just for daily AQI. In 2015, identifying this lack of monitors – there were even fewer at the time – IndiaSpend had launched its own network of low-cost sensors to measure the air quality in many Indian cities. You can read more about the project that ended in 2018, here. Monitoring stations needed The minimum number of stations to monitor suspended particulate matter where the area’s population is less than 1,00,000 is four. The minimum number is three for sulphur dioxide, four for nitrous dioxide, one for carbon monoxide, according to Central Pollution Control Board guidelines for ambient air quality monitoring released in 2003. The number of monitors required increases with the population. The number of sampling sites depends on the size of the area to be covered, variability of pollutant concentration, data requirements related to monitoring, pollutant to be monitored and population figures which can be used as indicators of criticality both from view of likely air quality deterioration as also health implications, the guidelines state. When scientists compared the density of India’s monitoring network with that of other high-population countries, they found large differences. “It is like when a person is ailing, the doctor will need to measure fever before deciding the course of treatment, otherwise treatment can go wrong,” explained Tripathi, who is also one of the authors of this paper. “The number of monitors we have recommended [in the paper] is the basic, bare minimum requirement.” India’s six megacities (Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi) need at least 23 to 44 air quality monitoring stations each, while the existing number of stations range between nine and 12 [excluding Delhi], according to the Centre for Science and Environment report from 2020. The monitors that India has are also not evenly distributed. “More than 33% of the real-time monitors are concentrated in Delhi-National Capital Region. Delhi alone has invested over Rs 100 crore to set up 38 stations over time,” said the Centre for Science and Environment report. In several states, including Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, station density is very poor and only two to five years of data are currently available, said another paper, titled “Monitoring particulate matter in India” published in Springer journal in 2019. For comparison, there are 87 monitoring stations for PM 10 and 32 for PM 2.5 in the Greater London region, a city of 9 million, it said. In 2021, Manipur, with a population of 2.7 million, has only one monitoring station and Arunachal Pradesh, with a population of 1.25 million has two. Using Central Pollution Control Board criteria, an average city of million-plus residents requires around 25 monitoring stations, and if this number is extrapolated across 60 cities, a total of around 1,500 stations would be required, the Springer journal paper said. An environment ministry report on the National Clean Air Programme agreed. “With reference to the existing 4,000 cities in the country, 703 manual monitoring stations in 307 cities reflect limited numbers and need augmentation,” it stated in its 2019 report. “It is proposed to augment it to 1500 stations from existing 703 stations.” At its very launch, the programme had promised to increase the number of monitoring stations in the country, including rural monitoring stations. Measuring pollutants To address the data gaps in monitoring pollutants, India will require 1,600 monitors-4,000 monitors (1.2 monitors-3 monitors per million people), the Elsevier paper said, and warned that even at these densities, only relatively basic information on common air pollutants would be available more frequently, and would cover a relatively limited area. The average cost of a monitoring station is around Rs 1 crore with around 10% for annual maintenance costs, the 2019 Springer paper had estimated. This would require an initial investment [of setting up 1,500 stations] of Rs 3,000 crore due to capital and operational costs for 10 years. India has set aside a budget of Rs 470 crore for control of pollution in the financial year 2021-’22, which includes funding for its ambitious National Clean Air Programme.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

पूर्वोत्तर की खूबसूरत वादियों तक पहुंचा वायु प्रदूषण का साया, CSE ने दी ये चेतावनी

नई दिल्ली, अनुराग मिश्र/विवेक तिवारी। वायु पदूषण की समस्या से दिल्ली और घनी शहरी आबादी वाले शहर तो जूझ रही रहे थे, लेकिन इस प्रदूषण का असर अब हरे भरे और जंगलों भरपूर पूर्वोत्तर राज्यों तक पहुंच गया है। सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड इनवायरमेंट (CSE) की एक रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक, पूर्वोत्तर राज्यों में वायु प्रदूषण की समस्या तेजी से बढ़ रही है। इस बढ़ते वायु प्रदूषण का असर पूर्वोत्तर राज्यों के खुले आसमान और साफ हवा पर दिखने लगा है। CSE की एक्जीक्यूटिव डायरेक्टर रिसर्च एंड एडवोकेसी अनुमिता रॉय चौधरी के मुताबिक उत्तर भारत में, खास तौर पर गंगा किनारे के मैदानों में गंभीर वायु प्रदूषण की समस्या सर्दियां शुरू होते ही शुरू हो जाती है। लेकिन ये समस्या अब पूर्वोत्तर राज्यों तक पहुंच रही है। पूर्वोत्तर राज्यों के कई बड़े शहरों में खास तौर पर राज्यों की राजधानियों में वायु प्रदूषण तेजी से बढ़ा है। सर्दियां शुरू होने के साथ ही वहां कई शहरों में स्मॉग की समस्या देखी जा रही है। सीएसई के अर्बन लैब के प्रोग्राम मैनेजर अविकल सोमवंशी के मुताबिक, 'वायु गुणवत्ता डेटा में अंतराल और डेटा के गुणवत्ता नियंत्रण की कमी से इन शहरों के लिए वायु प्रदूषण का विश्वसनीय डेटा तैयार करना मुश्किल हो जाता है। हालांकि, ये साफ है कि इस क्षेत्र में हवा में प्रदूषण तेजी से बढ़ रहा है। लेकिन इस पर पर्याप्त ध्यान नहीं दिया जा रहा है। आने वाले दिनों में सर्दियों में, गुवाहाटी जैसे शहरों की वायु गुणवत्ता लगभग उतनी ही खराब हो सकती है जितनी हम राष्ट्रीय राजधानी क्षेत्र (एनसीआर) और उत्तर प्रदेश के शहरों में देखते हैं। अगरतला और कोहिमा जैसे छोटे शहरों में भी वायु प्रदूषण पिछले कुछ सालों की तुलना में कहीं ज्यादा है। सीएसई रख रहा प्रदूषण पर नजर सीएसई ने असम, मेघालय, त्रिपुरा, नागालैंड, मिजोरम और अरुणाचल प्रदेश राज्यों में शहरी वायु गुणवत्ता की स्थिति का विश्लेषण किया है। यह सीएसई 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 में बढ़ते प्रदूषण की गंभीरता और प्रवृत्ति को समझना है। सीएसई की ओर से 1 जनवरी, 2019 से 7 दिसंबर, 2021 के बीच पूर्वोत्तर राज्यों में बढ़ते PM2.5 का वार्षिक और मौसम में बदलाव के आधार पर आकलन किया गया है। यह विश्लेषण पूर्वोत्तर में वर्तमान में कार्यरत वायु गुणवत्ता निगरानी स्टेशनों से उपलब्ध वास्तविक समय के आंकड़ों पर आधारित है। यूएसईपीए (यूनाइटेड स्टेट्स एनवायर्नमेंटल प्रोटेक्शन एजेंसी) पद्धति के आधार पर बड़ी मात्रा में इकट्ठा किए गए आंकड़ों के आधार पर परिणाम तैयार किए गए हैं। इस विश्लेषण में सात निरंतर परिवेशी वायु गुणवत्ता निगरानी स्टेशन (CAAQMS) शामिल हैं, जो समान संख्या में राज्यों में छह शहरों में फैले हुए हैं- गुवाहाटी (असम) में दो स्टेशन और शिलांग (मेघालय), अगरतला (त्रिपुरा), कोहिमा (नागालैंड) में एक-एक स्टेशन। आइजोल (मिजोरम) और नाहरलगुन (अरुणाचल प्रदेश) में एक एक स्टेशन। मणिपुर और सिक्किम में रियल टाइम मॉनिटरिंग नहीं हो पा रही है, इसके चलते यहां फिलहाल प्रदूषण का सही आंकलन कर पाना मुश्किल हो रहा है। पूर्वोत्तर भारत में गुवाहाटी सबसे प्रदूषित शहर: 2021 में (30 नवंबर तक) औसत PM2.5 स्तर पहले ही गुवाहाटी में 2019 के वार्षिक औसत को पार कर चुका है। शहर का 2020 का वार्षिक औसत 2019 के औसत से भी अधिक था जो शहर में हवा के लगातार खराब होने का संकेत देता है। शिलांग इस क्षेत्र का एकमात्र शहर है, जहां दो साल से अधिक समय से डेटा जनरेट करने वाला स्टेशन है, लेकिन खराब डेटा उपलब्धता के कारण इसके वार्षिक औसत को विश्वसनीय नहीं माना जा सकता है। फिर भी, शहर का औसत वार्षिक मानक से काफी नीचे है। अगरतला 2020 के औसत 45 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर (ug/m3) के साथ इस क्षेत्र का दूसरा सबसे प्रदूषित शहर है। 2020 के औसत 35 ug/m3 के साथ कोहिमा इस क्षेत्र का तीसरा सबसे प्रदूषित शहर है। आइज़वाल और नाहरलागुन न्यूनतम डेटा उपलब्धता आवश्यकता को पूरा नहीं करते हैं, लेकिन उपलब्ध सीमित डेटा इंगित करता है कि ये दोनों संभवतः वार्षिक मानक को पूरा करेंगे।

• Sustainable Mobility

नए साल में सड़कों पर नहीं उतर सकेंगे 10 साल पुराने डीजल वाहन

नई दिल्ली। डीजल वाहनों के डी-रजिस्टर करने से 10 साल से पुराने 2.64 लाख से अधिक डीजल वाहन नए साल में सड़कों पर नहीं उतर सकेंगे। विशेषज्ञों का कहना है कि इससे हवा की गुणवत्ता में सुधार के साथ जाम की समस्या भी कम होगी। ऐसे डीजल वाहनों पर एक जनवरी, 2022 से कार्रवाई के साथ ही दिल्ली सरकार के परिवहन विभाग ने वाहन मालिकों को राहत के कई विकल्प भी दिए हैं। इसके तहत पुराने वाहनों का दूसरे राज्यों में पंजीकरण के लिए अनापत्ति प्रमाण पत्र (एनओसी) सहित पुराने वाहनों को इलेक्ट्रिक वाहनों में परिवर्तित करने के विकल्प से भी राहत मिलने की उम्मीद है। दिल्ली सरकार ने एनजीटी की ओर से जारी आदेश के बाद एक जनवरी से इसे सख्ती से लागू करने का निर्णय लिया है। इसके तहत वाहनों का पंजीकरण रद्द करने के बाद सड़कों पर वाहन नहीं उतारे जा सकेंगे। बावजूद इसके अगर नियमों की अनदेखी की जाती है तो इन वाहनों को जब्त कर स्क्रैप कर दिया जाएगा। परिवहन विभाग की तरफ से पिछले करीब डेढ़ महीने से पुराने और प्रदूषण फैलाने वाले वाहनों पर करवाई की जा रही है। इसके तहत मियाद पूरी कर चुके वाहनों को जब्त कर स्क्रैप करने के लिए भेजा जा रहा है। विशेष अभियान के तहत पिछले करीब एक महीने के दौरान सैकड़ों वाहनों को जब्त कर स्क्रैप करने के लिए भेजा गया है। परिवहन विभाग के अधिकारियों के मुताबिक, एक जनवरी के बाद अभियान और तेज होगा। सभी पेट्रोल पंपों पर भी इसके लिए टीमें तैनात की गई हैं। बीएस-3 वाहनों से होता है 10 गुना अधिक प्रदूषण सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवॉयरमेंट (सीएसई) की कार्यकारी निदेशक अनुमिता रॉय चौधरी के मुताबिक सरकार के इस कदम से वाहनों से होने वाले प्रदूषण में काफी हद तक कमी आने की उम्मीद है। उन्होंने बताया कि बीएस-3 डीजल वाहनों से मौजूदा बीएस-6 वाहनों की तुलना में 10 गुना से भी अधिक प्रदूषण होता है। इससे नाइट्रोजन ऑक्साइड सहित कई जहरीली गैस महीन धूलकणों का उत्सर्जन होता है। रेट्रो फिटमेंट के बाद दोबारा सड़कों पर उतर सकेंगे पुराने वाहन भी वाहनों के लिए इलेक्ट्रिक रेट्रो फिटमेंट का विकल्प दिया गया है। इसके तहत पुराने डीजल वाहनों में भी परिवर्तित करने के बाद वाहनों से होने वाला उत्सर्जन शून्य हो जाएगा। इसके लिए दिल्ली सरकार और एजेंसियों से बातचीत चल रही है ताकि ताकि 10 साल पुराने डीजल और 15 साल पुराने पेट्रोल वाहनों में इलेक्ट्रिक किट की रेट्रो फिटमेंट के बाद इन वाहनों को दोबारा सड़कों पर उतारा जा सके। इससे वाहन मालिकों की बचत होगी और वाहनों को स्क्रैप करने की बजाय दोबारा इस्तेेमाल किया जा सकेगा। कैंसर होने का भी डीजल वाहनों से खतरा डॉ. अनुमिता रॉय चौधरी ने कहा कि डीजल वाहनों से निकलने वाले धूलकण और धुआं, बेहद हानिकारक हैं। विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन (डब्ल्यूएचओ) ने भी माना है कि डीजल वाहनों से होने वाला प्रदूषण सेहत के लिए खतरनाक है। इससे कैंसर होने की आशंका कई गुना बढ़ जाती है। यह तंबाकू उत्पादों से भी अधिक नुकसानदेह है। इससे फेफड़े का कैंसर होने का खतरा रहता है। कार के रेट्रो फिटमेंट पर चार लाख तक की हो सकती है लागत दिल्ली सरकार की ओर से इलेक्ट्रिक वाहनों को प्रोत्साहित किया जा रहा है। इसके लिए नई ईवी पॉलिसी के तहत वित्तीय प्रोत्साहन दिया जा रहा है ताकि वायु गुणवत्ता में सुुधार हो सके। वाहनों के इलेक्ट्रिक रेट्रो फिटमेंट से पुराने डीजल और पेट्रोल वाहनों को दोबारा इस्तेमाल के बाद भी प्रदूषण में बढ़ोतरी नहीं होगी। वहीं, पुराने वाहन मालिकों की चिंता है कि अगर उनके वाहन डी-रजिस्टर होने के बाद स्क्रैप कर दिए जाएंगे तो इसके बदले महज 35 से 40 हजार रुपये मिलेंगे। अगर वाहनों की रेट्रो फिटमेंट करवाते हैं तो एक कार पर चार लाख तक से अधिक का खर्च होने का अनुमान है। इसमें बैटरी का खर्च सर्वाधिक होगा। सीएसई की मौसमी मोहंती के मुताबिक दोपहिया वाहन या ऑटो की रेट्रो फिटमेंट से कोई खास फायदा नहीं होगा, क्योंकि इस पर अपेक्षाकृत लागत अधिक है। टैक्सी मालिकों में रोष डीजल वाहनों के डी-रजिस्ट्रेशन पर टैक्सी चालक यूनियन के संजय सम्राट ने विरोध जताते हुए कहा कि कारोना काल में पहले ही वित्तीय तंगी से टैक्सी चालक जूझ रहे हैं। डीजल वाहनों को डी-रजिस्टर करने से उन पर लाखों का अतिरिक्त बोझ बढ़ेगा जबकि कई टैक्सी संचालकों के लिए इस कारोबार में बने रहना भी मुश्किल हो रहा है। उन्होंने आरोप लगाया कि अब तक सीएनजी वाहनों को पर्यावरण के लिए अनुकूल माना जा रहा था। अचानक इलेक्ट्रिक वाहनों की तरफ रुख करने के पीछे कोई और मंशा नजर आ रही है। अचानक लागू होने वाले इस फैसले से टैक्सी परिचालकों में रोष है और इस पर विरोध जताएंगे। अंतरराज्यीय बसों पर भी शिकंजा कसना जरूरी दूसरे राज्यों से दिल्ली में रोजाना करीब तीन हजार बसें आवागमन करती हैं। इनमें से अधिकतर डीजल बसें हैं, जिनमें रोजाना यात्रियों का आवागमन होता है। दिल्ली में पहले ही सड़कों पर डीटीसी और क्लस्टर की सीएनजी बसें हैं। मगर, दूसरे राज्यों से रोजाना दिल्ली में दाखिल होने वाले वाहनों से होने वाले प्रदूषण पर फिलहाल शिकंजा नहीं कसा गया है। हालांकि कश्मीरी गेट, सराय काले खां और आनंद विहार, आईएसबीटी पर अब दूसरे राज्यों से भी कुछ सीएनजी बसें पहुंच रही हैं। इन वाहनों के प्रदूषण की जांच और सख्ती नहीं की गई तो सरकार की तमाम कोशिशों के बावजूद दिल्ली की वायु गुुणवत्ता में सुधार की राह में मुश्किलें बनी रहेंगी। परिवहन विभाग के उपायुक्त ने बताया कि दूसरे राज्यों से आने वाले वाहनों की निगरानी की जा रही है। प्रदूषण मानकों की अनदेखी करने वालों पर कार्रवाई भी शुरू कर दी गई है। इसके बाद कुछ सीएनजी बसें भी अब आईएसबीटी पर दिखने लगी हैं।

• Director General Office

Bring traditional food culture back to life, says Sunita Narain at KVIFF closing ceremony

This year, the KVIFF festival stressed on the theme of Nutritious Food, Flourishing Nature, and Healthy Society, to highlight nutrition and food from across the globe PUNE First food not fast food should be stressed upon said Sunita Narain, director general of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), and environmentalist, at the concluding session of the 15th edition of the Kirloskar Vasundhara International Film Festival (KVIFF). The festival that began on December 14, 2021 was held online. This year, the festival stressed on the theme of Nutritious Food, Flourishing Nature, and Healthy Society, to highlight nutrition and food from across the globe. “Due to blind imitation of modernisation, we have forgotten our traditional food culture. We need to make traditional food culture a part of our lifestyle to restore the health of nature and alternatively human beings,” said Narain. She said, “We are also indirectly harming the next generation, by mocking the traditional food culture. We are hurting our own roots, but interestingly while urban citizens are facing more after effects of the fast food culture, the rural health graph is better for traditional food culture is still prevalent in rural India. There is a need to rethink and re-evaluate the lifestyle and food habits.” RELATED STORIES UNESCO recognition for Kolkata’s Durga Puja triggers slugfest between TMC, BJP UNESCO recognition for Kolkata’s Durga Puja triggers slugfest between TMC, BJP Bali reopens but only gets 2 foreign tourists in 1st Month Bali reopens but only gets 2 foreign tourists in 1st Month Watch: Newlyweds Katrina Kaif, Vicky Kaushal return to Mumbai from honeymoon Watch: Newlyweds Katrina Kaif, Vicky Kaushal return to Mumbai from honeymoon ‘After Ayodhya-Kashi…’: Hema Malini calls for grand Krishna temple in Mathura ‘After Ayodhya-Kashi…’: Hema Malini calls for grand Krishna temple in Mathura Mini Mathurs saree game at Katrina, Vicky Kaushals wedding leaves us obsessed Mini Mathur's saree game at Katrina, Vicky Kaushal's wedding leaves us obsessed Jagannath Shetty, owner of iconic Vaishali restaurant in Pune passes away Jagannath Shetty, owner of iconic Vaishali restaurant in Pune passes away ‘Bahubali to fire’: Fusion dishes involving momo that created online chatter ‘Bahubali to fire’: Fusion dishes involving momo that created online chatter Miss India World 2020 Manasa Varanasi congratulates Miss Universe 2021 Harnaaz Sandhu: See post here Miss India World 2020 Manasa Varanasi congratulates Miss Universe 2021 Harnaaz Sandhu: See post here In her speech, she stressed upon the natural diversity of India leading to difference in the food culture of the villages, but it is this difference that is conducive to human health. “This diverse food culture needs to be preserved. The geographical climate, soil, water, nature, and other environmental factors have a positive effect on the mental and physical health of human beings. If you interfere in that natural cycle, you will have to suffer the negative effects of its health,” said Narain. Prof Reuven Yosef from Israel was also felicitated with at the closing ceremony of the festival. He is originally from Pune and is the Visionary of Israel Conservation Award winner. Festival organiser Virendra Chitrav said that the work of Prof Yousef, who is the Director, International Budding and Research Centre, Israel, has been inspiring.

• Director General Office

वायु प्रदूषण रोकने के लिए गंभीर प्रयास की जरूरत

राष्ट्रीय राजधानी दिल्ली एक बार फिर प्रदूषण की चादर में लिपट गई। प्रत्येक वर्ष इस समय दिल्ली सहित राष्ट्रीय राजधानी क्षेत्र में लोगों के लिए सांस लेना दूभर हो जाता है। इसकी परवाह कोई नहीं करता है मगर लोगों के मन में कहीं न कहीं दुख एवं गुस्सा तो रहता ही है। हमें इस गुस्से को जगाए रखना है ताकि इस गंभीर समस्या से निपटने के कदम उठाए जा सकें। तमाम संगठन एवं संस्थाएं प्रदूषण के लिए एक दूसरे पर अपनी जिम्मेदारी टालते रहते हैं मगर इससे हमें कोई समाधान मिलने वाला नहीं है। पहला प्रश्न मन में यह उठता है कि नवंबर में हरेक वर्ष ऐसे हालात क्यों पैदा हो जाते हैं और इसके लिए कौन जवाबदेह है? क्या हम इस समस्या का कारण नहीं जानते हैं? दूसरा प्रश्न यह है कि वायु प्रदूषण से निपटने के लिए अब तक क्या उपाय किए गए हैं और ये सफल क्यों नहीं हो रहे हैं? तीसरा प्रश्न है कि ऐसा क्या किया जाना चाहिए जिससे हमें प्रदूषित हवा में सांस नहीं लेनी पड़े? पहले प्रश्न पर आते हैं। प्रदूषण क्यों बढ़ रहा है यह समझना कोई बड़ी बात नहीं है। क्या प्रदूषण स्थानीय कारकों का नतीजा है या पड़ोसी राज्य इस स्थिति के लिए जिम्मेदार हैं? सेंटर फॉर साइंस ऐंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) में मेरे एक सहकर्मी ने आंकड़ों का हवाला देते हुए बताया था कि दीवाली से ठीक एक दिन पहले वायु गुणवत्ता किसी भी समय की तुलना में श्रेष्ठ थी। उन्होंने इसके लिए उस दौरान हुई बारिश और हवा की अच्छी रफ्तार को श्रेय दिया था। इसके बाद दीवाली मनाई गई और खूब पटाखे छोड़े गए। अगर हवा की गति तेज रही होती तो असर थोड़ा कम रहता। हालांकि उस समय देश में दो चक्रवाती तूफान प्रणाली कमजोर पडऩे लगी थी। इससे दिल्ली सहित देश के उत्तरी भाग पर चक्रवात विरोधी वायु पट्टी का निर्माण हो गया। हवा की गति शांत पडऩे से दीवाली के दौरान हवा में घुला प्रदूषण जस का तस बना रहा। रही-सही कसर पड़ोसी राज्यों से पराली जलाने से आने वाले धुएं ने पूरी कर दी। बारिश की वजह से धान की कटाई में देरी हो गई थी। धान काटने के बाद किसानों ने अपने खेतों में एक ही बार में सारी पराली को आग लगा दी। इससे वायु में प्रदूषण का स्तर और बढ़ गया। वायु प्रदूषण के लिए कोई एक कारक जिम्मेदार नहीं है। हमें इसे लेकर भी परेशान नहीं होना चाहिए कि कौन सा कारक किस सीमा तक इस भयावह स्थिति के लिए जिम्मेदार है। अब हमें इस पर विचार करना है कि शहर में वायु प्रदूषण के स्रोत क्या हैं? 'उत्सजर्न भंडार' पर दो प्रमुख शोध हुए हैं। विभिन्न कारकों की हिस्सेदारी अलग-अलग हो सकती है मगर कमोबेश वाहनों की आवाजाही, उद्योग एवं बिजली संयंत्र, धूल और कूड़ा जलाना प्रदूषण के प्रमुख स्रोत हैं। यह भी स्पष्ट है कि पड़ोसी राज्यों उत्तर प्रदेश और हरियाणा से प्रदूषित वायु दिल्ली आती है। दिल्ली से भी इन राज्यों की ओर खतरनाक हवा बहती है। इसे ध्यान में रखते हुए प्रदूषण नियंत्रण के लिए आपसी सहयोग एवं मदद चाहिए। हमें यह समझना चाहिए कि प्रदूषण के लिए सभी जिम्मेदार हैं। हमें प्रदूषण के इन स्रोतों की रोकथाम के लिए एक कार्य योजना तैयार करनी होगी। दूसरा प्रश्न है कि रोकथाम के लिए क्या उपाय किए गए हैं और क्यों ये काम नहीं कर रहे हैं? हमें यह नहीं भूलना चाहिए कि दिल्ली में वायु प्रदूषण की समस्या दूर करने के लिए काफी कदम उठाए हैं। एक व्यापक और जरूरत के हिसाब से बदलने वाली योजना भी तैयार की गई है। इसमें किसी खास स्रोत के बारे में पता लगते ही इसके खिलाफ कदम उठाना भी शामिल है। उदाहरण के लिए सरकार ने उत्सर्जन गुणवत्ता में सुधार के लिए वाहनों में नई तकनीक लगाने की पहल की है। ट्रक जैसे बड़े वाहनों के लिए सख्त नियम बनाए गए हैं। सार्वजनिक परिवहन की स्थिति में सुधार के लिए मेट्रो परियोजना के चौथे चरण को आंशिक अनुमति दी जा चुकी है। पड़ोसी राज्यों से निजी वाहनों की आवाजाही पर अंकुश लगाने के लिए यह कदम उठाया गया है। दिल्ली का आखिरी कोयला आधारित बिजली संयंत्र बंद किया जा चुका है और औद्योगिक क्षेत्रों में भी कोयले का इस्तेमाल रोक दिया गया है। वैसे शहर के अनधिकृत क्षेत्रों में कोयले का इस्तेमाल तब भी हो रहा है, औद्योगिक क्षेत्रों में हजारों बॉयलर कोयले से चलते हैं। हमें यह भी समझना होगा कि अब तक उठाए गए कदमों का क्या असर हुआ है। पिछले कुछ वषों से यह देखने का चलन शुरू हुआ कि वर्ष में कितने दिन वायु गुणवत्ता 'संतोषजनक श्रेणी' में रहती है। 2018 में ऐसे दिनों की संख्या 101 थी जो 2020 में बढ़कर 174 हो गई। गंभीर वायु श्रेणी में आने वाले दिनों की संख्या 2018 में 28 थी जो 2020 में कम होकर 20 रह गई है। यह सुधार किसी भी मानक के लिहाज से पर्याप्त नहीं है। मगर हम तो वायु गणुवत्ता में सुधार के लिए प्रयास कर रहे हैं इसलिए निरंतर स्थिति सुधरती तो यह हमारे हक में है। हवा साफ नहीं है मगर साल के कई दिनों में यह तुलनात्मक रूप से अधिक संतोषजनक रहती है। हालांकि प्रदूषण स्तर घटाने के लिए काफी कुछ किए जाने की जरूरत है ताकि वायु की गति धीमी पडऩे के बाद भी ठंड हवा नुकसानदेह न रहे और हम सभी स्वच्छ हवा में सांस ले पाएं। स्वयं को दोबारा तरो-ताजा करने के लिए हवा को एक अनुकूल स्थिति की जरूरत होती है। इस मोर्चे पर हमें दहन रणनीति में क्रांतिकारी बदलाव लाने होंगे। इस पूरे क्षेत्र में कोयले का इस्तेमाल रोकने से लेकर सार्वजनिक परिवहन के साधनों को पर्यावरण के अनुकूल बनाने की दिशा में हमें गंभीरता से काम करना होगा। अन्यथा हम पूरे वर्ष यूं ही निष्क्रिय रह जाएंगे और जाड़े में दिल्ली प्रदूषण के गंभीर खतरे का शिकार होती रहेगी। इस पर हमें फिर चर्चा करने की जरूरत है। -सुनीता नारायण

• Director General Office

मूळ सदोष आहारपध्दतीत पर्यावरण तज्ज्ञ सुनीता नारायण यांचे मत; किर्लोस्कर वसुंधरा महोत्सवाचा समारोप

‘गेल्या काही वर्षांत प्राण्यांपासून होणाऱ्या आजारांचे प्रमाण लक्षणीयरित्या वाढले आहे. हे आजार म्हणजे आपल्या अस्तित्वाला धोका निर्माण होण्याचे संकेत आहेत. कोरोनासारख्या सूक्ष्म विषाणुने तर संपूर्ण जगाला गुडघे टेकायला भाग पाडले. हा प्राण्यांच्या अधिवासावर मनुष्यजातीने आक्रमण केल्याचा परिणाम आहेच. तसेच याचे मूळ आपल्या सदोष आहारपध्दतीत आहे,’’ असे मत पर्यावरण तज्ज्ञ आणि शाश्वत विकासाच्या पुरस्कर्त्या सुनीता नारायण यांनी व्यक्त केले. पंधराव्या किर्लोस्कर वसुंधरा आंतरराष्ट्रीय चित्रपट महोत्सवाच्या ऑनलाइन समारोप सत्रात त्या बोलत होत्या. सुनीता नारायण म्हणाल्या, ‘‘वाढत्या लोकसंख्येच्या गरजा भागवण्यासाठी अन्न उत्पादन वाढवण्याची आवश्यकता आहेच. मात्र पोषण व सुदृढ आरोग्यासाठी आणि मुख्यत्वे पर्यावरणासाठी चांगले अन्न कोणते, या प्रश्नाचे उत्तर शोधावे लागेल. त्यासाठी ‘फास्ट फूड’कडून ‘फर्स्ट फूड’कडे वळावे लागेल. ‘फर्स्ट फूड’मध्ये आपल्या स्थानिक खाद्यसंस्कृतीतील पारंपारिक अन्नपदार्थांचा समावेश होतो. तसेच पाण्यात, शेतीत, जमिनीत गुंतवणूक करावी लागेल. लहान शेतकऱ्यांना प्रोत्साहन द्यावे लागेल आणि उत्पादकाला थेट पैसे मिळतील, याची खात्री द्यावी लागेल. आपण आताच खबरदारी घेतली नाही, तर भावी पिढीचे कधीही न भरून येणारे नुकसान होईल.’’ आंतरराष्ट्रीय बडिंग आणि रिसर्च सेंटरचे संचालक प्रा. रुवेन योसफ यांना महोत्सवातील सर्वोच्च ‘वसुंधरा सन्मान’ देऊन गौरवण्यात आले. मूळचे पुण्याचे असलेल्या प्रा. योसफ यांना ‘व्हिजनरी ऑफ इस्त्रायल कन्झरव्हेशन अॅवार्ड’ या सर्वोच्च पदवीने इस्त्रायलचे पंतप्रधान शिमन पेरेज यांच्या हस्ते सन्मानित करण्यात आले आहे. मध्यपूर्व भूमध्य प्रदेशावर स्थलांतर करणाऱ्या पक्ष्यांना विश्रांतीसाठी सुयोग्य स्थानाची निर्मिती त्यांनी केली. या कार्यासाठी त्यांना यंदाचा ‘वसुंधरा सन्मान’ प्रदान करण्यात आला. या वेळी ‘पर्यावरण स्नेही घर’ ही संकल्पना रुजवणाऱ्या प्रतीक धानमेर यांच्याशी महोत्सवाचे संयोजक वीरेंद्र चित्राव यांनी संवाद साधला. भारतातील नैसर्गिक बहु विविधतेमुळे गावागावांतील खाद्य संस्कृतीत तफावत दिसून येते. परंतु, ही तफावतच मानवी आरोग्यासाठी पोषक आहे. या वैविध्यपूर्ण खाद्य संस्कृतीचे जतन होणे गरजेचे आहे. -सुनीता नारायण, पर्यावरण तज्ज्ञ

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

CSE warns of growing air pollution in Northeastern cities

Contrary to the impression of pristine blue skies and clean air that people usually have about the country's northeastern region, a new analysis by the Centre for Science a-> Contrary to the impression of pristine blue skies and clean air that people usually have about the country's northeastern region, a new analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has shown that the problem of air pollution is growing steadily in the states of that region. "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," said Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager, Urban Lab, CSE.<br><br>This is based on 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 (United States Environmental Protection Agency) method, the CSE said in a statement.<br><br>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.<br><br>"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," said CSE's executive director, research and advocacy, Anumita Roychowdhury.<br><br>The CSE analysed the urban air quality status in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh as part of the air quality tracker initiative of the Urban Data Analytics Lab of CSE. <br><br>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.<br><br>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 excessive amount of missing data from this station, any meaningful analysis is not possible.<br><br>Guwahati has the most polluted air in northeastern India Average PM2.5 levels in 2021 (up till 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.<br><br>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.<br><br>High pollution episodes are common during winters despite low annual levels Except Guwahati, rest of the cities in the states in northeast have low annual PM2.5 levels; but during winters, episodes of high pollution are common, the CSE statement said.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

CSE Warns Of Growing Air Pollution In Northeast Cities

A new analysis by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) says that the problem of air pollution is growing steadily in the states of India’s northeast, putting paid to the impression of pristine blue skies and clean air that people usually have about this region. According to the analysis by the New Delhi-based think-tank, sparse and limited air quality data underrates the magnitude of the problem in cities of these regions.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

India Has 9 Out Of World's Most Polluted Cities, But Few Air Quality Monitors Than Other Populated Nations

Most of the air quality monitors are concentrated in urban areas. This, experts say, prevents India from knowing the true extent, scale and geographical spread of various pollutants, and limits the government's ability for preventive public health measures. India has nine of the 10 most polluted cities worldwide, but it needs 1,600 to 4,000 air quality monitors owing to its size, population and rising pollution levels. As of September 2021, India has only 804 air quality monitors, mostly in urban areas. Experts said that this is the reason why the country is unable to know the true extent, scale and geographical spread of different pollutants and limits the government's ability for preventive public health measures.Most of the air quality monitors are concentrated in urban areas. This, experts say, prevents India from knowing the true extent, scale and geographical spread of various pollutants, and limits the government's ability for preventive public health measures. With 200 particulate matter (PM) 2.5 monitoring sites in operation from 2010-2016, India's air quality monitor density (nearly 0.14 monitors per million people), is below China (1.2), the US (3.4), Japan (0.5) and Brazil (1.8) respectively, according to IndiaSpend. As a consequence, India does not exactly know the spread of pollutants, including nitrous dioxide (NO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2), respirable PM 10, the finer particulate matter or PM 2.5, lead, carbon monoxide (CO) and ammonia. As per the World Health Organisation, chronic exposure to these pollutants contributes largely to the risk of developing cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and in extreme cases lung cancer. Since existing air quality monitors are concentrated in cities, health and environmental authorities are unable to assess the level of air pollution in villages due to fuelwood, biomass, spraying of pesticides and stubble burning. Need For Real-Tme Air Quality Monitoring Ambient air quality is monitored by observing pollutants like NO2, SO2, PM 10, PM 2.5, lead, CO, and ammonia. Currently, India's clean air programme has set a tentative national target of 20-30 per cent reduction of air pollution in 132 non-attainment cities by 2024. These cities did not meet the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) and are required to formulate city-specific action plans to reduce air pollution. While the focus is on the most-polluted cities, rural and semi-urban areas are not being fully monitored. In India, air quality is traditionally monitored using manual readings, and experts use data from 804 stations to ambient air quality. Even after the real-time monitors were introduced, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) continues to use data from manual monitors to report compliance with air quality standards. There are total 261 real-time monitors whose data are updated on the central database and it is part of the National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP). According to 2020 Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) report, its data is stored and treated separately as CPCB has not established a method of equivalence between the two monitoring techniques. In the manual system, the monitoring of pollutants is carried out for 24 hours with a frequency of twice a week, whereas real-time monitors measure pollutants constantly. Data from real-time monitors are only included in calculating a location's daily AQI (air quality index). "Manual monitoring protocol requires readings from 104 days yearly but for some stations, data was recorded for just 50-75 days," Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director at CSE and the report's author, said. Experts said that manual monitoring is a monotonous procedure and readings once or twice a week are not beneficial for daily understanding of air quality. They also suggested that data from real-time monitors to be used for ascertaining long-term trends. Requirement Of 1,500 Air Quality Monitoring Stations The minimum number of stations to monitor suspended particulate matter with a population of less than 100,000 is four. As per CPCB guidelines for ambient air quality monitoring released in 2003, the minimum number is four for NO2, three for SO2, one for CO2, while the number of monitors required increases with growing population. The number of sampling sites depends on the area size to be covered, data requirements related to monitoring, variability of pollutant concentration, a pollutant to be monitored and population figures which can be used as indicators of air quality deterioration and health implications. India's six megacities (Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Hyderabad) need at least 23 to 44 air quality monitoring stations. In contrast, the existing stations range between nine and 12, excluding Delhi. "Over 33 per cent of the real-time monitors are concentrated in Delhi-NCR. The national capital alone has invested over Rs 100 crore to set up 38 stations over time," said the CSE report. Station density is inferior in several states, including Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. According to another paper titled Monitoring particulate matter in India' published in Springer journal in 2019, only two to five years of data are available now. Manipur, with a population of 2.7 million, has only one monitoring station in 2021 and Arunachal Pradesh has just two whereas it has a population of 1.25 million. Using CPCB criteria, an average city of with more than one million residents needs nearly 25 monitoring stations, and if this number is extrapolated across 60 million cities, a total of approximately 1,500 stations would be required, as per the journal. The Cost Of Measuring Pollutants To address the data gaps in monitoring pollutants, India will need 1,600-4,000 monitors (1.2-3 monitors per million people). The average cost of a monitoring station is nearly Rs 1 crore with around 10 per cent for annual maintenance costs. This would require an initial investment of Rs 3,000 crore to set up 1,500 stations. India has set aside a budget of Rs 470 crore to control pollution in the financial year 2021-22, including funding for its ambitious National Clean Air Programme. Rural Areas To Be Monitored The NCAP report pointed out the grave problem of air pollution in rural areas and proposed setting up 75 stations in rural areas. Rural areas suffer from outdoor air pollution as well as indoor air pollution. Significant sources of outdoor air pollution are the indiscriminate use of insecticides/pesticides sprays and the burning of wheat and paddy straw. Atmospheric ozone concentration has been observed higher in rural areas than urban areas, the report stated. Alternatives To Expensive Monitors According to Sunil Dahiya, analyst, Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, procuring new air quality monitors is costly and consumes a lot of time. Apart from government monitors, the industries have also set up monitors. If the data is coupled with government data, it could give much more granular information for pollution across India. It will also save the money to set up new stations. Another alternative to costly monitors could be low-cost sensors. These sensors offer an opportunity to generate high-resolution data at a low price, with deployment and access limitations. However, they are not long-term, does not provide accurate data, but efforts are underway to improve precision in such sensors. https://thelogicalindian.com/health/india-has-9-out-of-worlds-most-polluted-cities-but-few-air-quality-monitors-than-other-populated-nations-32674

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

This is the most polluted city in Northeast India

According to the analysis 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. Guwahati: Citizens of Guwahati are inhaling the most polluted air across Northeast India, according to a report by New Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment. According to the analysis, Guwahati has the most polluted air in northeastern India: average PM2.5 levels in 2021 (till November 30) has already surpassed the 2019 annual average in Guwahati. Guwahati has almost two months of very poor air quality days. This year, so far, the number of days with air quality in ‘very poor’ or ‘severe’ categories stands at 54 days in Guwahati city. ADVERTISEMENT CONTINUE READING BELOW This is comparable to cities of north India that are more polluted compared to those in the northeastern states. The city’s 2020 annual average was also higher than its 2019 average, which indicates 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, the report said. Among other cities meeting the minimum data availability requirements, 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. In other cities, ‘good’ and ‘satisfactory’ days dominate but ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ days have also begun to emerge. Agartala registered 10 ‘very poor’ days, while Kohimahad two. There is a considerable number of days in these cities for which the AQI (air quality index) could not be calculated due to poor data availability. All three cities meet the 24-hour standard for about half of the days in 2021 so far. The AQI chart for Shillong, Aizwal and Naharlaguncould not be made as these cities don’t have enough data. 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.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Guwahati and Agartala top in air pollution index: Report

AGARTALA: Though bereft of industries, Guwahati and <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Agartala" styleobj="[object Object]" class="" data-ga="within_article-topic_link|topic_Agartala" frmappuse="1">Agartala</a> have been listed at the top of air pollution index among northeastern cities followed by Kohima and Aizawl by the report of Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) released on Friday. <br>The report warned that the problem of air pollution is growing steadily in the northeastern states, putting paid to the impression of usual pristine blue skies and clean air. The high level of air pollution generated from massive motorisation, traffic congestion and use of solid fuel has indicated a public health crisis in the hilly terrains and valleys. The pollution in the northeast needs support under the National Clean Air Programme to implement locally appropriate clean air action and robust air quality monitoring networks for proper risk assessment, the report suggested. <br>The study observed that hourly concentration of nitrogen dioxide in Guwahati and Agartala increases five-fold between 1 pm and 6 pm while the increase was noticed about 40% in Naharlagun of Itanagar during these hours. All three cities have a morning nitrogen oxides peak which happens around 7-8 am but in Guwahati, it increases at night due to truck movement in the city. The pollution levels especially PM 2.5 level on Diwali night had shot up by 1 to 3.6 times the average level recorded seven nights preceding Diwali in both Guwahati and Agartala. However, weak and inadequate air quality monitoring and paucity of data didn't allow proper assessment of risk, the report mentioned. <br><div id="div-gpt-ad-1397659688198-7-88355928-1" class="outstreamad" style="width: auto; height: auto;" data-google-query-id="CMTJiteD8vQCFZWYcAod_zwPBQ"><div id="google_ads_iframe_/7176/TOI/TOI_ROS/TOI_ROS_Out_1x1_0__container__" style="border: 0pt none; width: auto;"><iframe id="google_ads_iframe_/7176/TOI/TOI_ROS/TOI_ROS_Out_1x1_0" title="3rd party ad content" name="google_ads_iframe_/7176/TOI/TOI_ROS/TOI_ROS_Out_1x1_0" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" style="border: 0px none; vertical-align: bottom;" role="region" aria-label="Advertisement" tabindex="0" srcdoc="" data-google-container-id="6" data-load-complete="true" width="1" height="1" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></div>"The air quality in the northeast has gradually been 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," the report underlined. <br>The CSE analysed the data of seven continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations spread across six cities - two stations in Guwahati (Assam) and one station each in Shillong (Meghalaya), Agartala (Tripura), Kohima (Nagaland), Aizawl (Mizoram) and Naharlagun (Arunachal Pradesh). The report mentioned that despite the setting up of a real-time air quality monitoring system, data quality remained poor

• Director General Office

Zero the way to go

Our 'waste' must become a resource — to be reworked, reused and upcycled India is rapidly evolving its policies to deal with garbage — the waste generated from the use of materials at homes, institutions and factories. The evolution must now reflect in our actions. Our "waste" must become a resource — to be reworked, reused and upcycled. This will minimise the use of materials in our world and mitigate environmental damage. It's a win-win solution. We know that the "nature" of solid waste changes as societies get richer and urbanise. Instead of biodegradable (wet) waste, households generate more plastic, paper, metal and other non-biodegradable (dry) waste. The quantity of waste generated on a per capita basis also increases. Many of the country's urban areas are already on the trajectory where waste generation has risen exponentially. Also Read - Damned on atrocities In 2000, when the first Municipal Solid Wastes Rules were notified they were based on the idea — prevalent in most countries — that waste had to be collected, transported and then disposed of in secure landfill sites. The objective was to "clean" cities by removing waste from our vicinity. But this policy failed to reflect in practice and the scourge of garbage grew in our cities. What could not be collected or transported because of the paucity of municipal services fouled up our neighbourhoods? What was collected got dumped and is today visible as "mountains" of shame? Over the past few years, there has been a rapid shift in the strategy for waste management in the country. Today's policy, the Union government's flagship Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) 2.0, focuses on source segregation, processing of waste (wet and dry) and on minimising the waste sent to sanitary landfill sites. Also Read - Arrogance begets chaos According to the guidelines of SBM 2.0, only the inert waste and process rejects, which in no case should exceed 20 per cent of the total waste and are not suitable for either dry or wet waste treatment, can be sent to landfill sites. Therefore, the premise of the guidelines is that cities must become zero-landfill — they must recover and reprocess all waste. The guidelines stress that waste-to-energy (WtE) projects are financially and operationally viable only with an assured minimum input of 150-200 tonnes per day of non-recyclable, segregated dry waste of high calorific value. This has also been our learning that WtE plants are not the silver bullets they promise to be — incinerating municipal waste to make energy. It is critical that the waste sent for incineration and energy generation is of high quality and this requires a high level of segregation — best done at source. Without this, the plants work below operational capacity and become defunct. Also Read - Delivery quickies The guidelines also provide an opportunity to reclaim the 3,000-odd landfill sites where, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), some 800 million tonnes of waste is dumped. This will not just free up valuable land, which can be greened and put to the suitable use, but also help avert environmental disasters. This requires deliberately designed strategies to reuse the material that is bio-mined from these legacy landfills. Cities must also stop sending new waste to these landfills, otherwise, they will get filled up again even while being remediated. The good news is that India's solid waste management strategy is now being designed for material recovery and reuse. It is an approach aimed at a truly circular economy. As the strategy demands full reutilisation of materials and no waste, we will learn what we cannot recycle and work towards minimising its use. This will make policy and practice even more environment friendly. That said, while the policy has evolved, our practice is still to catch up. Source segregation remains our Achilles' heel — it does not happen at the scale and pace needed. Even if waste is segregated at the household level, it does not get transported in a segregated manner to processing facilities. In fact, processing happens incidentally, only because there are people who need our waste for their livelihoods — ragpickers, as we call them. City managers are still working through the different options for processing this waste and managing it effectively to generate revenue. Worse, plastic waste — particularly much of the packaging waste — is growing and filling our cities. We still do not acknowledge that much of the "plastic" we use cannot be recycled and so needs to be phased out. The current policy on "single-use" plastics — where certain products have been identified for eventual elimination — is just not good enough to deal with this gigantic problem. We are in an exciting phase of development, where city managers and leaders are reworking waste strategies. The Centre for Science and Environment has partnered with Niti Aayog to document the best practices of "waste-wise" cities as a textbook of new learning and teaching. It is what needs to be practised, and at scale. This is a real opportunity for change. DTE Views expressed are personal http://www.millenniumpost.in/opinion/damned-on-atrocities-462310?infinitescroll=1