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Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Ozone is becoming more and more prevalent in Delhi-NCR all year round: study

Ozone, a highly reactive and dangerous gas for people with respiratory disorders and asthma, is increasingly spreading in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) in all seasons, according to a new analysis from the Center for Science and Environment (CSE) released Friday. The analysis indicated that contrary to the idea that ozone, photochemically produced from the interaction between gases in the presence of sunlight, is primarily a summer phenomenon, gas has also become an equally concern. strong in winter. “Ozone is now a recurring problem that requires urgent attention from clean air programs,” said CSE Executive Director Anumita Roychowdhury. “The resulting risk is often not fully understood, as the current regulatory practice of spatially averaging data from all monitoring stations blunts the curve and underestimates the magnitude of the threat from the most critical locations. most affected and also during the different seasons. “As ozone is a highly reactive gas and even short-term exposure can worsen respiratory conditions leading to emergency hospitalization, this requires a different approach to risk assessment and communication,” he said. -she adds. ALSO READ Warrant without bail against the wife of Congress leader Salman Khurshid Another expert said the number of days not meeting ozone standards is increasing even in winter. “This analysis shows that the number of non-ozone-compliant days has started to increase even during the winter months, making winter smog more toxic,” said Avikal Somvanshi, program manager at the team. Urban Lab of the CSE Sustainable Cities program. The assessment plotted trends during different seasons – summer (March-June), winter (October-February) and monsoon (July-September), between 2018 and July 18, 2021. He said the eight-hour standard for ground-level ozone exceeded at least one station in Delhi for 290 days in 2020, which is a 30-day increase from 2019 and 26 days more than in 2018. . This year has already recorded 169 days of exceedance, an increase of 21 days for the same period last year, the analysis revealed, adding that in the NCR, Gurugram has seen the number of days of exceedance increase to the maximum between 2019 and 2020 – his 201-day tally in 2020 was an increase of over 300% from the previous year. “Noida also registered a 54% jump. Faridabad saw no change between 2019 and 2020. Ghaziabad and Greater Noida saw a decline, with the latter posting the largest drop of 28%. ALSO READ Waiting for green light from India to send vaccine aid: United States Meerut does not have adequate data for 2019 to perform a comparative analysis of trends, but with 109 days exceeding in 2020, it was the least polluted large city in the NCR, “he said. The CSE said the real-time granular data (15-minute average) came from the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) official online portal, Central Control Room for Air Quality Management. “Data was captured from 81 official stations as part of the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) spread over Delhi-NCR (40 stations in Delhi, four each in Gurugram, Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad, three in Meerut and two in Greater Noida while 20 small towns in the NCR have a station), “he said. From this station-level data, the analysis calculated trends in terms of the number of days the daily level exceeded the eight-hour standard. According to the CSE, the city-wide average remains well within the norm with occasional exceedances. “But even in this regard, the ‘good’ category days (50% below the eight-hour daily concentration standard) started to decrease in Delhi. In 2020, Delhi had 115 ‘good’ days, or 24 days. less than in 2019, “he said. ALSO READ Haryana officials dismantle locals-built Manohar Lal Khattar temple According to a location-based analysis, exceeding the eight-hour average standard is fairly widespread in the city, the CSE said. “The methodology used here is consistent with the USEPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) method of considering the highest concentration among all monitors in each report area,” he said. he declares. The analysis revealed that the accumulation of ozone is a hyper-local phenomenon as there can be a difference of 100 micrograms per cubic meter (µg / m3) in the ozone levels between two neighboring stations. “On April 27, 2021, Delhi experienced variations of up to 150 µg / m3 between locations. While areas adjacent to Yamuna, Delhi from Lutyen and West Delhi had low levels of ozone, south, central and north Delhi recorded higher levels, southeast Delhi had the highest levels that day. “At the moment, it is not possible to calculate the pollution peak in the city because the data available from the CPCB is capped at 200 µg / m3. This also makes the daily AQI reports ineffective,” Mr. Somvanshi said. .

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Ozone becoming more widespread in Delhi-NCR across all seasons: Study

Ozone, a highly reactive gas and dangerous for those suffering from respiratory conditions and asthma, is becoming more widespread in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) across all seasons, according to a new analysis by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) released on Friday. The analysis said that contrary to the notion that ozone, produced photochemically from interaction between gases in the presence of sunlight, is predominantly a summer phenomenon, the gas has emerged as an equally strong concern during winter as well. "Ozone is now a round-the-year problem requiring urgent attention of clean air programmes," said CSE executive director Anumita Roychowdhury. "The risk from it is often not well understood, as the current regulatory practice of spatially averaging the data from all monitoring stations blunts the curve, and underestimates the magnitude of threat from the worst affected locations and also during different seasons. "As ozone is a highly reactive gas and even short-term exposure can aggravate respiratory conditions leading to emergency hospital admission, it requires a different approach to risk assessment and communication," she added. Another expert said that the number of days not meeting the ozone standards is increasing even in winters. "This analysis shows that the number of days not meeting the ozone standards has begun to increase even during winter months, making the winter smog more toxic," said Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager in CSE's Urban Lab team of the Sustainable Cities programme. The assessment has traced trends during different seasons – summer (March-June), winter (October-February) and monsoon (July-September), between 2018 and July 18, 2021. It said that the eight-hourly standard for ground-level ozone exceeded at least in one station in Delhi on 290 days in 2020, which is up by 30 days compared to 2019 and 26 days more than 2018. This year has already recorded 169 days of exceedance, an increase of 21 days for the same period last year, the analysis revealed, adding that in the NCR, Gurugram saw the maximum jump in number of exceedance days between 2019 and 2020 -- its tally of 201 days in 2020 was an increase by over 300 per cent from previous year. "Noida also registered a 54 per cent jump. Faridabad recorded no change between 2019 and 2020. Ghaziabad and Greater Noida saw a decline, with the latter showing the biggest drop of 28 per cent. Meerut does not have adequate data for 2019 to carry out comparative trend analysis, but with 109 days of exceedance in 2020, it was the least polluted major city in the NCR," it said. The CSE said that granular real time data (15-minute averages) have been sourced from the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) official online portal Central Control Room for Air Quality Management. "The data has been captured from 81 official stations under the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) spread across Delhi-NCR (40 stations in Delhi, four each in Gurugram, Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad, three in Meerut, and two in Greater Noida while 20 smaller towns in NCR have one station)," it said. From this station-level data, the analysis has calculated the trends in terms of the number of days when the daily level has exceeded the eight-hour standard. According to the CSE, the city-wide average largely remains within the standard with just occasional exceedances. "But even from this yardstick, the 'good' category days (50 per cent below the daily eight-hour concentration standard) have started declining in Delhi. In 2020, Delhi had 115 'good' days, which was 24 days less than in 2019," it said. According to location-wise analysis, exceedance of the eight-hour average standard is quite widely distributed in the city, the CSE said. "The methodology used here is consistent with the USEPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) method of considering the highest concentration among all the monitors within each reporting area," it said. The analysis found that ozone build-up is a hyper-local phenomenon as there can be 100 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) difference in ozone levels between two neighbouring stations. "On April 27, 2021 Delhi saw variations as high as 150 µg/m3 between locations. While areas adjoining Yamuna, Lutyen's Delhi and west Delhi showed low ozone levels, south, central, and north Delhi recorded higher levels, south-east Delhi had the highest levels that day. "At the moment, it is not possible to compute the peak pollution in the city as the data that is available from CPCB is capped at 200 µg/m3. This also makes daily AQI reporting ineffective," said Somvanshi.

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Ozone Becoming More Widespread In Delhi-NCR Across All Seasons: Study

Ozone, a extremely reactive fuel and harmful for these affected by respiratory circumstances and bronchial asthma, is turning into extra widespread in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) throughout all seasons, in line with a brand new evaluation by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) launched on Friday. The evaluation stated that opposite to the notion that ozone, produced photochemically from interplay between gases within the presence of daylight, is predominantly a summer time phenomenon, the fuel has emerged as an equally robust concern throughout winter as effectively. “Ozone is now a round-the-year problem requiring urgent attention of clean air programmes,” stated CSE govt director Anumita Roychowdhury. “The risk from it is often not well understood, as the current regulatory practice of spatially averaging the data from all monitoring stations blunts the curve, and underestimates the magnitude of threat from the worst affected locations and also during different seasons. “As ozone is a extremely reactive fuel and even short-term publicity can irritate respiratory circumstances resulting in emergency hospital admission, it requires a distinct method to danger evaluation and communication,” she added. Another expert said that the number of days not meeting the ozone standards is increasing even in winters. “This evaluation exhibits that the variety of days not assembly the ozone requirements has begun to extend even throughout winter months, making the winter smog extra poisonous,” said Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager in CSE’s Urban Lab team of the Sustainable Cities programme. The assessment has traced trends during different seasons – summer (March-June), winter (October-February) and monsoon (July-September), between 2018 and July 18, 2021. It said that the eight-hourly standard for ground-level ozone exceeded at least in one station in Delhi on 290 days in 2020, which is up by 30 days compared to 2019 and 26 days more than 2018. This year has already recorded 169 days of exceedance, an increase of 21 days for the same period last year, the analysis revealed, adding that in the NCR, Gurugram saw the maximum jump in number of exceedance days between 2019 and 2020 — its tally of 201 days in 2020 was an increase by over 300 per cent from previous year. “Noida additionally registered a 54 per cent leap. Faridabad recorded no change between 2019 and 2020. Ghaziabad and Greater Noida noticed a decline, with the latter exhibiting the most important drop of 28 per cent. Meerut doesn’t have satisfactory knowledge for 2019 to hold out comparative development evaluation, however with 109 days of exceedance in 2020, it was the least polluted main metropolis within the NCR,” it said. The CSE said that granular real time data (15-minute averages) have been sourced from the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) official online portal Central Control Room for Air Quality Management. “The knowledge has been captured from 81 official stations below the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) unfold throughout Delhi-NCR (40 stations in Delhi, 4 every in Gurugram, Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad, three in Meerut, and two in Greater Noida whereas 20 smaller cities in NCR have one station),” it said. From this station-level data, the analysis has calculated the trends in terms of the number of days when the daily level has exceeded the eight-hour standard. According to the CSE, the city-wide average largely remains within the standard with just occasional exceedances. “But even from this yardstick, the “good” class days (50 per cent under the day by day eight-hour focus customary) have began declining in Delhi. In 2020, Delhi had 115 “good” days, which was 24 days lower than in 2019,” it said. According to location-wise analysis, exceedance of the eight-hour average standard is quite widely distributed in the city, the CSE said. “The methodology used right here is in line with the USEPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) technique of contemplating the best focus amongst all of the displays inside every reporting space,” it said. The analysis found that ozone build-up is a hyper-local phenomenon as there can be 100 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) difference in ozone levels between two neighbouring stations. “On April 27, 2021 Delhi noticed variations as excessive as 150 µg/m3 between places. While areas adjoining Yamuna, Lutyen’s Delhi and west Delhi confirmed low ozone ranges, south, central, and north Delhi recorded greater ranges, south-east Delhi had the best ranges that day. “At the moment, it is not possible to compute the peak pollution in the city as the data that is available from CPCB is capped at 200 µg/m3. This also makes daily AQI reporting ineffective,” stated Mr Somvanshi.

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Ozone becoming more widespread in Delhi-NCR across all seasons: Study

The analysis said that contrary to the notion that ozone, produced photochemically from interaction between gases in the presence of sunlight, is predominantly a summer phenomenon, the gas has emerged as an equally strong concern during winter as well. “Ozone is now a round-the-year problem requiring urgent attention of clean air programmes,” said CSE executive director Anumita Roychowdhury. “The risk from it is often not well understood, as the current regulatory practice of spatially averaging the data from all monitoring stations blunts the curve, and underestimates the magnitude of threat from the worst affected locations and also during different seasons. “As ozone is a highly reactive gas and even short-term exposure can aggravate respiratory conditions leading to emergency hospital admission, it requires a different approach to risk assessment and communication,” she added. Another expert said that the number of days not meeting the ozone standards is increasing even in winters. “This analysis shows that the number of days not meeting the ozone standards has begun to increase even during winter months, making the winter smog more toxic,” said Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager in CSE’s Urban Lab team of the Sustainable Cities programme. The assessment has traced trends during different seasons – summer (March-June), winter (October-February) and monsoon (July-September), between 2018 and July 18, 2021. It said that the eight-hourly standard for ground-level ozone exceeded at least in one station in Delhi on 290 days in 2020, which is up by 30 days compared to 2019 and 26 days more than 2018. This year has already recorded 169 days of exceedance, an increase of 21 days for the same period last year, the analysis revealed, adding that in the NCR, Gurugram saw the maximum jump in number of exceedance days between 2019 and 2020 — its tally of 201 days in 2020 was an increase by over 300 per cent from previous year. “Noida also registered a 54 per cent jump. Faridabad recorded no change between 2019 and 2020. Ghaziabad and Greater Noida saw a decline, with the latter showing the biggest drop of 28 per cent. Meerut does not have adequate data for 2019 to carry out comparative trend analysis, but with 109 days of exceedance in 2020, it was the least polluted major city in the NCR,” it said. The CSE said that granular real time data (15-minute averages) have been sourced from the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) official online portal Central Control Room for Air Quality Management. “The data has been captured from 81 official stations under the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) spread across Delhi-NCR (40 stations in Delhi, four each in Gurugram, Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad, three in Meerut, and two in Greater Noida while 20 smaller towns in NCR have one station),” it said. From this station-level data, the analysis has calculated the trends in terms of the number of days when the daily level has exceeded the eight-hour standard. According to the CSE, the city-wide average largely remains within the standard with just occasional exceedances. “But even from this yardstick, the ‘good’ category days (50 per cent below the daily eight-hour concentration standard) have started declining in Delhi. In 2020, Delhi had 115 ‘good’ days, which was 24 days less than in 2019,” it said. According to location-wise analysis, exceedance of the eight-hour average standard is quite widely distributed in the city, the CSE said. “The methodology used here is consistent with the USEPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) method of considering the highest concentration among all the monitors within each reporting area,” it said. The analysis found that ozone build-up is a hyper-local phenomenon as there can be 100 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) difference in ozone levels between two neighbouring stations. “On April 27, 2021 Delhi saw variations as high as 150 µg/m3 between locations. While areas adjoining Yamuna, Lutyen’s Delhi and west Delhi showed low ozone levels, south, central, and north Delhi recorded higher levels, south-east Delhi had the highest levels that day. “At the moment, it is not possible to compute the peak pollution in the city as the data that is available from CPCB is capped at 200 µg/m3. This also makes daily AQI reporting ineffective,” said Somvanshi.

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Ozone becoming more widespread in Delhi-NCR across all seasons: Study

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Ozone becoming more widespread in Delhi-NCR across all seasons: Study

The analysis said that contrary to the notion that ozone, produced photochemically from interaction between gases in the presence of sunlight, is predominantly a summer phenomenon, the gas has emerged as an equally strong concern during winter as well. “Ozone is now a round-the-year problem requiring urgent attention of clean air programmes,” said CSE executive director Anumita Roychowdhury. “The risk from it is often not well understood, as the current regulatory practice of spatially averaging the data from all monitoring stations blunts the curve, and underestimates the magnitude of threat from the worst affected locations and also during different seasons. As ozone is a highly reactive gas and even short-term exposure can aggravate respiratory conditions leading to emergency hospital admission, it requires a different approach to risk assessment and communication,” she added. Another expert said that the number of days not meeting the ozone standards is increasing even in winters. “This analysis shows that the number of days not meeting the ozone standards has begun to increase even during winter months, making the winter smog more toxic,” said Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager in CSE’s Urban Lab team of the Sustainable Cities programme. The assessment has traced trends during different seasons – summer (March-June), winter (October-February) and monsoon (July-September), between 2018 and July 18, 2021. It said that the eight-hourly standard for ground-level ozone exceeded at least in one station in Delhi on 290 days in 2020, which is up by 30 days compared to 2019 and 26 days more than 2018. This year has already recorded 169 days of exceedance, an increase of 21 days for the same period last year, the analysis revealed, adding that in the NCR, Gurugram saw the maximum jump in number of exceedance days between 2019 and 2020 — its tally of 201 days in 2020 was an increase by over 300 per cent from previous year. “Noida also registered a 54 per cent jump. Faridabad recorded no change between 2019 and 2020. Ghaziabad and Greater Noida saw a decline, with the latter showing the biggest drop of 28 per cent. Meerut does not have adequate data for 2019 to carry out comparative trend analysis, but with 109 days of exceedance in 2020, it was the least polluted major city in the NCR,” it said. The CSE said that granular real time data (15-minute averages) have been sourced from the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) official online portal Central Control Room for Air Quality Management. “The data has been captured from 81 official stations under the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) spread across Delhi-NCR (40 stations in Delhi, four each in Gurugram, Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad, three in Meerut, and two in Greater Noida while 20 smaller towns in NCR have one station),” it said. From this station-level data, the analysis has calculated the trends in terms of the number of days when the daily level has exceeded the eight-hour standard. According to the CSE, the city-wide average largely remains within the standard with just occasional exceedances. “But even from this yardstick, the ‘good’ category days (50 per cent below the daily eight-hour concentration standard) have started declining in Delhi. In 2020, Delhi had 115 ‘good’ days, which was 24 days less than in 2019,” it said. According to location-wise analysis, exceedance of the eight-hour average standard is quite widely distributed in the city, the CSE said. “The methodology used here is consistent with the USEPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) method of considering the highest concentration among all the monitors within each reporting area,” it said. The analysis found that ozone build-up is a hyper-local phenomenon as there can be 100 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) difference in ozone levels between two neighbouring stations. “On April 27, 2021 Delhi saw variations as high as 150 µg/m3 between locations. While areas adjoining Yamuna, Lutyen’s Delhi and west Delhi showed low ozone levels, south, central, and north Delhi recorded higher levels, south-east Delhi had the highest levels that day. “At the moment, it is not possible to compute the peak pollution in the city as the data that is available from CPCB is capped at 200 µg/m3. This also makes daily AQI reporting ineffective,” said Somvanshi.

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Ozone Becoming More Widespread In Delhi-NCR Across All Seasons: Study

Ozone, a highly reactive gas and dangerous for those suffering from respiratory conditions and asthma, is becoming more widespread in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) across all seasons, according to a new analysis by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) released on Friday.The analysis said that contrary to the notion that ozone, produced photochemically from interaction between gases in the presence of sunlight, is predominantly a summer phenomenon, the gas has emerged as an equally strong concern during winter as well."Ozone is now a round-the-year problem requiring urgent attention of clean air programmes," said CSE executive director Anumita Roychowdhury."The risk from it is often not well understood, as the current regulatory practice of spatially averaging the data from all monitoring stations blunts the curve, and underestimates the magnitude of threat from the worst affected locations and also during different seasons."As ozone is a highly reactive gas and even short-term exposure can aggravate respiratory conditions leading to emergency hospital admission, it requires a different approach to risk assessment and communication," she added.Another expert said that the number of days not meeting the ozone standards is increasing even in winters."This analysis shows that the number of days not meeting the ozone standards has begun to increase even during winter months, making the winter smog more toxic," said Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager in CSE's Urban Lab team of the Sustainable Cities programme.The assessment has traced trends during different seasons - summer (March-June), winter (October-February) and monsoon (July-September), between 2018 and July 18, 2021.It said that the eight-hourly standard for ground-level ozone exceeded at least in one station in Delhi on 290 days in 2020, which is up by 30 days compared to 2019 and 26 days more than 2018.This year has already recorded 169 days of exceedance, an increase of 21 days for the same period last year, the analysis revealed, adding that in the NCR, Gurugram saw the maximum jump in number of exceedance days between 2019 and 2020 -- its tally of 201 days in 2020 was an increase by over 300 per cent from previous year."Noida also registered a 54 per cent jump. Faridabad recorded no change between 2019 and 2020. Ghaziabad and Greater Noida saw a decline, with the latter showing the biggest drop of 28 per cent. Meerut does not have adequate data for 2019 to carry out comparative trend analysis, but with 109 days of exceedance in 2020, it was the least polluted major city in the NCR," it said.The CSE said that granular real time data (15-minute averages) have been sourced from the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) official online portal Central Control Room for Air Quality Management."The data has been captured from 81 official stations under the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) spread across Delhi-NCR (40 stations in Delhi, four each in Gurugram, Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad, three in Meerut, and two in Greater Noida while 20 smaller towns in NCR have one station)," it said.From this station-level data, the analysis has calculated the trends in terms of the number of days when the daily level has exceeded the eight-hour standard.According to the CSE, the city-wide average largely remains within the standard with just occasional exceedances."But even from this yardstick, the "good" category days (50 per cent below the daily eight-hour concentration standard) have started declining in Delhi. In 2020, Delhi had 115 "good" days, which was 24 days less than in 2019," it said.According to location-wise analysis, exceedance of the eight-hour average standard is quite widely distributed in the city, the CSE said."The methodology used here is consistent with the USEPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) method of considering the highest concentration among all the monitors within each reporting area," it said.The analysis found that ozone build-up is a hyper-local phenomenon as there can be 100 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) difference in ozone levels between two neighbouring stations."On April 27, 2021 Delhi saw variations as high as 150 µg/m3 between locations. While areas adjoining Yamuna, Lutyen's Delhi and west Delhi showed low ozone levels, south, central, and north Delhi recorded higher levels, south-east Delhi had the highest levels that day."At the moment, it is not possible to compute the peak pollution in the city as the data that is available from CPCB is capped at 200 µg/m3. This also makes daily AQI reporting ineffective," said Mr Somvanshi.

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Ozone Becoming More Widespread In Delhi-NCR Across All Seasons: Study

Ozone, a extremely reactive gasoline and harmful for these affected by respiratory circumstances and bronchial asthma, is turning into extra widespread in Delhi and the Nationwide Capital Area (NCR) throughout all seasons, in line with a brand new evaluation by Centre for Science and Atmosphere (CSE) launched on Friday. The evaluation stated that opposite to the notion that ozone, produced photochemically from interplay between gases within the presence of daylight, is predominantly a summer time phenomenon, the gasoline has emerged as an equally sturdy concern throughout winter as effectively. “Ozone is now a round-the-year drawback requiring pressing consideration of fresh air programmes,” stated CSE govt director Anumita Roychowdhury. “The danger from it’s usually not effectively understood, as the present regulatory apply of spatially averaging the info from all monitoring stations blunts the curve, and underestimates the magnitude of menace from the worst affected areas and in addition throughout totally different seasons. “As ozone is a extremely reactive gasoline and even short-term publicity can irritate respiratory circumstances resulting in emergency hospital admission, it requires a distinct strategy to threat evaluation and communication,” she added. One other knowledgeable stated that the variety of days not assembly the ozone requirements is growing even in winters. “This evaluation exhibits that the variety of days not assembly the ozone requirements has begun to extend even throughout winter months, making the winter smog extra poisonous,” stated Avikal Somvanshi, programme supervisor in CSE’s City Lab workforce of the Sustainable Cities programme. The evaluation has traced developments throughout totally different seasons – summer time (March-June), winter (October-February) and monsoon (July-September), between 2018 and July 18, 2021. It stated that the eight-hourly customary for ground-level ozone exceeded not less than in a single station in Delhi on 290 days in 2020, which is up by 30 days in comparison with 2019 and 26 days greater than 2018. This yr has already recorded 169 days of exceedance, a rise of 21 days for a similar interval final yr, the evaluation revealed, including that within the NCR, Gurugram noticed the utmost leap in variety of exceedance days between 2019 and 2020 — its tally of 201 days in 2020 was a rise by over 300 per cent from earlier yr. “Noida additionally registered a 54 per cent leap. Faridabad recorded no change between 2019 and 2020. Ghaziabad and Better Noida noticed a decline, with the latter displaying the largest drop of 28 per cent. Meerut doesn’t have enough information for 2019 to hold out comparative pattern evaluation, however with 109 days of exceedance in 2020, it was the least polluted main metropolis within the NCR,” it stated. The CSE stated that granular actual time information (15-minute averages) have been sourced from the Central Air pollution Management Board’s (CPCB) official on-line portal Central Management Room for Air High quality Administration. “The information has been captured from 81 official stations beneath the Steady Ambient Air High quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) unfold throughout Delhi-NCR (40 stations in Delhi, 4 every in Gurugram, Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad, three in Meerut, and two in Better Noida whereas 20 smaller cities in NCR have one station),” it stated. From this station-level information, the evaluation has calculated the developments when it comes to the variety of days when the day by day stage has exceeded the eight-hour customary. In accordance with the CSE, the city-wide common largely stays inside the usual with simply occasional exceedances. “However even from this yardstick, the “good” class days (50 per cent beneath the day by day eight-hour focus customary) have began declining in Delhi. In 2020, Delhi had 115 “good” days, which was 24 days lower than in 2019,” it stated. In accordance with location-wise evaluation, exceedance of the eight-hour common customary is kind of extensively distributed within the metropolis, the CSE stated. “The methodology used right here is in line with the USEPA (United States Environmental Safety Company) technique of contemplating the very best focus amongst all of the screens inside every reporting space,” it stated. The evaluation discovered that ozone build-up is a hyper-local phenomenon as there might be 100 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) distinction in ozone ranges between two neighbouring stations. “On April 27, 2021 Delhi noticed variations as excessive as 150 µg/m3 between areas. Whereas areas adjoining Yamuna, Lutyen’s Delhi and west Delhi confirmed low ozone ranges, south, central, and north Delhi recorded greater ranges, south-east Delhi had the very best ranges that day. “In the intervening time, it’s not doable to compute the height air pollution within the metropolis as the info that’s obtainable from CPCB is capped at 200 µg/m3. This additionally makes day by day AQI reporting ineffective,” stated Mr Somvanshi.

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Ozone Pollution: Causes, Impacts and Steps taken to Reduce Ozone Pollution

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Exceeding Ozone Levels

Recently, a Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) study has found that ozone levels are exceeding the permitted levels even during winter in Delhi-NCR, making the smog more “toxic”. About the Issue Ozone is now a round-the-year problem requiring urgent action. The situation demands refinement of a clean air action plan to add strategies for ozone mitigation, with stronger action on vehicles, industry and waste burning. Ozone, a highly reactive gas and dangerous for those suffering from respiratory conditions and asthma, is becoming more widespread in Delhi and NCR across all seasons Ozone Formula: Ozone, or trioxygen, is an inorganic molecule with the chemical formula O?. Feature: It is a pale blue gas with a distinctively pungent smell. Good and Bad Ozone Stratospheric ozone (Good Ozone) is formed naturally through the interaction of solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation with molecular oxygen (O2). The "ozone layer," approximately 6 through 30 miles above the Earth's surface, reduces the amount of harmful UV radiation reaching the Earth's surface. Tropospheric or ground-level ozone (Bad Ozone), what humans breathe, is formed primarily from photochemical reactions between two major classes of air pollutants, volatile organic compounds (VOC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). These reactions have traditionally been viewed as depending upon the presence of heat and sunlight, resulting in higher ambient ozone concentrations in summer months. Although some stratospheric ozone is transported into the troposphere and some VOC and NOx occur naturally, the majority of ground-level ozone is the result of reactions of man-made VOC and NOx. Anthropogenic Sources Significant sources of VOC are: chemical plants, gasoline pumps, oil-based paints, auto body shops, print shops. Nitrogen oxides result primarily from high temperature combustion, power plants, industrial furnaces and boilers and motor vehicles. Ozone Hole Ozone depletion is greatest at the South Pole. It occurs mainly in late winter and early spring (August-November) and peak depletion usually occurs in early October, when ozone is often completely destroyed in large areas. This severe depletion creates the so-called “ozone hole” that can be seen in images of Antarctic ozone, made using satellite observations. In most years, the maximum area of the hole is bigger than the Antarctic continent itself. Although ozone losses are less radical in the Northern Hemisphere, significant thinning of the ozone layer is also observed over the Arctic and even over continental Europe. Most of the ozone-depleting substances emitted by human activities remain in the stratosphere for decades, meaning that ozone layer recovery is a very slow, long process. Recent Developments Within the last decade, however, high ozone concentrations have also been observed under specific circumstances in cold months, where a few high elevation areas in the Western US with high levels of local VOC and NOx emissions have formed ozone when snow is on the ground and temperatures are near or below freezing. Ozone contributes to what we typically experience as "smog" or haze, which still occurs most frequently in the summertime but can occur throughout the year in some southern and mountain regions. International Treaties and Cooperation about the Protection of the Stratospheric Ozone Layer Origin Through the 1970s and the 1980s, the international community became increasingly concerned that ODS would harm the ozone layer. In 1985, the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer formalized international cooperation on this issue. This cooperation resulted in the signing of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in 1987. Because of measures taken under the Montreal Protocol, emissions of ODS are falling and the ozone layer is expected to be fully healed near the middle of the 21st century. Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer The original Montreal Protocol, signed in 1987, was the first step in international efforts to protect stratospheric ozone. Under the original Montreal Protocol agreement (1987), developed countries were required to begin phasing out CFCs in 1993 and achieve a 20% reduction relative to 1986 consumption levels by 1994 and a 50% reduction by 1998. Additionally, developed countries were required to freeze their production and consumption of halons relative to their 1986 levels. After the Montreal Protocol was signed, new data showed worse-than-expected damage to the ozone layer. Amendments to the Montreal Protocol The London Amendment (1990) changed the ODS emission schedule by requiring the complete phaseout of CFCs, halons, and carbon tetrachloride by 2000 in developed countries, and by 2010 in developing countries. Methyl chloroform was also added to the list of controlled ODSs, with phaseout in developed countries targeted in 2005, and in 2015 for developing countries. The Copenhagen Amendment (1992) significantly accelerated the phaseout of ODSs and incorporated a hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) phaseout for developed countries, beginning in 2004. Under this agreement, CFCs, halons, carbon tetrachloride, and methyl chloroform were targeted for complete phaseout in 1996 in developed countries. In addition, consumption of methyl bromide was capped at 1991 levels. The Montreal Amendment (1997) included the phaseout of HCFCs in developing countries, as well as the phaseout of methyl bromide in developed and developing countries in 2005 and 2015, respectively. The Beijing Amendment (1999) included tightened controls on the production and trade of HCFCs. Bromochloromethane was also added to the list of controlled substances with phaseout targeted for 2004. The Kigali Amendment (2016) extended controls to phase down the production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) because these substances were adopted by industries in moving away from ozone-depleting substances and they are potent greenhouse gases damaging to the earth’s climate. The Vienna Convention Adopted in 1985, The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer is the precursor to the Montreal Protocol. It is often called a framework convention, because it served as a framework for efforts to protect the globe’s ozone layer. The Vienna Convention did not require countries to take concrete actions to control ozone depleting substances. Instead, in accordance with the provisions of the Convention, the countries of the world agreed the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer under the Convention, to advance that goal. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Ozone Secretariat U.S. agencies, including EPA, work with the UNEP Ozone Secretariat to implement the Montreal Protocol. Assessment Panels The Parties the Montreal Protocol have advisory bodies called Assessment Panels. The Assessment Panels are responsible for issuing regular reports on progress on implementing the phaseout of ozone-depleting substances, including assessments of alternatives and emissions reduction. TEAP – The Technology and Economic Assessment Panel (TEAP) It provides technical information related to the alternative technologies that have been investigated and employed to make it possible to virtually eliminate use of Ozone Depleting Substances (such as CFCs and Halons), that harm the ozone layer. OzonAction UNEP’s Division of Technology, Industry, and Economics OzonAction Programme provides industry, government, and other stakeholders in developing countries with information exchange services, training, and networking. In addition to these core clearinghouse services, the Programme also provides assistance with Country Programmes and Institutional Strengthening projects. Way Forward Ensuring that existing restrictions on ozone-depleting substances are properly implemented and global use of ozone-depleting substances continue to be reduced. Ensuring that banks of ozone-depleting substances (both in storage and contained in existing equipment) are dealt with in an environmentally-friendly manner and are replaced with climate-friendly alternatives. Ensuring that permitted uses of ozone-depleting substances are not diverted to illegal uses. Reducing use of ozone-depleting substances in applications that are not considered as consumption under the Montreal Protocol. Ensuring that no new chemicals or technologies emerge that could pose new threats to the ozone layer (e.g. very short-lived substances).

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

ozone layer: delhi ozone news latest news today : दिल्ली में अब पूरे साल ओजोन बन रही समस्या, क्लीन एयर पर जोर देने की जरूरत

ओजोन की समस्या अब दिल्ली-एनसीआर में सभी सीजन के दौरान देखने को मिल रही है। सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) की एक नई रिपोर्ट में यह दावा किया गया है। सीएसई की एग्जिक्यूजिव डायरेक्टर अनुमिता राय चौधरी ने कहा कि ओजोन अब पूरे साल की समस्या है। इसलिए क्लीन एयर प्रोग्राम में इस पर ध्यान देने की जरूरत है। उन्होंने कहा कि ओजोन एक रिएक्टिव गैस है, इसके संपर्क में कम समय रहने पर भी स्वास्थ्य संबंधी परेशानियां हो सकती हैं, जिसके लिए व्यक्ति को एडमिट तक करना पड़ सकता है। इसलिए इससे निपटने के लिए एक अलग अप्रोच की जरूरत है। कोरोना के बीच फिर बढ़ने लगा प्रदूषण ओजोन की मात्रा तय मानकों से अधिक सीएसई अर्बन लैब टीम के प्रोग्राम मैनेजर अविकल सोमवंशी ने बताया कि आकलन से पता चला है कि ऐसे दिनों की संख्या बढ़ रही है जब ओजोन की मात्रा तय मानकों से अधिक है। यह सर्दियों के दौरान भी बढ़ रही हैं, जिसकी वजह से सर्दियों का स्मॉग अधिक जहरीला बन रहा है। यह असेसमेंट गर्मियों के लिए मार्च से जून, सर्दियों के लिए अक्टूबर से फरवरी और मॉनसून के लिए जुलाई से सितंबर के बीच 2018 से 2021 के आंकड़ों पर किया गया है। Pollution News: 5 राज्यों के प्रदूषण पर NCAP की नजर, यूपी-हरियाणा की स्थिति सबसे ज्यादा खराब साउथ और ईस्ट दिल्ली में ओजोन लेवल सबसे अधिक सीएसई के आकलन के मुताबिक ओजोन के बढ़ने की वजह हाइपर लोकल हैं। इसलिए दो पड़ोसी जगहों के बीच भी इसके स्तर में काफी अंतर देखने को मिल रहा है। मसलन 27 अप्रैल 2021 को राजधानी के कई स्टेशनों के बीच काफी अधिक वैरिएशन मिला। इस दिन यमुना के आसपास, लुटियन जोन और वेस्ट दिल्ली में ओजोन का स्तर कम था। लेकिन वहीं साउथ, सेंट्रल और नार्थ दिल्ली में इसकी मात्रा अधिक दर्ज की गई। जबकि साउथ और ईस्ट दिल्ली में यह सबसे अधिक थी। Delhi Air Pollution LIVE: दिल्ली-NCR में आज भी प्रदूषण, दोपहर में भी छाया रहा स्मॉग एनसीआर में गुरुग्राम में सबसे अधिक बढ़ोतरी रिपोर्ट में दावा किया गया है कि 2020 में 290 दिन कम से कम एक जगह पर ओजोन का स्तर तय मानकों से अधिक मिला है। जबकि 2019 में यह 30 दिन और 2018 में 26 दिन था। 2021 में अभी तक यह संख्या 21 दिन है। जबकि एनसीआर में गुरुग्राम में सबसे अधिक बढ़ोतरी देखने को मिली है। यहां 2020 में 201 दिन ओजोन तय मानकों से अधिक रहा। यह 2019 के मुकाबले 300 प्रतिशत अधिक है। वहीं नोएडा में यह बढ़ोतरी 54 प्रतिशत रही। फरीदाबाद में कोई बदलाव नहीं हुआ जबकि गाजियाबाद और ग्रेटर नोएडा में 28 प्रतिशत की कमी दर्ज की गई। अगर छह स्टेशनों के आधार पर तुलना की जाए तो यह बढ़ोतरी 2019 की तुलना में 2020 में 30 प्रतिशत रही।

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

दिल्ली में अब पूरे साल ओजोन बन रही समस्या, क्लीन एयर पर जोर देने की जरूरत

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Ozone levels exceeding permitted levels: study

A Centre for Science and Environment study has found that ozone levels are exceeding the permitted levels even during winter in Delhi-NCR, making the smog more “toxic”. “Ozone is now a round-the-year problem requiring urgent [action] and the situation demands refinement of clean air action plan to add strategies for ozone mitigation, with stronger action on vehicles, industry and waste burning,” says CSE Executive Director Anumita Roychowdhury. Despite the pandemic and lockdowns, Ozone, a highly reactive gas and dangerous for those suffering from respiratory conditions and asthma, is becoming more widespread in Delhi and NCR across all seasons, the CSE said. “Contrary to the notion that ozone, produced photochemically from interaction between gases in the presence of sunlight, is predominantly a summer phenomenon, the analysis finds the gas has emerged as an equally strong concern during winter as well,” it said. The study was done by analysing the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. The CSE analysis found that the city-wide average largely remains within the standard with just occasional exceedance. But the ‘good’ category days have fallen to 115 days in 2020, which is 24 days less than in 2019. “A location-wise analysis presents a different story. It shows that exceedance of the eight-hour average standard is quite widely distributed in the city. At the moment, it is not possible to compute the peak pollution in the city as the data that is available from CPCB is capped at 200 ug/m3. This also makes daily AQI reporting ineffective,” the study said. Even smaller towns of NCR, including Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh and Bhiwani in Haryana, appeared in the top 20 list of ozone-afflicted towns and cities. South Delhi locations dominate the list with four mentions in top 10.

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Ozone pollution no longer just a summer phenomenon, says CSE study

Ozone pollution that is previous thought to be a summer phenomenon is becoming more widespread in Delhi and NCR cities such as Ghaziabad, Gurugram, Noida, Greater Noida, Faridabad and Meerut, a study by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said on Saturday. Ozone is a highly reactive gas and harmful for those suffering from respiratory conditions. Depending on the level of exposure, it can cause coughing and sore or scratchy throat, inflame and damage the airways and make the lungs more susceptible to infection. The study assessed trends during different seasons – summer (March-June), winter (October-February) and monsoon (July-September), between 2018 and 2021 (up to July 18). The analysis is based on the real-time (15-minute averages) data sourced from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). It has been captured from CPCB’s 81 air quality monitoring stations across Delhi and the national capital region (NCR). The primary emission sources of ozone include those from vehicles, power plants, factories, and other combustion sources. These undergo cyclic reactions in the presence of sunlight to generate ground level ozone. According to the report, the trends were calculated in terms of number of days when the daily level exceeded the 8-hour standard. The national ambient air quality standard for ozone (8-hourly) is 100 ug/m3. The report said the top 10 high-ozone locations include stations from south Delhi as well as small cities in the region. In south Delhi, stations such as Dr KS Shooting Range (233 days), Siri Fort (150 days), Nehru Nagar (174 days), and Sri Aurobindo Marg (126 days) make up four of the top five most polluted spots in Delhi. In Lyutens’ Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (116 days) and National Stadium (82 days) had relatively high numbers of exceedance days, or days when the concentration was high for over 80 days. North, east and west Delhi districts also had a few stations recording high exceedance, the study said. They included Sonia Vihar (142 days), but these are not as closely situated as in the case of south Delhi, it said. The study also points out that even during the lockdowns imposed during 2020-21, when the concentration of particulate matter in the air reduced, the ozone levels remained the same. CSE executive director Anumita Roychowdhury said so far the focus has only been on mitigating particulate matter pollution, but ozone is now a round-the-year problem requiring urgent attention of clean air programmes. “The risk from ozone is often not well understood, as the current regulatory practice of spatially averaging the data from all monitoring stations blunts the curve. As ozone is a highly reactive gas and even short-term exposure can aggravate respiratory conditions leading to emergency hospital admission, it requires a different approach to risk assessment,” she said. Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager in CSE’s Urban Lab team of the Sustainable Cities programme, said this analysis shows that the number of days not meeting the ozone standards has begun to increase even during winter months, making the winter smog more toxic.

Solid Waste Management and Circular Economy

Did Covid-19 accelerate India’s plastic waste problem?

Let’s begin with some statistics. A global material balance study on plastics points out that 79% of the total plastics produced in the world enters our environment as waste. Only 9% of the total plastic waste in the world is recycled. A Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) report (2018-19) puts the total annual plastic waste generation in India at a humongous 3.3-million metric tonnes per year. Even this data, frightening as it is, might be an underestimation. While India’s plastic waste problem is not as huge as that of the rich world, it is definitely growing. Richer states like Goa and Delhi produce as much as 60-grams and 37-grams per capita per day respectively — against a national average of 8-grams per capita per day. Against this backdrop, last year, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) released a background paper on plastic waste and its management. You can download the paper here. Speaking on a webinar that followed the release, Sunita Narain, director general, Centre for Science and Environment, had said, “In such a scenario, how will India ever meet its objective of “freeing” the country from single-use plastics? In fact, the pandemic of 2020 has only made matters worse: the use of plastic — particularly single-use and disposable — has increased manifold.” Covid-19 and plastic waste Did Covid-19 accelerate India’s plastic waste problem? Of course, yes. Take a look at yourself. How much takeout, groceries, and eCommercial deliveries did you receive during the lockdown? We’d assume it was more than average. Now consider all the plastics that these deliveries produced which you conveniently disposed of in the garbage bin, which your neighbourhood kachdawalla picked up and consequently dumped in a landfill. Now, multiply this amount to the number of households in the country. You get the idea — the number is massive. So, Narain was right when she said, “We had imagined that we had solved the problem of plastic waste through recycling it, or burying it, or shipping it out of our sight. But we were wrong. Plastic waste is everywhere today. It is in our faces. It is filling up our oceans and destroying marine life and even invading our food chain to get into our bodies. Our per capita use of plastics is growing — and as we become richer, we will end up generating more plastic waste.” So, what’s the solution? The industry would answer — recycling. The industry in India claims that 60% of what is generated is recycled. If that is the case, why does plastic continue to be such a big problem? Dealing with plastic waste Perhaps it’s time we deconstruct the word recycling, and understand the politics of recycling. The agenda of plastic waste management will depend a lot on our understanding of recycling — what is it all about, who can recycle, what can be recycled, and how economical is the process. CSE also recommends a number of other actions. These include phasing out or ban the products that cannot be recycled (such as multi-layered plastics); ban carry-bags; define single-use plastics clearly, and ban items made from it; make the rules and guidelines for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) simple and enforceable; incentivise the business of recycling; and segregate at source – this is where municipal agencies must be involved. Phasing out single-use plastics by 2022? Meanwhile, the Union environment ministry has proposed to implement a countrywide ban on manufacture, use, sale, import and handling of some of the single-use plastic products by 2022. The ministry issued a draft notification on 11 March which lays down how various single-use plastic products will be prohibited in phases next year. For example, the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of ear buds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, polystyrene for decoration will be prohibited from 1 January 2022. Further, the ban will be extended to single-use plastic (including polystyrene and expanded polystyrene) plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straw, trays, wrapping/packing films around sweet boxes, invitation cards, and cigarette packets, plastic/PVC banners less than 100-micron and stirrers from 1 July 2022. The Centre has also decided to increase the thickness of polythene bags from at least 50-microns in thickness to at least 120-microns from 9 September 2021.

Water Programme

CSE join National Ganga Mission initiative for making cities water-sensitive…..

Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) is partnering with the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India for a unique three-year action research and capacity building initiative, ‘Making Ganga basin cities water-sensitive’. The initiative is under the national flagship programme for improving river health and water flows in rivers of the Ganga basin – Namami Gange. CSE and NMCG jointly launched the initiative here today at a webinar which was addressed by Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, director general, NMCG; Sunita Narain, director general, CSE; G Mathi Vathanan, principal secretary, Housing and Urban Development Department, Government of Odisha; Suresh Rohilla, senior director, Urban Water Programme, CSE; Vandana Menon, independent consultant, New Delhi; and Stanley Samuel, CEO, Ecosoftt Pvt Ltd, Singapore. This initiative is part of the series of ongoing efforts by NMCG aimed at ensuring convergence of Namami Gange Mission with other national flagship urban missions (such as AMRUT, Smart Cities or the Swachh Bharat Mission) and missions related to water resource management (such as Atal Bhujal Yojana, Jal Jeewan Mission, or Jal Shakti Mission). Speaking at the webinar, CSE director general Sunita Narain pointed out that problems such as dwindling water supply, pollution, urban flooding or groundwater depletion cannot be addressed through isolated missions and programmes. “There is need for a paradigm shift in urban water management to overcome these problems, and strengthen resilience in face of a changing climate. The focus must shift to a circular economy approach; where cities move beyond from consuming excess freshwater and generating sewage, to a system of decentralised water resource management, with focus on sustainable demand-supply mechanisms using traditional and modern technologies,” Narain said. Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, director general, NMCG shared how the Namani Gange programme aims to move beyond installing STPs for pollution abatement, and focus on water-sensitive cities and communities in order to ensure river health in urban limits. He stressed on strengthening linkages of the river and its floodplains with the larger urban areas and the need to incorporate the river-sensitive approaches in city master plans. He also focused on the importance of convergence of the various urban missions, so that the authorities can go beyond isolated targets and deliver on the demands of the citizens. ‘Water Sensitive Urban Design and Planning’ (WSUDP), which connects water and urban planning, is the key focus under this initiative. It aims to sensitise urban local bodies about the good practices in urban water management by building the capacities of state and municipal functionaries, conducting action research in cities to develop ‘Practitioners Guides’, and designing and implementing model interventions that can lead to improved river health and flow. The Ganga basin cities, which are on target under this initiative, have been undergoing tremendous growth, which has stretched their resource management capabilities and disturbed the urban water cycle. Built-up area in these cities increased by 44 per cent between 2005 and 2015. Over 100 of these cities are dependent on groundwater – they are reporting a widening water supply gap due to an over-exploited aquifer. Rapid urbanisation resulting encroaching on ponds, lakes and floodplains have added to the urban water woes. Lucknow, for instance, has lost over 10,000 of its ponds in the past 50 years to both planned and unplanned development. Even some of the Namami Gange priority cities, billed as ‘smart’ cities, are reporting water shortages as well as urban flooding. Sharing CSE’s research on stormwater harvesting in parks and open spaces to address issues related to localised urban flooding and groundwater depletion, Suresh Rohilla, senior director, Urban Water Programme, CSE, said: “Urban parks and open areas have immense rainwater and stormwater harvesting potential – if tapped, this could go a long way towards in-situ water augmentation. Cities of Uttar Pradesh such as Prayagraj, Kanpur, Moradabad and Varanasi, for instance, can harvest over 2,400 million litre of run-off from their existing park infrastructure.” G Mathi Vathanan, principal secretary, Housing and Urban Development Department, Government of Odisha outlined how – with knowledge support from CSE — the department has created more than 12,000 rainwater harvesting structures in 111 towns and cities of Odisha.