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Pune ranked 79th in country for air pollution in 2020-21 by CSE

PUNE Pune is among 16 cities from central and western India that have shown a stable trend in air pollution this winter, as compared to previous years, according to analysis of real-time data carried out by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) PUNE Pune is among 16 cities from central and western India that have shown a stable trend in air pollution this winter, as compared to previous years, according to analysis of real-time data carried out by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). At the national level, Pune was ranked 79th in air pollution in 2020-21. The city’s average PM2.5 during the winter season this year was 59 (μg/m3), which was lower than the same period in 2019-20 by a factor of -7. On the other hand, Pune’s peak level pollution this winter was 103 (μg/m3), which was lower than the same period in 2019-20 by a factor of -3. The ranking for city was 23rd among central and western cities. The data was collected from eight stations across the city for the study, CSE said on Wednesday. “Winter is a special challenge when inversion, and cool and calm weather traps and spikes daily pollution. While the northern Indo Gangetic Plain is most affected, other regions also experience a rise, but with lesser intensity. This year, even though the average level of PM2.5 during summer and monsoon months was considerably lower than the previous year due to the summer lockdown, the winter PM2.5 concentration has risen compared to 2019 in many cities across regions,” says Anumita Roychowdhury, CSE’s executive director in charge of research and advocacy.

Air pollution higher this winter than previous year, finds report

A report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), comparing air pollution levels between the winter of 2020 with that of the previous year, has revealed that average air pollution was higher this winter in the city A report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), comparing air pollution levels between the winter of 2020 with that of the previous year, has revealed that average air pollution was higher this winter in the city. However both Gurugram and Faridabad reported better air quality than Delhi. The institute came to the conclusion after studying granular real-time data of particulate matter (PM) 2.5 (15-minute averages) for 99 cities including 49 cities from Northern India from the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) official online portal, called Central Control Room for Air Quality Management, from October 1, 2019 till January 31, 2020, and from October 1, 2020 till January 31, 2021. Analysing the data, the CSE report states that 26 cities in the region, including Gurugram, shows an increasing trend in air pollution, recording over 8% increase from last winter. As per the report, Faridabad and Gurugram are in the top 20 cities according to the PM 2.5 levels during the winter. Gurugram was ranked 16 with a 9% increase in the average PM 2.5 levels during the winter and 8% increase in peak levels of PM 2.5. At rank 14, Faridabad reported an 8% decrease in the average PM 2.5 levels during the winter and 14% decrease in peak (seasonal peak of a city is based on mean of the highest daily PM2.5) levels of PM 2.5. The seasonal peak of a city is based on mean of the highest daily PM2.5. Both the cities, however, ranked below other cities of the National Capital Region (NCR), like Ghaziabad (ranked at 1), Greater Noida, Noida, Delhi (which were among the top five cities). Reacting to cities of Haryana reporting lesser air pollution compared to other cities of NCR, S Narayanan, member secretary of Haryana State Pollution Control Board(HSPCB) said, “Compared to the last winter season, this winter, we took a lot of steps to control air pollution. We took steps under Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) along with increased night patrolling to monitor industrial emissions. This winter, we also strictly arrested air pollution through banning firecrackers during the festive season. Along with these measures, rainfall also helped in controlling air pollution, especially cities like Gurugram and Faridabad.” Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager for sustainable cities with CSE, said, “The analysis is based on comparison with the previous winter (2019-2020) when the weather conditions were different and rainfall activity was higher compared to the current outgoing winter season. Rainfall activity helps in washing down of pollutants, PM 2.5 in this case. This year, i.e. 2020-2021, we did not witness as much rain, which could be one of the reasons for higher seasonal average.” He added that measures taken by authorities to control air pollution also had a role to play in the decreased data for peak winter pollution. “Peak pollution is usually reported when smog accumulates. With the latest data analysis, we can see that peak has been reducing over the years. When measures like shutting down of construction activities and shutting down of brick kilns through the Grap is imposed, it helps a lot in controlling the peak pollution,” added Somvanshi. Meanwhile, Haryana did not have any cities in the top ten most polluted cities of Northern India, however, eight cities were listed in top 20. Fatehabad saw a jump of 228% in the seasonal average. Meanwhile, Bhiwani and Palwal recorded the lowest seasonal average during the 2020-21 winter with over 60% drop from the previous season.

सीएसई का कहना है कि अधिकांश भारतीय शहरों में शीतकालीन प्रदूषण बढ़ता है

रिपोर्ट में कहा गया है कि प्रदूषण के केंद्र के रूप में उभरते छोटे और आने वाले शहर। पीएम 2.5 का स्तर, पार्टिकुलेट मैटर का सबसे अधिक खतरा, 99 में से 43 शहरों में बिगड़ गया, जिनकी दो साल, 2020 और 2019 में सर्दियों की हवा की तुलना विज्ञान और पर्यावरण केंद्र (सीएसई) द्वारा की गई थी। केवल 19 पंजीकृत “पर्याप्त सुधार” – और इनमें से एक चेन्नई था। बाकी शहरों में महत्वपूर्ण बदलाव का अनुभव नहीं हुआ। लॉकडाउन के बाद में, कई शहरों ने प्रदूषण के स्तर में सुधार की सूचना दी, लेकिन सर्दियों में, जब लॉकडाउन में काफी ढील दी गई थी, तो प्रदूषण के स्तर ने पूर्व-सीओवीआईडी -19 के स्तर, सीएसई नोटों को वापस लौटा दिया था, जिसमें स्थानीय और क्षेत्रीय कारकों के महत्वपूर्ण योगदान को रेखांकित किया गया था। शहर का प्रदूषण स्तर 2019 में 2020 में सबसे खराब प्रदूषण फैलाने वाले शहरों में गुरुग्राम, लखनऊ, जयपुर, विशाखापत्तनम, आगरा, नवी मुंबई और जोधपुर शामिल हैं। कोलकाता इस समूह का एकमात्र मेगा शहर है। 37 शहरों में जो अन्यथा स्थिर या गिरते मौसमी औसत दिखा रहे हैं, सर्दियों के दौरान उनके प्रदूषण के स्तर में काफी वृद्धि हुई है। इनमें औरंगाबाद, इंदौर, नासिक, जबलपुर, रूपनगर, भोपाल, देवास, कोच्चि, और कोझीकोड शामिल हैं। दूसरी ओर, उत्तर भारत में, दिल्ली सहित अन्य शहरों ने रिवर्स का अनुभव किया है, अर्थात मौसमी औसत में वृद्धि लेकिन मौसमी शिखर में गिरावट। सर्दियों के दौरान, शांत और शांत मौसम के जाल और दैनिक प्रदूषण को फैलाते हैं, विशेष रूप से उत्तर भारतीय शहरों में जो भारत के गंगा के मैदान में स्थित हैं। इस साल गर्मियों और मानसून के महीनों के दौरान पीएम 2.5 का औसत स्तर पिछले साल की तुलना में गर्मियों के लॉकडाउन के कारण काफी कम था। हालांकि, क्षेत्रों में कई शहरों में 2019 की सर्दियों की तुलना में शीतकालीन PM2.5 एकाग्रता बढ़ी है। उन्होंने कहा, ‘प्रदूषण के बाद लॉकडाउन का उछलना स्थानीय और क्षेत्रीय प्रदूषण के उच्च प्रभावों को उजागर करता है। यह वाहनों, उद्योग, बिजली संयंत्रों से प्रदूषण पर अंकुश लगाने के लिए त्वरित क्षेत्रीय सुधारों की मांग करता है और सर्दियों के प्रदूषण को रोकने के लिए अपशिष्ट जलाने और गति के साथ एक क्षेत्रीय पैमाने पर वार्षिक सुधार को बनाए रखने के लिए कहता है, “अनुमा रॉयचौधरी, सीएसई के कार्यकारी निदेशक अनुसंधान और वकालत के प्रभारी, एक बयान में कहा। विश्लेषण सीएसई के वायु प्रदूषण ट्रैकर पहल का हिस्सा है। यह केंद्रीय प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्ड (CPCB) से सार्वजनिक रूप से उपलब्ध दानेदार रीयल टाइम डेटा (15-मिनट के औसत) पर आधारित है। डेटा 22 राज्यों और केंद्र शासित प्रदेशों में 115 शहरों में फैले कॉन्टिनेंट एंबिएंट एयर क्वालिटी मॉनिटरिंग सिस्टम (CAAQMS) के तहत 248 आधिकारिक स्टेशनों से कैप्चर किया गया है। सीएसई विश्लेषकों ने केवल उन शहरों पर विचार किया था, जो सर्दियों के दिनों में कम से कम 75% (1 अक्टूबर से 31 जनवरी तक) दोनों वर्षों तक पढ़ते थे। जब सबसे कम प्रदूषित शहरों में स्थान दिया गया, तो सबसे प्रदूषित शहरों में से 23 उत्तर भारत के हैं। मैसूरु सबसे कम प्रदूषित है, इसके बाद मध्य प्रदेश में सतना और केरल में कोच्चि, उत्तरी बेल्ट में गाजियाबाद सबसे प्रदूषित शहर है। केवल चार शहर (सतना, मैसूरु, विजयपुरा और चिक्कमगलुरु) हैं जो सर्दियों के मौसम के दौरान राष्ट्रीय 24-घंटे के मानक (60 μg / m3) से मिले हैं। रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, मध्य प्रदेश में सतना और मैहर, और कर्नाटक में मैसूरु, देश के सबसे साफ शहर हैं। अध्ययन के लेखकों ने यह भी जोर दिया कि मेगा शहरों के बजाय, यह छोटे और आगामी शहर थे जो प्रदूषण के आकर्षण के केंद्र के रूप में उभर रहे थे। “यह रिपोर्ट यह स्पष्ट करती है कि यह शीतकालीन प्रदूषण चुनौती मेगा शहरों या एक विशिष्ट क्षेत्र तक सीमित नहीं है; यह एक सर्वव्यापी समस्या है और हर जगह तत्काल और जानबूझकर कार्रवाई की आवश्यकता है। इसके लिए प्रदूषण के प्रमुख क्षेत्रों – वाहनों, उद्योग, बिजली संयंत्रों और अपशिष्ट प्रबंधन में त्वरित सुधार और कार्रवाई की आवश्यकता है ताकि सर्दियों के प्रदूषण को नियंत्रित किया जा सके और वार्षिक वायु प्रदूषण वक्र को कम किया जा सके। “

North India most polluted this winter: CSE study

New Delhi: Northern India was the most polluted region in the country this winter with Delhi-NCR cities recording higher levels of pollutants, said an analysis of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The report said the most polluted cities this winter were located in Delhi-NCR and UP, with Ghaziabad and Bulandshahr taking the top spots. The analysis was based on real time data from Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) official online portal Central Control Room for Air Quality Management for 99 cities. The analysis of PM2.5 data showed that, while some cities witnessed arresting or stabilisation of trend with small variation, others experienced either increase or decrease. North Indian cities were, on average, the most polluted — over three times the average of cities in the south. North India cities, including Delhi, witnessed an increase in seasonal average, but a decline in seasonal peak. Mysuru was the least polluted, followed by Satna in Madhya Pradesh and Kochi in Kerala, while Ghaziabad was the most polluted. The analysis said 26 cities in the north recorded over 8% increase from the last winter. Fatehabad in Haryana saw a staggering jump of 228% in the seasonal average. Anumita Roychowdhury, CSE’s executive director in charge of research and advocacy, said winter presented a special challenge when inversion and cool and calm weather traps and spikes daily pollution. “The northern Indo-Gangetic Plain is the most affected, as other regions also experience a rise, but with lesser intensity. However, the average level of PM2.5 during summer and monsoon in 2020 was considerably lower than the previous year due to the lockdown, but the winter PM2.5 concentration has risen compared with 2019 in many cities,” said Roychowdhury. Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager in CSE’s Urban Lab team of the Sustainable Cities programme, said the report had helped in understanding the regional differences in profile of winter pollution. “Though there is considerable regional variation, peak pollution episodes increased and synchronised within the regions during winter. At the same time, uneven rise across monitoring locations and contiguous cities bring out the impact of local pollution,” said Somvanshi.

Ghaziabad worst polluted in country, AQI likely to worsen

Noida: The air quality of the region has deteriorated in the past 24 hours with Ghaziabad turning out to be the worst polluted city of the country on Wednesday, while Greater Noida was the third worst Noida: The air quality of the region has deteriorated in the past 24 hours with Ghaziabad turning out to be the worst polluted city of the country on Wednesday, while Greater Noida was the third worst. Noida remained in the ‘poor’ category, although its air quality index (AQI) levels oscillated towards the wrong end. Meanwhile, the mercury soared in the region with Delhi’s Safdarjung observatory – also the average for the national Capital – seeing its warmest February day since 2006, the Met officials said. The Safdarjung observatory recorded a maximum temperature of 32.5 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, seven degrees higher than the season’s average, while the minimum was recorded at 12 °C, a degree above the average. “Delhi saw the highest maximum temperature for February since 2006. Due to clear sun, and variable and slow winds, the mercury may soar by up to two degrees over the next few days,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, head, regional weather forecasting centre, India Meteorological Department (IMD). The maximum and minimum temperatures for Noida were recorded at 32 degrees °C and 13.7 degrees °C, against 31.6 degrees °C and 12.6 degrees °C a day before, respectively. According to pollution monitoring agencies, the region saw a drop in wind speed, which led to the worsening of air quality that the agencies predict, will worsen further on Thursday. “The wind speed on Wednesday dropped to an average of eight kilometres per hour (kmph) against 12 kmph a day earlier. Also, the wind speed is only picking up during the day hours, so the ventilation conditions of the city are not very good. This is one of the major reasons why the air quality deteriorated. The wind speed will remain low on Thursday as well, but will increase towards Friday which will help disperse pollutant particles and improve the air quality,” said Srivastava. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the air quality index (AQI) of Noida on Wednesday, on a scale of 0 to 500, deteriorated to 292 against 214 a day earlier. Noida’s air quality had improved to “poor” category on February 2. The AQI of Greater Noida on Wednesday deteriorated to 353 from 342 a day earlier. The air quality index of Ghaziabad was 388 against 320 a day earlier. An AQI up to 100 is considered ‘good’, between 101 and 200 is considered ‘moderate’, between 201 and 300 is ‘poor’, between 301 and 400 is considered ‘very poor’ and above 400 is considered ‘severe’. According to the System of air quality and weather forecasting and research (SAFAR), the air quality is likely to deteriorate on Thursday. “Surface winds are low and forecasted to improve during the day. The AQI is likely to marginally deteriorate Thursday and likely to stay at the ‘poor’ to the lower end of the ‘very poor’ category. An increase in wind speed and boundary layer height is forecasted from February 26. This is likely to influence the AQI positively and ‘poor’ AQI is forecasted for February 26 and 27,” said the SAFAR statement on Wednesday.

Winter pollution shows rise in most Indian cities, says CSE

Smaller and upcoming cities emerging as pollution hotspots, says report. The levels of PM 2.5, the most threatening of particulate matter, worsened in 43 out of 99 cities whose winter air in two years, 2020 and 2019, was compared by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). Only 19 registered “substantial improvement” — and one of these was Chennai. The restof the cities did not experience significant change. In the aftermath of the lockdown, several cities reported improved pollution levels but by winter, when lockdowns were significantly eased, pollution levels had clawed back to pre-COVID-19 levels, the CSE notes, underlining the significant contribution of local and regional factors to a city’s pollution levels. The cities with the worst pollution spikes in 2020 over 2019 include Gurugram, Lucknow, Jaipur, Visakhapatnam, Agra, Navi Mumbai, and Jodhpur. Kolkata is the only mega city in this group. In 37 cities that are otherwise showing stable or declining seasonal averages, their peak pollution levels have risen significantly during winter. These include Aurangabad, Indore, Nashik, Jabalpur, Rupnagar, Bhopal, Dewas, Kochi, and Kozhikode. On the other hand, in north India, other cities, including Delhi, have experienced the reverse, that is, an increase in the seasonal average but decline in the seasonal peak. During winter, cool and calm weather traps and spikes daily pollution, particularly in north Indian cities located in the Indo Gangetic Plain. This year, the average level of PM2.5 during the summer and monsoon months was considerably lower than the previous year due to the summer lockdown. However, the winter PM2.5 concentration has risen compared to the 2019 winter in many cities across regions. “This bouncing back of pollution post-lockdown unmasks the high impacts of local and regional pollution. This demands quicker regional reforms to curb pollution from vehicles, industry, power plants and waste burning to curb the winter pollution and also sustain annual improvement at a regional scale with speed,” says Anumita Roychowdhury, CSE’s executive director in charge of research and advocacy, said in a statement. The analysis is part of the air pollution tracker initiative of CSE. It’s based on publicly available granular real time data (15-minute averages) from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The data is captured from 248 official stations under the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) spread across 115 cities in 22 States and Union Territories. The CSE analysts only considered cities that had readings for both years in at least 75% of the winter days (from October 1 to January 31). When ranked from the most to the least polluted cities, 23 of the most polluted cities are from north India. While Mysuru is the least polluted, followed by Satna in Madhya Pradesh and Kochi in Kerala, Ghaziabad is the most polluted city in the northern belt. There are only four cities (Satna, Mysuru, Vijaypura and Chikkamagaluru) that have met the national 24-hour standard (60 μg/m3) during the winter season. Satna and Maihar in Madhya Pradesh, and Mysuru in Karnataka, are the cleanest cities in the country, according to the report. The authors of the study also emphasise that rather than mega cities, it was the smaller and upcoming cities that were emerging as pollution hotspots. “ This report makes it amply clear that this winter pollution challenge is not limited to mega cities or one specific region; it is an omnipresent problem and requires urgent and deliberate action everywhere. This requires quicker reforms and action in key sectors of pollution — vehicles, industry, power plants and waste management to control winter pollution and bend the annual air pollution curve.”

Pune ranked 79th in country for air pollution in 2020-21 by CSE

PUNE Pune is among 16 cities from central and western India that have shown a stable trend in air pollution this winter, as compared to previous years, according to analysis of real-time data carried out by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). At the national level, Pune was ranked 79th in air pollution in 2020-21. The city’s average PM2.5 during the winter season this year was 59 (μg/m3), which was lower than the same period in 2019-20 by a factor of -7. On the other hand, Pune’s peak level pollution this winter was 103 (μg/m3), which was lower than the same period in 2019-20 by a factor of -3. The ranking for city was 23rd among central and western cities. The data was collected from eight stations across the city for the study, CSE said on Wednesday. “Winter is a special challenge when inversion, and cool and calm weather traps and spikes daily pollution. While the northern Indo Gangetic Plain is most affected, other regions also experience a rise, but with lesser intensity. This year, even though the average level of PM2.5 during summer and monsoon months was considerably lower than the previous year due to the summer lockdown, the winter PM2.5 concentration has risen compared to 2019 in many cities across regions,” says Anumita Roychowdhury, CSE’s executive director in charge of research and advocacy. Roychowdhury adds: “This bouncing back of pollution post-lockdown unmasks the high impacts of local and regional pollution. This demands quicker regional reforms to curb pollution from vehicles, industry, power plants and waste burning to curb winter pollution and also to sustain annual improvement at a regional scale with speed.” The analysis has studied 99 cities where data availability for two consecutive winters meets the minimum criteria of 75 per cent of data completeness requirement. “This analysis has helped to understand the regional differences in regional profile of winter pollution. Even though there is considerable regional variation, peak pollution episodes increased and synchronsed within the regions during winter. At the same time, uneven rise across monitoring locations and contiguous cities bring out the impact of local pollution,” says Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager, CSE’s Urban Lab team of the Sustainable Cities programme. The analysis is part of the air pollution tracker initiative of CSE and was based on publicly available granular real-time data (15-minute averages) from the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) official online portal, the Central Control Room for Air Quality Management. The data is captured from 248 official stations under the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) spread across 115 cities in 22 states and union territories. CAAQMS has many more cities in its network than included in the analysis. India’s most polluted Gaziabad – most polluted Delhi – fifth most polluted Smaller towns see higher winter pollution levels than mega cities Source: Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)

Winter air pollution exhibits rise in most Indian cities, says CSE

Smaller and upcoming cities rising as air pollution hotspots, says report. The degrees of PM 2.5, essentially the most threatening of particulate matter, worsened in 43 out of 99 cities whose winter air in two years, 2020 and 2019, was in contrast by the Centre for Science and Atmosphere (CSE). Solely 19 registered “substantial enchancment” — and certainly one of these was Chennai. The restof the cities didn’t expertise vital change. Within the aftermath of the lockdown, a number of cities reported improved air pollution ranges however by winter, when lockdowns had been considerably eased, air pollution ranges had clawed again to pre-COVID-19 ranges, the CSE notes, underlining the numerous contribution of native and regional elements to a metropolis’s air pollution ranges. The cities with the worst air pollution spikes in 2020 over 2019 embody Gurugram, Lucknow, Jaipur, Visakhapatnam, Agra, Navi Mumbai, and Jodhpur. Kolkata is the one mega metropolis on this group. In 37 cities which can be in any other case displaying secure or declining seasonal averages, their peak air pollution ranges have risen considerably throughout winter. These embody Aurangabad, Indore, Nashik, Jabalpur, Rupnagar, Bhopal, Dewas, Kochi, and Kozhikode. Then again, in north India, different cities, together with Delhi, have skilled the reverse, that’s, a rise within the seasonal common however decline within the seasonal peak. Throughout winter, cool and calm climate traps and spikes every day air pollution, notably in north Indian cities situated within the Indo Gangetic Plain. This yr, the common degree of PM2.5 throughout the summer time and monsoon months was significantly decrease than the earlier yr because of the summer time lockdown. Nevertheless, the winter PM2.5 focus has risen in comparison with the 2019 winter in lots of cities throughout areas. “This bouncing again of air pollution post-lockdown unmasks the excessive impacts of native and regional air pollution. This calls for faster regional reforms to curb air pollution from autos, business, energy vegetation and waste burning to curb the winter air pollution and likewise maintain annual enchancment at a regional scale with velocity,” says Anumita Roychowdhury, CSE’s govt director in control of analysis and advocacy, mentioned in a press release. The evaluation is a part of the air air pollution tracker initiative of CSE. It’s based mostly on publicly accessible granular actual time information (15-minute averages) from the Central Air pollution Management Board (CPCB). The information is captured from 248 official stations underneath the Steady Ambient Air High quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) unfold throughout 115 cities in 22 States and Union Territories. The CSE analysts solely thought of cities that had readings for each years in no less than 75% of the winter days (from October 1 to January 31). When ranked from essentially the most to the least polluted cities, 23 of essentially the most polluted cities are from north India. Whereas Mysuru is the least polluted, adopted by Satna in Madhya Pradesh and Kochi in Kerala, Ghaziabad is essentially the most polluted metropolis within the northern belt. There are solely 4 cities (Satna, Mysuru, Vijaypura and Chikkamagaluru) which have met the nationwide 24-hour customary (60 μg/m3) throughout the winter season. Satna and Maihar in Madhya Pradesh, and Mysuru in Karnataka, are the cleanest cities within the nation, in keeping with the report. The authors of the examine additionally emphasise that quite than mega cities, it was the smaller and upcoming cities that had been rising as air pollution hotspots. “ This report makes it amply clear that this winter air pollution problem just isn’t restricted to mega cities or one particular area; it’s an omnipresent downside and requires pressing and deliberate motion in all places. This requires faster reforms and motion in key sectors of air pollution — autos, business, energy vegetation and waste administration to manage winter air pollution and bend the annual air air pollution curve.”

Winter pollution shows rise in most Indian cities, says CSE

Smaller and upcoming cities emerging as pollution hotspots, says report. The levels of PM 2.5, the most threatening of particulate matter, worsened in 43 out of 99 cities whose winter air in two years, 2020 and 2019, was compared by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). Only 19 registered "substantial improvement" — and one of these was Chennai. The restof the cities did not experience significant change. In the aftermath of the lockdown, several cities reported improved pollution levels but by winter, when lockdowns were significantly eased, pollution levels had clawed back to pre-COVID-19 levels, the CSE notes, underlining the significant contribution of local and regional factors to a city's pollution levels. The cities with the worst pollution spikes in 2020 over 2019 include Gurugram, Lucknow, Jaipur, Visakhapatnam, Agra, Navi Mumbai, and Jodhpur. Kolkata is the only mega city in this group. In 37 cities that are otherwise showing stable or declining seasonal averages, their peak pollution levels have risen significantly during winter. These include Aurangabad, Indore, Nashik, Jabalpur, Rupnagar, Bhopal, Dewas, Kochi, and Kozhikode. On the other hand, in north India, other cities, including Delhi, have experienced the reverse, that is, an increase in the seasonal…

Pune ranked 79th in country for air pollution in 2020-21 by CSE

Pune ranked 79th in country for air pollution in 2020-21 by CSE PUNE Pune is among 16 cities from central and western India that have shown a stable trend in air pollution this winter, as compared to previous years, according to analysis of real-time data carried out by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). At the national level, Pune was ranked 79th in air pollution in 2020-21. The city’s average PM2.5 during the winter season this year was 59 (μg/m3), which was lower than the same period in 2019-20 by a factor of -7. On the other hand, Pune’s peak level pollution this winter was 103 (μg/m3), which was lower than the same period in 2019-20 by a factor of -3. The ranking for city was 23rd among central and western cities. The data was collected from eight stations across the city for the study, CSE said on Wednesday. “Winter is a special challenge when inversion, and cool and calm weather traps and spikes daily pollution. While the northern Indo Gangetic Plain is most affected, other regions also experience a rise, but with lesser intensity. This year, even though the average level of PM2.5 during summer and monsoon months was considerably lower than the previous year due to the summer lockdown, the winter PM2.5 concentration has risen compared to 2019 in many cities across regions,” says Anumita Roychowdhury, CSE’s executive director in charge of research and advocacy. Roychowdhury adds: “This bouncing back of pollution post-lockdown unmasks the high impacts of local and regional pollution. This demands quicker regional reforms to curb pollution from vehicles, industry, power plants and waste burning to curb winter pollution and also to sustain annual improvement at a regional scale with speed.” The analysis has studied 99 cities where data availability for two consecutive winters meets the minimum criteria of 75 per cent of data completeness requirement. “This analysis has helped to understand the regional differences in regional profile of winter pollution. Even though there is considerable regional variation, peak pollution episodes increased and synchronsed within the regions during winter. At the same time, uneven rise across monitoring locations and contiguous cities bring out the impact of local pollution,” says Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager, CSE’s Urban Lab team of the Sustainable Cities programme. The analysis is part of the air pollution tracker initiative of CSE and was based on publicly available granular real-time data (15-minute averages) from the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) official online portal, the Central Control Room for Air Quality Management. The data is captured from 248 official stations under the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) spread across 115 cities in 22 states and union territories. CAAQMS has many more cities in its network than included in the analysis. India’s most polluted Gaziabad – most polluted Delhi – fifth most polluted Smaller towns see higher winter pollution levels than mega cities Source: Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)

Winter pollution shows rise in most Indian cities, says CSE

Smaller and upcoming cities rising as air pollution hotspots, says report. The degrees of PM 2.5, probably the most threatening of particulate matter, worsened in 43 out of 99 cities whose winter air in two years, 2020 and 2019, was in contrast by the Centre for Science and Setting (CSE). Solely 19 registered “substantial enchancment” — and one in every of these was Chennai. The restof the cities didn’t expertise vital change. Within the aftermath of the lockdown, a number of cities reported improved air pollution ranges however by winter, when lockdowns had been considerably eased, air pollution ranges had clawed again to pre-COVID-19 ranges, the CSE notes, underlining the numerous contribution of native and regional elements to a metropolis’s air pollution ranges. The cities with the worst air pollution spikes in 2020 over 2019 embrace Gurugram, Lucknow, Jaipur, Visakhapatnam, Agra, Navi Mumbai, and Jodhpur. Kolkata is the one mega metropolis on this group. In 37 cities which might be in any other case displaying secure or declining seasonal averages, their peak air pollution ranges have risen considerably throughout winter. These embrace Aurangabad, Indore, Nashik, Jabalpur, Rupnagar, Bhopal, Dewas, Kochi, and Kozhikode. Alternatively, in north India, different cities, together with Delhi, have skilled the reverse, that’s, a rise within the seasonal common however decline within the seasonal peak. Throughout winter, cool and calm climate traps and spikes each day air pollution, notably in north Indian cities situated within the Indo Gangetic Plain. This 12 months, the common stage of PM2.5 through the summer season and monsoon months was significantly decrease than the earlier 12 months because of the summer season lockdown. Nonetheless, the winter PM2.5 focus has risen in comparison with the 2019 winter in lots of cities throughout areas. “This bouncing again of air pollution post-lockdown unmasks the excessive impacts of native and regional air pollution. This calls for faster regional reforms to curb air pollution from automobiles, business, energy vegetation and waste burning to curb the winter air pollution and likewise maintain annual enchancment at a regional scale with velocity,” says Anumita Roychowdhury, CSE’s govt director in command of analysis and advocacy, mentioned in a press release. The evaluation is a part of the air air pollution tracker initiative of CSE. It’s primarily based on publicly accessible granular actual time knowledge (15-minute averages) from the Central Air pollution Management Board (CPCB). The info is captured from 248 official stations underneath the Steady Ambient Air High quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) unfold throughout 115 cities in 22 States and Union Territories. The CSE analysts solely thought of cities that had readings for each years in no less than 75% of the winter days (from October 1 to January 31). When ranked from probably the most to the least polluted cities, 23 of probably the most polluted cities are from north India. Whereas Mysuru is the least polluted, adopted by Satna in Madhya Pradesh and Kochi in Kerala, Ghaziabad is probably the most polluted metropolis within the northern belt. There are solely 4 cities (Satna, Mysuru, Vijaypura and Chikkamagaluru) which have met the nationwide 24-hour normal (60 μg/m3) through the winter season. Satna and Maihar in Madhya Pradesh, and Mysuru in Karnataka, are the cleanest cities within the nation, in keeping with the report. The authors of the examine additionally emphasise that moderately than mega cities, it was the smaller and upcoming cities that had been rising as air pollution hotspots. “ This report makes it amply clear that this winter air pollution problem just isn’t restricted to mega cities or one particular area; it’s an omnipresent drawback and requires pressing and deliberate motion in all places. This requires faster reforms and motion in key sectors of air pollution — automobiles, business, energy vegetation and waste administration to manage winter air pollution and bend the annual air air pollution curve.”

CSE says winter pollution increases in most Indian cities

The report noted that emerging small and upcoming cities as centers of pollution. PM2.5 levels, the highest risk of particulate matter, worsened in 43 of 99 cities whose winter air in two years, 2020 and 2019, was compared by the Center for Science and Environment (CSE). Only 19 registered “substantial improvements” – and one of them was Chennai. Other cities did not experience significant changes. In the aftermath of the lockdown, many cities reported an improvement in pollution levels, but in winter, when the lockdown was significantly relaxed, pollution levels reverted to pre-COVID-19 levels, CSE notes Was given, underlining the important contribution of local and regional factors. City pollution level The worst polluting cities in 2019 include Gurugram, Lucknow, Jaipur, Visakhapatnam, Agra, Navi Mumbai and Jodhpur. Kolkata is the only mega city of this group. In 37 cities that are otherwise showing steady or falling seasonal averages, their pollution levels have increased significantly during the winter. These include Aurangabad, Indore, Nashik, Jabalpur, Rupnagar, Bhopal, Dewas, Kochi, and Kozhikode. On the other hand, in North India, other cities including Delhi have experienced the reverse, ie an increase in the seasonal average but a decline in the seasonal peak. During winters, traps of calm and calm weather and spread daily pollution, especially in North Indian cities which are situated in the Gangetic plain of India. The average level of PM2.5 during the summer and monsoon months this year was significantly lower due to the summer lockdown than the previous year. However, winter PM2.5 concentration increased in many cities in the region compared to the winter of 2019. He said, ‘Jumpdown of lockdown after pollution exposes the high impacts of local and regional pollution. It calls for accelerated regional reforms to curb pollution from vehicles, industry, power plants and burn waste to prevent winter pollution and maintain annual improvements on a regional scale with speed, ” Anuma Roychowdhury, CSE executive director in charge of research and advocacy, said in a statement. The analysis is part of CSE’s air pollution tracker initiative. It is based on publicly available granular real time data (15-minute averages) from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The data is captured from 248 official stations under the Continent Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) spread across 115 cities across 22 states and union territories. CSE analysts only considered cities that read at least 75% of the winter days (from 1 October to 31 January) for both years. When ranked among the least polluted cities, 23 of the most polluted cities are from North India. Mysuru is the least polluted, followed by Satna in Madhya Pradesh and Kochi in Kerala, Ghaziabad in the northern belt. There are only four cities (Satna, Mysuru, Vijayapura and Chikkamagaluru) that have met the national 24-hour standard (60 μg / m3) during the winter season. According to the report, Satna and Maihar in Madhya Pradesh, and Mysuru in Karnataka, are the cleanest cities in the country. The authors of the study also emphasized that instead of mega cities, it was small and upcoming cities that were emerging as centers of pollution. “This report makes it clear that this winter pollution challenge is not limited to mega cities or a specific region; It is a ubiquitous problem and requires immediate and deliberate action everywhere. This requires quick improvement and action in key areas of pollution – vehicles, industry, power plants and waste management so that winter pollution can be controlled and the annual air pollution curve can be reduced. “

Winter pollution shows rise in most Indian cities, says CSE

Smaller and upcoming cities emerging as pollution hotspots, says report. The levels of PM 2.5, the most threatening of particulate matter, worsened in 43 out of 99 cities whose winter air in two years, 2020 and 2019, was compared by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). Only 19 registered “substantial improvement” — and one of these was Chennai. The restof the cities did not experience significant change. In the aftermath of the lockdown, several cities reported improved pollution levels but by winter, when lockdowns were significantly eased, pollution levels had clawed back to pre-COVID-19 levels, the CSE notes, underlining the significant contribution of local and regional factors to a city’s pollution levels. The cities with the worst pollution spikes in 2020 over 2019 include Gurugram, Lucknow, Jaipur, Visakhapatnam, Agra, Navi Mumbai, and Jodhpur. Kolkata is the only mega city in this group. In 37 cities that are otherwise showing stable or declining seasonal averages, their peak pollution levels have risen significantly during winter. These include Aurangabad, Indore, Nashik, Jabalpur, Rupnagar, Bhopal, Dewas, Kochi, and Kozhikode. On the other hand, in north India, other cities, including Delhi, have experienced the reverse, that is, an increase in the seasonal average but decline in the seasonal peak. During winter, cool and calm weather traps and spikes daily pollution, particularly in north Indian cities located in the Indo Gangetic Plain. This year, the average level of PM2.5 during the summer and monsoon months was considerably lower than the previous year due to the summer lockdown. However, the winter PM2.5 concentration has risen compared to the 2019 winter in many cities across regions. “This bouncing back of pollution post-lockdown unmasks the high impacts of local and regional pollution. This demands quicker regional reforms to curb pollution from vehicles, industry, power plants and waste burning to curb the winter pollution and also sustain annual improvement at a regional scale with speed,” says Anumita Roychowdhury, CSE’s executive director in charge of research and advocacy, said in a statement. The analysis is part of the air pollution tracker initiative of CSE. It’s based on publicly available granular real time data (15-minute averages) from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The data is captured from 248 official stations under the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) spread across 115 cities in 22 States and Union Territories. The CSE analysts only considered cities that had readings for both years in at least 75% of the winter days (from October 1 to January 31). When ranked from the most to the least polluted cities, 23 of the most polluted cities are from north India. While Mysuru is the least polluted, followed by Satna in Madhya Pradesh and Kochi in Kerala, Ghaziabad is the most polluted city in the northern belt. There are only four cities (Satna, Mysuru, Vijaypura and Chikkamagaluru) that have met the national 24-hour standard (60 μg/m3) during the winter season. Satna and Maihar in Madhya Pradesh, and Mysuru in Karnataka, are the cleanest cities in the country, according to the report.

Give young environmentalists a voice

India has always argued that climate is linked to development choices, livelihoods and equity. Don’t ask activists to narrow down their concerns The climate advocacy group, Fridays for Future, has been in the news recently due to the arrest of one of its members, Disha Ravi, in connection with allegedly playing a role in producing and sharing a protest “toolkit”. On the face of it, producing and sharing a toolkit is usual for advocacy groups seeking to mobilise attention and action around an issue, and it is hard to understand the serious allegations being made. Since I am not privy to the details of the case, I want to flag some broader, problematic, perspectives in the public conversation about this case . First, a prominent theme in public conversations around this episode is that climate activists should stick to narrow environmental issues. Environmentalists, some imply, should play among themselves in a sandbox at one corner of the public debate. The irony is that India and Indian stakeholders — activists, diplomats and political leaders alike — have played a leading role in successfully arguing that the climate crisis is not only an environmental issue, it is a question of development choices, livelihoods and equity. Notably, Fridays for Future appears to have taken on board this broader view: “ensure climate justice and equity” is the second “demand” listed in a August 2019 declaration on its website (the first and third are “limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees C” and “listen to the science”). This recognition of equity is essential to ensuring that poor people and poor countries do not bear the cost of climate adjustment, which India has been in the forefront of arguing internationally. The bottom line is that environmental and social outcomes are inter-connected, and one cannot come at the cost of the other. This broad perspective on environment is just as salient domestically as it is internationally. And from this point of view, it is reasonable — and even necessary — to look at not only the environmental problems arising from farming, but also the social condition of farmers, and the political and economic forces shaping farmer choices. Calling for Indian environmentalists to limit the scope of their interests not only impoverishes the national conversation, but also contradicts a uniquely powerful Indian stance espoused by activists and government alike, and that has served the national interest well in climate negotiations. Second, it would be deeply problematic if the grumbling about the international linkages of the “toolkit” at the centre of this issue diluted the truth that it is strongly in India’s national interests to address environmental concerns; this is not just some international fiction. Environmental issues affect Indian interests in multiple ways. To begin with, the local environment is despoiled in much of India. The Centre for Science and Environment found that, as of 2018, 275 of 445 monitored rivers were polluted and that unprocessed solid waste is the norm even in many cities. A dire air pollution problem is taking a toll on the health of Indians, with air pollution estimated to cause 1.2 million premature deaths a year, about one-eighth of all annual deaths in India, according to Indian scientists who have contributed to the Global Burden of Disease study. While much remains to be done, some potentially useful steps have been taken, such as creation of a new Commission on Air Quality Management. In addition, the climate crisis is an enormous threat multiplier in India, according to a comprehensive Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology compilation. It could increase the destructive power of natural disasters, affect crop productivity, impact labour productivity through heat stress, disrupt the monsoons, and affect India’s water supply. Simply put, the climate crisis will make India’s development aspirations much harder to achieve. Not least, the landscape of economic opportunity and job creation, both in India and globally, is changing in response to the environmental and climate crises. In energy, fossil fuels are giving way to solar, wind and battery technology; in transport, the days of the internal combustion engine may be numbered — GM recently announced their phase-out; in food, meat substitutes are taking off, and all these changes are driven by environmental concerns. In some areas, the government is attentive to these changes, seeking to stimulate solar panel production, and battery technology and manufacturing. In brief, local pollution, climate damage and new economic opportunities tied to climate and environment are all important to our national interests. While an enormous amount remains to be done, the environment has long left behind the confines of the sandbox. What a time, then, to send a signal to the young citizens of this country — discouraging them from paying attention to, asking challenging questions about, and putting personal energy into acting on, the big issues of our day. India needs more, not less, engagement and energy around environmental issues. We may not always agree with the answers young activists come up with. We may sometimes disagree with the way in which they frame questions or seek attention for their cause. But as a society, we will be poorer if we silence them. Navroz K Dubash is a professor at the Centre for Policy Research, and the editor of India in a Warming World: Integrating Climate Change and Development

How FASTag has become the easier, faster and environmentfriendly way to collect toll fees

At present, all 631 national highways have FASTag facilities but it will take some time before it becomes the sole mode of toll collection. New Delhi: Earlier this week, the Narendra Modi government made FASTag mandatory for toll collection at national highways. In a statement Sunday, the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways (MoRTH) said that any vehicle not fitted with the tag will have to pay double toll fee to access the highways. A FASTag is affixed to a vehicle and the fee is automatically deducted once the car passes through the toll plaza, eliminating the need to stop in queues. A senior official in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways told ThePrint that all 631 national highway toll plazas were operational with FASTags, along with 109 state-run toll plazas and 39 toll plazas that come under the MoRTH. However, the official added, it will still take some time before all plazas on national highways will be able to collect fees only through FASTag. At present, toll collection through FASTag makes up 85 per cent of the total collection, the official added. VDO.AI The official also noted that states like West Bengal, Chattisgarh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Kerala are yet to shift completely to FASTag. The national highways in Punjab and Haryana are also not operational currently because of the ongoing farmers’ agitation at Delhi borders. ThePrint takes a look at what FASTags are, how they are being implemented across the country and their benefits. Also read: Rs 1 lakh crore Delhi-Mumbai and Ambala-Kotputli expressways to be ready by March 2022 What are FASTags? FASTags, which aid electronic payment of fees at toll plazas, were introduced in 2016. Each tag has a unique code for a vehicle and when one drives through the toll plazas, the fee is automatically deducted after the system scans the code. They can be purchased and recharged on PayTM and Amazon, as well as websites of a few banks such as HDFC, Kotak Bank, ICICI and Axis Bank According to the senior government official, as of 17 February, there were 60 lakh transactions made through FASTags worth Rs 95 crore, which is 16 per cent higher than the transactions made last week. Once FASTags become 100 per cent operational in the country, the government expects an inflow of revenue worth more than Rs 100 crore. In the fiscal year, 2019-2020, electronic toll collection was worth Rs 11,294 crore, while in the fiscal year 2020-21 (up till 17 February) the total electronic toll collection was Rs 18,556 crores — an increase of over Rs 7,000 crores. India will also become the only country in the world to have one uniform e-toll collection facility once FASTags become the sole mode of toll collection. After these became mandatory Tuesday, more than 9.2 lakh (9,29,725) vehicles had signed up for FASTags as of Friday. Officials noted they expect the number of toll collections through FASTags to increase in the coming days. Also read: Onus on NHAI as new Modi govt rules require 90% of highway land arranged before work starts Benefits of FASTags FASTags have been a part of toll collection for years now, however, prior to this a hybrid model of collection was followed. One lane on the toll plaza was reserved for both cash payments and the tags. But this was counterproductive as it would lead to long queues, big traffic jams and more fuel emissions. According to Vivek Chattopadhyay, air pollution programme manager at the Centre for Science and Environment, once FASTags are installed in all vehicles and toll plazas, it will be easier to pass through them and it will result in lower fuel emissions that are harmful for the environment. “Due to the toll fee collection there were longer queues and more traffic jams, which resulted in an increase in fuel emissions,” Chattopadhyay said. He explained that when the engine of a vehicle is at the optimal speed (40 km/hour) it releases less fuel compared to a vehicle moving at an idle speed. “The same engine when idle is emitting twice as many pollutants and burns more fuel. It is a waste of fuel. FASTags are a much better alternative.” The central government is offering FASTags free of cost till 1 March to encourage their use. According to government sources, to ensure more efficient FASTag roll out on state roads, outreach programmes for states are in the pipeline.