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Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Air Pollution: क्यों बडे शहरों की तुलना में छोटे शहरों की वायु गुणवत्ता है ज्यादा खराब?

नई दिल्ली [ िंजीव गुप्ता]। ेंटर फॉर ाइिं एिंड एनवायरनमेंट ( ीए ई) की तरफ े गिंगा के मैिानी इलाके के शहरों में शीतकालीन वायु प्रिूर्ण (11 जनवरी 2021 तक) पर ककया गया र्वचलेर्ण बताता है कक बडे शहरों की तुलना में छोटे शहरों की वायु गुणवत्ता ज्यािा खराब है। भारत में गिंगा के मैिानी इलाकों में राष्ट्िीय राजधानी क्षेत्र के बाहर ननगरानी स्टेशनों े वास्तर्वक मय के आिंकडों का र्वचलेर्ण इ ाल शीतकालीन प्रिूर्ण में नए पैटनष दिखाता है। इ बार दिषयों में अन्य क्षेत्रों की तुलना में एन ीआर में प्रिूर्ण उतना अधधक नहीिं था। ीए ई की कायषकारी ननिेशक अनुसमता रॉय चौधरी के मुताबबक, लाकडाउन के िौरान वायु प्रिूर्ण में नाटकीय कमी के बावजूि, स्थानीय और क्षेत्रीय प्रिूर्ण के चलते लाकडाउन हटते ही प्रिूर्ण बढने लगा है। प्रिूर्ण के स्तर में स्थायी कमी लाने के सलए वाहनों, उद्योग, बबजली िंयिंत्रों े होने वाले प्रिूर्ण पर अिंकुश लगाने के सलए त्वररत क्षेत्रीय ुधारों और ो कारषवाई की जरूरत है। र्वचलेर्ण के मुताबबक पीएम 2.5 का उच्च स्तर एक दिषयों की ामान्य जस्थनत है, क्योंकक दिषयों में वाहन, उद्योग, ननमाषण आदि े होने वाले ननरिंतर उत् जषन और मौ म िंबिंधी पररवतषनों के कारण वातावरण में प्रिूर्क तत्वों का जमाव होने लगता है। वहीिं, ीए ई के प्रोग्राम मैनेजर अर्वकल ोमविंशी कहते हैं, इ ाल गिंगा के उत्तर और िक्षक्षण के मैिानी क्षेत्रों के बीच शीतकालीन प्रिूर्ण पैटनष में स्पष्ट्ट अिंतर है। भले ही 2020 में गसमषयों और मान ून की वजह े पीएम 2.5 का औ त स्तर र्पछले ाल की तुलना में कम रहा है, लेककन पिंजाब और लगभग भी ननगरानी केंद्रों वाले शहरों में पीएम 2.5 का स्तर 2019 के स्तर े ज्यािा रहा है। यह र्वचलेर्ण केंद्रीय प्रिूर्ण ननयिंत्रण बोडष ( ीपी ीबी) के आधधकाररक आनलाइन पोटषल ेंिल किंिोल रूमफोर एयर क्वासलटी मैनेजमेंट पर ावषजननक रूप े उपलब्ध ररयल-टाइम डेटा पर आधाररत है।

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Air pollution shot up in some northern towns last year despite lockdown

Air pollution shot up in some northern towns last year despite lockdown The analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment suggests air pollution levels spiked in certain parts of the Indo-Gangetic plains mainly because of a combination of reopening of the economy after the nationwide lockdown and adverse meteorology in winter. A new analysis has found that air pollution increased in small towns and cities outside Delhi and NCR in the Indo-Gangetic Plain region last year. Even though the average PM 2.5 levels for summer and monsoon months last year is considerably lower than in 2019, winter pollution levels increased in Punjab and Haryana (north of NCR) leading to an increase in their annual average PM 2.5 levels. Bigger cities and towns including Delhi recorded a significant reduction in annual PM 2.5 concentrations during the pandemic year. Delhi for example recorded an almost 13% improvement in 2020 compared to 2019. The analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment suggests air pollution levels spiked in certain parts of the Indo-Gangetic plains mainly because of a combination of reopening of the economy after the national lockdown (March 25 to May 31 and phased reopening till December) and adverse meteorology in winter. Several bigger cities have witnessed a reduction in annual PM 2.5 levels, smaller towns and cities have recorded an increase: Fatehabad in northern Haryana is the worst performer with 35% increase from 2019 level. It is followed by Bhatinda at 14%; Agra 9%; Khanna 7%; Mandi Gobindgarh 6%; Moradabad 5.5% and Kurukshetra recorded a 1% increase. Sirsa recorded a 44% decrease in PM 2.5 levels; Varanasi 31%; Gaya 27%; Muzaffarpur 13%; Delhi 13% and Hisar recorded a 12% reduction among others. CSE used real-time data (15-minute averages) for 26 cities in the IGP region from the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) Central Control Room for Air Quality Management for the analysis. The analysis highlights that Fatehabad which recorded the highest increase in PM 2.5 concentrations last year and Sirsa which recorded the highest improvement are only 40 km apart. “Therefore, this massive variation cannot be attributed to meteorology and has to do with local factors. The annual average of these towns along with other smaller towns like Hisar and Jind in the north-west is heavily influenced by episodic pollution caused by burning of crop stubbles. The influence is so strong that it can elevate their monthly PM2.5 levels for November to that of Delhi’s, but unlike Delhi, these towns are directly exposed to the smoke. The elevated November levels do not linger on for the rest of the winter in these towns (as is the case in Delhi),” said Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager in CSE’s Urban Lab team of the Sustainable Cities programme. “This brings out the impact of the extraordinary disruption that 2020 has caused. Despite the dramatic reduction in air pollution during the lockdown, pollution has bounced back across the region post-lockdown unmasking the high impacts of local and regional pollution. This demands quicker regional reforms and action to curb pollution from vehicles, industry, power plants and waste burning to further bend the air pollution curve on a regional scale,” explained Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, Centre for Science and Environment.

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Air pollution spiked in small towns during lockdown: CSE

Air pollution spiked in small towns during lockdown: CSE Bigger cities and towns including Delhi recorded a significant reduction in annual PM 2.5 concentrations during the year. Delhi, for example recorded an almost 13% improvement in 2020 compared to 2019. Air pollution increased in small towns and cities outside Delhi and NCR in the Indo-Gangetic Plain region last year, an analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment(CSE) shows, highlighting the poor state of air in India’s urban areas in a year when normal activity was disrupted for at least some time on account of the coronavirus disease pandemic and the 68-day-long lockdown imposed to slow its spread. Even though average PM 2.5 levels for summer and monsoon months last year were considerably lower than in 2019, winter pollution levels increased in Punjab and Haryana , leading to an increase in the annual average PM 2.5 levels. PM 2.5 refers to particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 microns or smaller still. Bigger cities and towns including Delhi recorded a significant reduction in annual PM 2.5 concentrations during the year. Delhi, for example recorded an almost 13% improvement in 2020 compared to 2019. The analysis by CSE shows that air pollution levels spiked in certain parts of the Indo-Gangetic plains Fatehabad in northern Haryana is the worst performer with 35% increase from 2019 levels. It is followed by Bhatinda at 14%; Agra 9%; Khanna 7%; Mandi Gobindgarh 6%; Moradabad 5.5% and Kurukshetra 1% . But in other parts, the levels decreased. Sirsa recorded a 44% decrease in PM 2.5 levels; Varanasi 31%; Gaya 27%; Muzaffarpur 13%; Delhi 13% and Hisar 12% . The findings suggest that the variation may have been on account of adverse local weather conditions, but that some of the spike can only be explained by the burst of activity after the economy opened up after the lockdown. CSE used real-time data (15-minute averages) for 26 cities in the Gangetic plains from the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) Central Control Room for Air Quality Management for the analysis. The analysis highlights that Fatehabad which recorded the highest increase in PM 2.5 concentrations last year and Sirsa which recorded the highest improvement are only 40 kms apart. “Therefore, this massive variation cannot be attributed to meteorology and has to do with local factors. The annual average of these towns along with other smaller towns such as Hisar and Jind in the north-west are heavily influenced by episodic pollution caused by burning of crop stubble. The influence is so strong that it can elevate their monthly PM2.5 levels for November to that of Delhi’s, but unlike Delhi, these towns are directly exposed to the smoke. The elevated November levels do not linger on for the rest of the winter in these towns (as is the case in Delhi),” said Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager in CSE’s Urban Lab team of the Sustainable Cities programme. “This brings out the impact of the extraordinary disruption that 2020 has caused. Despite the dramatic reduction in air pollution during the lockdown, pollution has bounced back across the region post-lockdown unmasking the high impacts of local and regional pollution. This demands quicker regional reforms and action to curb pollution from vehicles, industry, power plants and waste burning to further bend the air pollution curve on a regional scale,” explained Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, CSE. “We haven’t studied CSE’s analysis yet. There may be local factors which determine these trends. We will correlate the data with ours. But we have no doubt that Delhi’s air quality had improved in 2020 compared to 2019,” a CPCB official said on condition of anonymity. Air quality index was in “severe” category for many towns and cities in northwest India on Thursday including Delhi with air quality index (AQI) of 429; Faridabad 447; Ghaziabad 429; Greater Noida 410; and Noida 412 -- all in “severe” category which is associated with health impacts even among the healthy.

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Winter Air Pollution Higher in Smaller Towns in Indo-Gangetic Plains: CSE Report

Winter Air Pollution Higher in Smaller Towns in Indo-Gangetic Plains: CSE Report A part of the Centre for Science Development’s quality air quality tracker initiative, the report stated that the bouncing back of pollution despite the “extraordinary disruption” caused by the pandemic in 2020 reveals the high impact of local and regional pollution. According to a recently released report by the Centre for Science and Environment, the air quality has worsened in smaller towns in the Indo-Gangetic Plains compared to the bigger cities this winter. The report by the Delhi-based environment agency is based on an analysis of winter air pollution till January 11, 2021. A part of the CSE’s air quality tracker initiative, the report showed that while the annual average level of PM 2.5 did not go down in several cities despite the COVID-19 induced lockdown, in many smaller towns and cities there was infact an increase in the pollution levels. “The analysis of real-time data from monitoring stations outside the National Capital Region (NCR) in the larger Indo-Gangetic Plains shows newer patterns in winter pollution this year. Even though trapping of winter pollution in the IGP is high compared to other regions, it was not as high as that in the NCR – at the same time, it was alarmingly high and synchronised despite the large distances involved. This is the challenge of this landlocked region,” the report says, highlighting the worsening condition in the IGP. Further, there has been a “dramatic increase” in pollution levels in the post lockdown period, according to Anumita Roychowdhury, CSE’s executive director in charge of research and advocacy. She added that the bouncing back of pollution despite “the extraordinary disruption caused by the pandemic in 2020” reveals the high impact of local and regional pollution. “This demands quicker regional reforms and action to curb pollution from vehicles, industry, power plants and waste burning to further bend the air pollution curve on a regional scale,” the report quoted Roychoudhury as saying. Also read: Centre Brings New Law Through Ordinance to Tackle Air Pollution in Delhi-NCR In winter, higher PM 2.5 levels is a typical trend with emissions from various sources such as industry, construction, vehicles and episodic pollution from biomass burning being trapped due to meteorological changes. However, this year, the trend set in almost two weeks earlier in the season, according to Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager in CSE’s Urban Lab team of the Sustainable Cities programme. He also highlighted the difference in the pattern of pollution in the IGP regions north and south of the national capital region. While, the average PM 2.5 levels was lower in summer and monsoon 2020, it has “risen above the 2019 levels in almost all monitored cities in Punjab and Haryana (regions north of the NCR)” during the winter. On the other hand, to the south of the NCR, in cities falling in central and eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar the pollution levels are either similar or lower compared to 2019 levels, Somvanshi added. He said that even though the reopening of the economy accompanied by the changing meteorology may be behind the higher levels of winter pollution, the variation in regions brings back the focus to the need for more robust pollution control strategy. Stressing further on that, he stated that the region cannot rely only on action being taken in Delhi-NCR. As per CSE press release, the analysis is 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. About 26 cities including Amritsar, Bhatinda, Jalandhar, Khanna, Ludhiana, Mandi Gobindgarh, Patiala, Rupnagar, Chandigarh, Ambala, Fatehabad, Hisar, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Panchkula, Sirsa, Yamuna Nagar, Agra, Kanpur, Moradabad, Varanasi, Lucknow, Patna, Gaya, Muzaffarpur and Hajipur were selected for this analysis because real-time data is available for these cities. The data was recorded by six air quality monitoring stations in Patna, five in Lucknow, two in Gaya and Muzaffarpur each, and one station each in the rest of the cities under the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) of the CPCB.

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Air pollution 2020 report: Big cities fare better, small towns toxic

Air pollution 2020 report: Big cities fare better, small towns toxic The analysis on the cities of Indo-Gangetic Plains shows how clean air gains of the lockdown and monsoon periods have been lost with the reopening of the economy and the hostile winter weather. NEW DELHI: While several bigger cities like Delhi and Varanasi saw reduction in annual PM 2.5 levels, smaller towns and cities like Fatehabad or Moradabad have seen an increase, shows a new analysis. An analysis of winter air pollution (till January 11) by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in the cities of Indo-Gangetic Plains shows how clean air gains of the lockdown and monsoon periods have been lost with the reopening of the economy and the hostile winter weather. Annual average level of PM2.5 is not lower in many cities despite the lockdown. The 2020 average PM2.5 level in many cities in the upper Gangetic plains has climbed up to breach the average concentration recorded in 2019. Fatehabad in northern Haryana is the worst with a 35 per cent increase from 2019 level. Higher PM2.5 levels is a winter trend when continuous emissions from local sources including vehicles, industry, construction, and pollution from biomass burning get trapped due to meteorological changes. “Even though the average level of PM2.5 for the summer and monsoon months in 2020 is considerably lower than the previous year’s due to the lockdown, the PM2.5 levels this winter have risen beyond the 2019 levels in almost all monitored cities in Punjab and Haryana,” said Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager in CSE’s Urban Lab team of the Sustainable Cities programme. The number of days with PM2.5 concentration meeting the standard was considerably lower this winter — more ‘poor’ or ‘worse’ days. There have been 33 days of standard air days this winter compared to 41 recorded last year in Amritsar. Similarly, standard days have been lesser by 11 days in Ambala and four in Lucknow and Patna each. In Lucknow, not a single day met the standard since the beginning of October this winter; there were 19 days of ‘severe’ or ‘worse’ air quality — up from five last winter.

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Air quality worse in smaller towns in Indo-Gangetic plains compared to bigger cities: CSE

cities: CSE New Delhi (NVI): Clean air gains of the lockdown and monsoon periods have been lost with the reopening of the economy and the hostile winter weather, according to a new analysis of winter air pollution in the cities of Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP), carried out by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The rise in pollution levels has also been synchronised across the region with varying patterns, as per the analysis. Even though trapping of winter pollution in the IGP is high compared to other regions, it was not as high as that in the NCR – at the same time, it was alarmingly high and synchronised despite the large distances involved. This is the challenge of this landlocked region, as per the analysis. The analysis is part of CSE’s air quality tracker initiative to get a deeper view of the changing patterns of air quality trends in the country. As per the findings, while several bigger cities, like Delhi or Varanasi, have witnessed reduction in annual PM 2.5 levels, smaller towns and cities like Fatehabador Moradabad have seen an increase. Dramatic build-up in smaller towns like Hisar and Jind happened only during November, indicating the influence of stubble burning. Air quality got more toxic with the onset of winter. Share of tinier PM2.5 in PM10 increased. Number of days in which PM2.5 levels met the standard was considerably lower this winter. More poor days were observed this winter in the region, as per the findings. According to CSE experts, this reaffirms why air quality management requires regional approach to implement clean air action plans with speed, scale and urgency. “This brings out the impact of the extraordinary disruption that 2020 has caused. Despite the dramatic reduction in air pollution during the lockdown, pollution has bounced back across the region post-lockdown unmasking the high impacts of local and regional pollution with some variation in the pattern. This demands quicker regional reforms and action to curb pollution from vehicles, industry, power plants and waste burning to further bend the air pollution curve on a regional scale,” says Anumita Roychowdhury, CSE’s executive director in charge of research and advocacy. Higher PM 2.5 levels is a typical and predictable winter trend when continuous emissions from local sources including vehicles, industry, construction, and episodic pollution from biomass burning get trapped due to meteorological changes. “This year, this trend has set in almost two weeks earlier in the season. There is a clear difference in the winter pollution pattern between IGP regions north and south of the NCR. Even though the average level of PM2.5 for the summer and monsoon months in 2020 is considerably lower than the previous year’s due to the summer lockdown, the PM2.5 levels this winter have risen beyond the 2019 levels in almost all monitored cities in Punjab and Haryana (regions north of the NCR),” says Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager in CSE’s Urban Lab team of the Sustainable Cities programme. “Cities in central and eastern UP and Bihar (regions south of the NCR) also show high winter pollution, but the levels are similar or lower compared to 2019.The combination of the reopening of the economy and changing meteorology is responsible for high winter pollution, but this regional variation calls for a more nuanced and robust pollution control strategy. The region cannot rely only on action being taken in Delhi-NCR. This demands speed and scale of action,” says Somvanshi. The analysis is 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. Twenty-six cities –Amritsar, Bhatinda, Jalandhar, Khanna, Ludhiana, MandiGobindgarh, Patiala, Rupnagar, Chandigarh, Ambala, Fatehabad, Hisar, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Panchkula, Sirsa, Yamuna Nagar, Agra, Kanpur, Moradabad, Varanasi, Lucknow, Patna, Gaya, Muzaffarpur and Hajipur have been selected for this analysis because real-time data is available for these cities. The analysis has been done of the data recorded by six air quality monitoring stations in Patna, five in Lucknow, two in Gaya and Muzaffarpur each, and one station each in the rest of the cities under the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) of the CPCB. Weather data for Amritsar, Ambala, Chandigarh, Lucknow, and Patna has been sourced from the weather stations of Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) located at the airports in each city.

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

‘Air quality worse in small towns of Indo-Gangetic plains’

‘Air quality worse in small towns of Indo-Gangetic plains’ BATHINDA: New analysis of winter air pollution in the cities of Indo-Gangetic plains (IGP), carried out by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), shows how clean air gains of the lockdown and monsoon periods have been lost with the reopening of the economy and the hostile winter weather. Track the pollution level in your city According to the analysis, the rise in pollution levels has also been synchronised across the region with varying patterns. The analysis of real-time data from monitoring stations outside the National Capital Region (NCR) in the larger IGP shows newer patterns in winter pollution this year. This analysis is part of CSE’s air quality tracker initiative to get a deeper view of the changing patterns of air quality trends in the country. Anumita Roychowdhury, CSE’s executive director in charge of research and advocacy, said: “This brings out the impact of the extraordinary disruption that 2020 has caused. Despite the dramatic reduction in air pollution during the lockdown, pollution has bounced back across the region post-lockdown unmasking the high impacts of local and regional pollution with some variation in the pattern. This demands quicker regional reforms and action to curb pollution from vehicles, industry, power plants and waste burning to further bend the air pollution curve on a regional scale.” Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager in CSE’s urban lab team of the Sustainable Cities programme, says: “This year trend has set in almost two weeks earlier in the season. There is a clear difference in the winter pollution pattern between IGP regions north and south of the NCR. PM2.5 levels this winter have risen beyond the 2019 levels in almost all monitored cities in Punjab and Haryana.” He adds combination of the reopening of the economy and changing meteorology is responsible for high winter pollution, but this regional variation calls for a more nuanced and robust pollution control strategy. The analysis is 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. Amritsar, Bathinda, Jalandhar, Khanna, Ludhiana, Mandi Gobindgarh, Patiala, Rupnagar, Chandigarh, Ambala, Fatehabad, Hisar, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Panchkula, Sirsa, Yamuna Nagar, Agra, Kanpur, Moradabad, Varanasi, Lucknow, Patna, Gaya, Muzaffarpur and Hajipur have been selected for this analysis because real-time data is available for these cities. Weather data for Amritsar, Ambala, Chandigarh has been sourced from the weather stations of Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) located at the airports in each city.

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Air quality worse in smaller towns in Indo-Gangetic Plains compared to bigger cities: CSE's

Sustainable Food Systems

Candygate! Over 9,000 kg lollipops, candies adulterated with talcum powder seized

Candygate! Over 9,000 kg lollipops, candies adulterated with talcum powder seized The shocking incident came to light when an FDA team raided the confectionery in the Palda area of the city and impounded the sweet items comprising 5,600 kg of candy and 4,200 kg of lollipop The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) department seized over 9,000 kg of lollipops and candies adulterated with non-edible items like talcum powder from a factory in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. The shocking incident came to light when an FDA team raided the confectionery in the Palda area of the city and impounded the sweet items comprising 5,600 kg of candy and 4,200 kg of lollipop. According to reports, KS Industries located in Udyog Nagar was raided by the team which detected several aberrations at the plant. It found that the candies were being manufactured in unhygienic conditions, and adulterated with talcum powder and other non-edible items. The FDA team also discovered that the labelling rules were clearly violated, among other transgressions, at the manufacturing unit. Also Read: Honeygate! Only Saffola, MarkfedSohna, Nature's Nectar among 13 brands pass sugar syrup test, claims CSE Speaking on the matter, Indore Addition Collector Abhay Bedekar said that a white powder-like substance was found in a sack during the raid. Upon examination, he added, it was discovered that it was talcum powder which was being added to the candies and lollipops. Following the raid, a case was registered against the owners of the plant - Krishnapati Anil Agarwal and Simranpati Vijay Sabnani- under the Food Safety Act. Earlier in December 2020, honey samples from leading brands such as Dabur, Patanjali, Baidyanath, Zandu, Hitkari and Apis Himalaya, all failed Centre for Science and Environment's NMR test. Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) food researchers selected 13 top and smaller brands of processed and raw honey being sold in India to check their purity. They found 77 per cent of the samples adulterated with the addition of sugar syrup. Out of the 22 samples checked, only five passed all the tests. The CSE also claimed that it tracked down Chinese trade portals which were advertising fructose syrup that can bypass tests to check adulteration. It also found that the same Chinese companies that advertised this fructose syrup that can beat C3 and C4 tests also exported to India. Also Read: Fact Check: 'SaffolaFraud' trends after Honeygate; company says each batch faces NMR test Meanwhile, refusing the allegation, Dabur issued a statement saying that it is the only company in India to have NMR testing equipment in its own laboratory, which is used to regularly test Dabur's honey being sold in the Indian market. The statement also had NMR test reports from Germany-based Bruker BioSpin GmbH dated July 16, 2020, stating that Dabur Honey had passed the NMR Test. Emami Spokesperson also clarified that it's Zandu Pure Honey conforms and adheres to all the protocols and quality norms/standards laid down by the government and its authorised entities such as FSSAI. However, the company did not comment on the NMR test, which is the global standard. Also Read: Dabur, Marico move ASCI on each other's honey ad purity claims Saffola too got embroiled in the whole honey adulteration fiasco after some social media posts claimed that the brand, which passed the stringent NMR test, sources its honey from Apis, that failed the same purity test. However, the claims were soon put to rest when some netizens countered them with packaging details available online that showed that Saffola Honey was manufactured and packed by Kejriwal Bee Care India. Saffola, too on its part, assured that every batch of its honey is independently tested for purity, irrespective of where it is packaged. "Saffola guarantees 100 per cent purity of its honey irrespective of the packaging location. Every batch of Saffola Honey is tested using NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) technology, which is one of the most advanced tests in the world, in the best-in-class international laboratories to ensure that it is 100 per cent pure, free from added sugars and free from any form of adulteration," a Saffola spokesperson told BusinessToday.In

Sustainable Food Systems

Candygate! Over 9,000 kg lollipops, candies adulterated with talcum powder seized

Sustainable Food Systems

Candygate! Over 9,000 kg lollipops, candies adulterated with talcum powder seized

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Air pollution spiked in small towns during lockdown: CSE

Bigger cities and towns including Delhi recorded a significant reduction in annual PM 2.5 concentrations during the year. Delhi, for example recorded an almost 13% improvement in 2020 compared to 2019. 8 Monthly compilation of CSE’s media clippings: for the month of January 2021 Air pollution increased in small towns and cities outside Delhi and NCR in the Indo-Gangetic Plain region last year, an analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment(CSE) shows, highlighting the poor state of air in India’s urban areas in a year when normal activity was disrupted for at least some time on account of the coronavirus disease pandemic and the 68-day-long lockdown imposed to slow its spread. Even though average PM 2.5 levels for summer and monsoon months last year were considerably lower than in 2019, winter pollution levels increased in Punjab and Haryana , leading to an increase in the annual average PM 2.5 levels. PM 2.5 refers to particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 microns or smaller still. Bigger cities and towns including Delhi recorded a significant reduction in annual PM 2.5 concentrations during the year. Delhi, for example recorded an almost 13% improvement in 2020 compared to 2019. The analysis by CSE shows that air pollution levels spiked in certain parts of the Indo-Gangetic plains Fatehabad in northern Haryana is the worst performer with 35% increase from 2019 levels. It is followed by Bhatinda at 14%; Agra 9%; Khanna 7%; Mandi Gobindgarh 6%; Moradabad 5.5% and Kurukshetra 1% . But in other parts, the levels decreased. Sirsa recorded a 44% decrease in PM 2.5 levels; Varanasi 31%; Gaya 27%; Muzaffarpur 13%; Delhi 13% and Hisar 12% . The findings suggest that the variation may have been on account of adverse local weather conditions, but that some of the spike can only be explained by the burst of activity after the economy opened up after the lockdown. CSE used real-time data (15-minute averages) for 26 cities in the Gangetic plains from the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) Central Control Room for Air Quality Management for the analysis. The analysis highlights that Fatehabad which recorded the highest increase in PM 2.5 concentrations last year and Sirsa which recorded the highest improvement are only 40 kms apart. “Therefore, this massive variation cannot be attributed to meteorology and has to do with local factors. The annual average of these towns along with other smaller towns such as Hisar and Jind in the north-west are heavily influenced by episodic pollution caused by burning of crop stubble. The influence is so strong that it can elevate their monthly PM2.5 levels for November to that of Delhi’s, but unlike Delhi, these towns are directly exposed to the smoke. The elevated November levels do not linger on for the rest of the winter in these towns (as is the case in Delhi),” said Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager in CSE’s Urban Lab team of the Sustainable Cities programme. “This brings out the impact of the extraordinary disruption that 2020 has caused. Despite the dramatic reduction in air pollution during the lockdown, pollution has bounced back across the region post-lockdown unmasking the high impacts of local and regional pollution. This demands quicker regional reforms and action to curb pollution from vehicles, industry, power plants and waste burning to further bend the air pollution curve on a regional scale,” explained Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, CSE. “We haven’t studied CSE’s analysis yet. There may be local factors which determine these trends. We will correlate the data with ours. But we have no doubt that Delhi’s air quality had improved in 2020 compared to 2019,” a CPCB official said on condition of anonymity. 9 Monthly compilation of CSE’s media clippings: for the month of January 2021 Air quality index was in “severe” category for many towns and cities in northwest India on Thursday including Delhi with air quality index (AQI) of 429; Faridabad 447; Ghaziabad 429; Greater Noida 410; and Noida 412 -- all in “severe” category which is associated with health impacts even among the healthy. “Wind speed has reduced across the plains of northwest India. In Delhi it is only around 6 kmph and wind direction is south-westerly so air quality has deteriorated and there is little possibility of pollutants dispersing,” said Kuldeep Shrivastava, head, regional weather forecasting centre, IMD.

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Air quality worse in smaller towns in Indo-Gangetic plains compared to bigger cities: CSE New Delhi

New Delhi (NVI): Clean air gains of the lockdown and monsoon periods have been lost with the reopening of the economy and the hostile winter weather, according to a new analysis of winter air pollution in the cities of Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP), carried out by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The rise in pollution levels has also been synchronised across the region with varying patterns, as per the analysis. Even though trapping of winter pollution in the IGP is high compared to other regions, it was not as high as that in the NCR – at the same time, it was alarmingly high and synchronised despite the large distances involved. This is the challenge of this landlocked region, as per the analysis. The analysis is part of CSE’s air quality tracker initiative to get a deeper view of the changing patterns of air quality trends in the country. As per the findings, while several bigger cities, like Delhi or Varanasi, have witnessed reduction in annual PM 2.5 levels, smaller towns and cities like Fatehabador Moradabad have seen an increase. Dramatic build-up in smaller towns like Hisar and Jind happened only during November, indicating the influence of stubble burning. Air quality got more toxic with the onset of winter. Share of tinier PM2.5 in PM10 increased. Number of days in which PM2.5 levels met the standard was considerably lower this winter. More poor days were observed this winter in the region, as per the findings. According to CSE experts, this reaffirms why air quality management requires regional approach to implement clean air action plans with speed, scale and urgency. “This brings out the impact of the extraordinary disruption that 2020 has caused. Despite the dramatic reduction in air pollution during the lockdown, pollution has bounced back across the region post-lockdown unmasking the high impacts of local and regional pollution with some variation in the pattern. This demands quicker regional reforms and action to curb pollution from vehicles, industry, power plants and waste burning to further bend the air pollution curve on a regional scale,” says Anumita Roychowdhury, CSE’s executive director in charge of research and advocacy. Higher PM 2.5 levels is a typical and predictable winter trend when continuous emissions from local sources including vehicles, industry, construction, and episodic pollution from biomass burning get trapped due to meteorological changes. “This year, this trend has set in almost two weeks earlier in the season. There is a clear difference in the winter pollution pattern between IGP regions north and south of the NCR. Even though the average level of PM2.5 for the summer and monsoon months in 2020 is considerably lower than the previous year’s due to the summer lockdown, the PM2.5 levels this winter have risen beyond the 2019 levels in almost all monitored cities in Punjab and Haryana (regions north of the NCR),” says Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager in CSE’s Urban Lab team of the Sustainable Cities programme. “Cities in central and eastern UP and Bihar (regions south of the NCR) also show high winter pollution, but the levels are similar or lower compared to 2019.The combination of the reopening of the economy and changing meteorology is responsible for high winter pollution, but this regional variation calls for a more nuanced and robust pollution control strategy. The region cannot rely only on action being taken in Delhi-NCR. This demands speed and scale of action,” says Somvanshi. The analysis is 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. Twenty-six cities –Amritsar, Bhatinda, Jalandhar, Khanna, Ludhiana, MandiGobindgarh, Patiala, Rupnagar, Chandigarh, Ambala, Fatehabad, Hisar, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Panchkula, Sirsa, Yamuna Nagar, Agra, Kanpur, Moradabad, Varanasi, Lucknow, Patna, Gaya, Muzaffarpur and Hajipur have been selected for this analysis because real-time data is available for these cities. The analysis has been done of the data recorded by six air quality monitoring stations in Patna, five in Lucknow, two in Gaya and Muzaffarpur each, and one station each in the rest of the cities under the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) of the CPCB. Weather data for Amritsar, Ambala, Chandigarh, Lucknow, and Patna has been sourced from the weather stations of Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) located at the airports in each city.

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Air pollution 2020 report: Big cities fare better, small towns toxic

The analysis on the cities of Indo-Gangetic Plains shows how clean air gains of the lockdown and monsoon periods have been lost with the reopening of the economy and the hostile winter weather. NEW DELHI: While several bigger cities like Delhi and Varanasi saw reduction in annual PM 2.5 levels, smaller towns and cities like Fatehabad or Moradabad have seen an increase, shows a new analysis. An analysis of winter air pollution (till January 11) by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in the cities of Indo-Gangetic Plains shows how clean air gains of the lockdown and monsoon periods have been lost with the reopening of the economy and the hostile winter weather. Annual average level of PM2.5 is not lower in many cities despite the lockdown. The 2020 average PM2.5 level in many cities in the upper Gangetic plains has climbed up to breach the average concentration recorded in 2019. Fatehabad in northern Haryana is the worst with a 35 per cent increase from 2019 level. Higher PM2.5 levels is a winter trend when continuous emissions from local sources including vehicles, industry, construction, and pollution from biomass burning get trapped due to meteorological changes. “Even though the average level of PM2.5 for the summer and monsoon months in 2020 is considerably lower than the previous year’s due to the lockdown, the PM2.5 levels this winter have risen beyond the 2019 levels in almost all monitored cities in Punjab and Haryana,” said Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager in CSE’s Urban Lab team of the Sustainable Cities programme. The number of days with PM2.5 concentration meeting the standard was considerably lower this winter — more ‘poor’ or ‘worse’ days. There have been 33 days of standard air days this winter compared to 41 recorded last year in Amritsar. Similarly, standard days have been lesser by 11 days in Ambala and four in Lucknow and Patna each. In Lucknow, not a single day met the standard since the beginning of October this winter; there were 19 days of ‘severe’ or ‘worse’ air quality — up from five last winter.

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

‘Air quality worse in small towns of Indo-Gangetic plains’

BATHINDA: New analysis of winter air pollution in the cities of Indo-Gangetic plains (IGP), carried out by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), shows how clean air gains of the lockdown and monsoon periods have been lost with the reopening of the economy and the hostile winter weather. Track the pollution level in your city According to the analysis, the rise in pollution levels has also been synchronised across the region with varying patterns. The analysis of real-time data from monitoring stations outside the National Capital Region (NCR) in the larger IGP shows newer patterns in winter pollution this year. This analysis is part of CSE’s air quality tracker initiative to get a deeper view of the changing patterns of air quality trends in the country. Anumita Roychowdhury, CSE’s executive director in charge of research and advocacy, said: “This brings out the impact of the extraordinary disruption that 2020 has caused. Despite the dramatic reduction in air pollution during the lockdown, pollution has bounced back across the region post-lockdown unmasking the high impacts of local and regional pollution with some variation in the pattern. This demands quicker regional reforms and action to curb pollution from vehicles, industry, power plants and waste burning to further bend the air pollution curve on a regional scale.” Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager in CSE’s urban lab team of the Sustainable Cities programme, says: “This year trend has set in almost two weeks earlier in the season. There is a clear difference in the winter pollution pattern between IGP regions north and south of the NCR. PM2.5 levels this winter have risen beyond the 2019 levels in almost all monitored cities in Punjab and Haryana.” He adds combination of the reopening of the economy and changing meteorology is responsible for high winter pollution, but this regional variation calls for a more nuanced and robust pollution control strategy. The analysis is 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. Amritsar, Bathinda, Jalandhar, Khanna, Ludhiana, Mandi Gobindgarh, Patiala, Rupnagar, Chandigarh, Ambala, Fatehabad, Hisar, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Panchkula, Sirsa, Yamuna Nagar, Agra, Kanpur, Moradabad, Varanasi, Lucknow, Patna, Gaya, Muzaffarpur and Hajipur have been selected for this analysis because real-time data is available for these cities. Weather data for Amritsar, Ambala, Chandigarh has been sourced from the weather stations of Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) located at the airports in each city.

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility