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Faecal coliform levels 660 times desirable limit in the Yamuna

The level of faecal coliform (microbes from human and animal excreta) is above the desirable limit at all points tested in Yamuna in Delhi, except for Palla where the river enters the city, as per a Delhi government report. For bathing in a river, the desirable level of faecal coliform is 500 MPN/100 ml or lesser, as per the Central Pollution Control Board. Near ITO Bridge the level was 3,30,000 MPN/100 ml, which is 660 times the desirable level. In eight of the nine locations, the level was higher than the safe limit. The report is a ‘Monthly Progress Report’ submitted by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee to the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti on cleaning Yamuna. The report also said that levels of different pollutants are above permissible limits in ground water samples from different points near the four landfills in Delhi. The report further said that in September no sewer lines were laid and notified in unauthorised colonies, work that is part of the effort to clean the Yamuna. The report also pointed out that the New Delhi Municipal Council processed all 272 Tonnes Per Day (TPD) of solid waste generated in its area and none of the waste goes to landfills in the city. However, around 2,100 TPD of waste from the North Corporation finds its way to the landfills; 2,000 TPD of waste from East Corporation; and 1,750 TPD of waste from the South Corporation. Ground water samples from four different points near Ghazipur landfill showed that the hardness of water was higher than the desirable limit of 300 mg/l. The levels of chlorine and calcium were also above the desirable limit in all four samples. The level of sulfate was higher than the desirable limit of 200 mg/l in three of the four samples. Data from the other three landfills showed similar trends. “All the landfills in Delhi are overcapacity. They were not built as scientific landfills and are just dumping grounds. The waste ends up polluting both the surface and the groundwater,” said Suresh Kumar Rohilla, director of water programme, Centre for Science and Environment. “This results in higher than permissible levels of pollution in nearby areas,” he said, but added scientific interventions were made to resolve some issues. Regarding faecal coliform levels, Mr. Rohilla said: “Almost no stretch of the Yamuna in Delhi is safe for bathing. Water with such high level of fecal coliform can lead to skin infection on external contact and water borne diseases if ingested.”

Air quality in November worse than last year

The air quality of Delhi in November this year was worse than in 2019, as per an analysis of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. This year had more days in the ‘severe’ category compared to the last two years, CPCB’s studies observed. In November this year, there were nine days when the air quality was in the ‘severe’ category, but the same was only seven days in 2019 and five days in 2018. There were two days when the air quality was in the ‘moderate’ category in the same period this year, but there were three such days in 2019. Also, there was one day when the air quality was satisfactory in November 2019, but there was no such day this year during the same period.Besides, the average daily AQI (Air Quality Index) of November this year was higher than 2019, though lower than 2018, the data shows. Vivek Chattopadhyaya, senior programme manager at Centre for Science and Environment, Delhi said that Deepavali being in November this year and higher number of farm fires in the end of October in neighbouring States and low temperature are the possible reasons for the high pollution in 2020 compared to 2019. “There was higher number of farm fires towards the end of October and the effect of farm fires stays in Delhi for a few days after it gets transported from other States,” he said. AQI ‘very poor’ The air quality of Delhi and Noida was in the ‘very poor’ category and that of Gurugram’s was in the ‘poor’ category on Monday, as per CPCB data. It is expected to further deteriorate and stay in the ‘very poor’ category on Tuesday. “Air quality is likely to worsen in north India due to cold waves and low temperatures. The AQI is forecast to deteriorate to the middle-end of the very poor category for the next two days,” said a statement by the government-run monitoring agency SAFAR.

Pollution in November 2020 up from last year, shows CPCB data

The average pollution levels this November, when air quality was a dip due to a combination of factors such as farm fires, firecracker bursting on Diwali and adverse meteorological conditions, were higher than last year during the same time. An analysis of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) air quality data shows that the monthly average air quality index (AQI) this November was 327.9, as compared to 312.2 in November 2019. However, it was slightly better than the monthly average of 334.9 in 2018, 360.93 in 2017 and 374.06 in 2016. This November saw nine ‘severe’ air quality days, as compared to seven last year. Also this year, Delhi had six consecutive ‘severe’ days from November 5-10, the longest ‘severe’ spell seen in the city since 2016. Besides, only two ‘moderate’ air days were recorded this year -- November 17 (171) and November 27 (137). In November 2019, three ‘moderate’ days were seen -- November 27 (134), November 28 (106), November 30 (193) -- as well as a ‘satisfactory’ day (84) on November 29. While the year 2018 saw one ‘moderate’ day on November 4 with an AQI reading of 171, the years 2017 and 2016 did not record a single ‘moderate’ day. On Monday, the average air quality index (AQI) plunged to ‘very poor’ after remaining in the ‘poor’ to ‘moderate’ range over the past three days. The average AQI on Sunday was 256. It was 231 on Saturday and 137 on Friday. According to experts, a combination of factors playing up at the same time was behind the high pollution levels this November, including a prolonged and intensive stubble burning season that coincided with firecracker bursting and unfavourable meteorological conditions. “This year, farm fires started early on and continued till late November. The number of fires was much higher than last year. Besides, last year, Diwali was early (October 27) as compared to this year (November 14). This season starting from October itself was drier, as compared to last year. Only one instance of rainfall was seen this November, which helped clear the post-Diwali pollution. All these factors combined contributed to higher particulate matter (PM) concentration this time,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy), Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). V K Soni of the India Meteorological department’s environment research centre, said this October -November, the number of fire counts were at least 50% more than last year. Besides, a late Diwali impacted the air quality. “All these factors, with meteorological conditions not being favourable for dispersal at the same time, did not allow the pollutants accumulated in the air to disperse. Since the accumulation was higher, it took longer to disperse, resulting in a long spell of bad air,” said Soni.

Stubble burning incidents rose by over 20% in 2020, says Air quality commission official

Stubble burning incidents saw a steep rise of more than 20 per cent this year in comparison to the last two years, a factor which plays a significant role in spiking pollution levels in the Delhi-NCR, K J Ramesh, member of the newly formed commission for air quality management, said on Friday. Ramesh said the 'Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas' has started discussions with stakeholders and he exuded confidence of coming up with an "acceptable and suitable solution" to combat air pollution by next year. He said 2018 recorded 51,751 incidents of farm fires from mid-October to November end. This figure was the highest between 2010-2018, he said. The number dropped marginally to 50,738 a year later. "This year, 73,000 cases of farm fires were reported until November 17," Ramesh, who was the former director general of the India Meteorology Department, said citing a study done by the Air Pollution Action Group. Ramesh was speaking at a webinar on 'Clean Air Management for Public Welfare'. The webinar was organised by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, a research body under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. IITM has launched several initiatives like SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research) to track air pollution. Farm fires or stubble burning post-harvest season during October-November in the states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan significantly contribute to the pollution levels in Delhi-NCR. Last month, the Centre announced formation of the Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas. The members include a chairperson, a representative of Environment secretary and five ex-officio members who are either chief secretaries or secretaries in charge of the environment departments of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. It also has two full-time members who have been joint secretaries to the central government, three full-time independent technical members who have specific scientific knowledge regarding air pollution, one technical member from Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), one technical member nominated by ISRO and three members of NGOs having experience in matters concerning combating of air pollution. Ramesh, who is the one of the technical members, said the commission began its work from November 16. "Our work is to develop a common understanding on the issues of concern for Delhi's (Delhi-NCR) air quality by taking all states and central government ministries into assessment, understanding the process and evolving the most acceptable approach to emission reduction in Punjab, neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh...." He said the commission has started interactions with various groups in Delhi, with the Central Pollution Control Board, IMD and Indian Agricultural Research Institute's microbiology group where the bio-decomposer option is being talked about and tested at selected field sites. "We had a very detailed briefing from member of the EPCA (Environment Pollution [Prevention and Control] Authority), Sunita Narain. "With everybody's effort, the most acceptable and suitable solution for air quality improvement would emerge, definitely by next year. The target is to show some substantive changes with which the commission is working," he said.

Stubble burning rose by over 20% this year: Air quality commission official

Stubble burning incidents saw a steep rise of more than 20 per cent this year in comparison to the last two years, a factor which plays a significant role in spiking pollution levels in the Delhi-NCR, K J Ramesh, member of the newly formed commission for air quality management, said on Friday. Ramesh said the 'Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas' has started discussions with stakeholders and he exuded confidence of coming up with an "acceptable and suitable solution" to combat air pollution by next year. He said 2018 recorded 51,751 incidents of farm fires from mid-October to November end. This figure was the highest between 2010-2018, he said. The number dropped marginally to 50,738 a year later. "This year, 73,000 cases of farm fires were reported until November 17," Ramesh, who was the former director general of the India Meteorology Department, said citing a study done by the Air Pollution Action Group. Ramesh was speaking at a webinar on 'Clean Air Management for Public Welfare'. The webinar was organised by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, a research body under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. IITM has launched several initiatives like SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research) to track air pollution. Farm fires or stubble burning post-harvest season during October-November in the states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan significantly contribute to the pollution levels in Delhi-NCR. Last month, the Centre announced formation of the Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas. The members include a chairperson, a representative of Environment secretary and five ex-officio members who are either chief secretaries or secretaries in charge of the environment departments of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. It also has two full-time members who have been joint secretaries to the central government, three full-time independent technical members who have specific scientific knowledge regarding air pollution, one technical member from Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), one technical member nominated by ISRO and three members of NGOs having experience in matters concerning combating of air pollution. Ramesh, who is the one of the technical members, said the commission began its work from November 16. "Our work is to develop a common understanding on the issues of concern for Delhi's (Delhi-NCR) air quality by taking all states and central government ministries into assessment, understanding the process and evolving the most acceptable approach to emission reduction in Punjab, neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh...." He said the commission has started interactions with various groups in Delhi, with the Central Pollution Control Board, IMD and Indian Agricultural Research Institute's microbiology group where the bio-decomposer option is being talked about and tested at selected field sites. "We had a very detailed briefing from member of the EPCA (Environment Pollution [Prevention and Control] Authority), Sunita Narain. "With everybody's effort, the most acceptable and suitable solution for air quality improvement would emerge, definitely by next year. The target is to show some substantive changes with which the commission is working," he said.

Smog towers: After Supreme Court barb, more air purifiers in the Delhi pipeline

On November 12, 2020, a first of its kind giant air purifier was installed in Gandhi Nagar market, famous as Asia’s largest readymade garments and textile hub. The 12-ft-high air purifier which will cover an area of 1,000 sq m and deliver two lakh cubic metres of clean air everyday, was funded by East Delhi MP Gautam Gambhir. Two more air purifiers will be installed. Central Market. Following a positive response from people there, Gambhir decided to instal more air purifiers in markets across East Delhi. In terms of technology, the new purifiers are more advanced and have additional features like high mast lights. It was in January that the Supreme Court had given its nod to the centre’s proposal of installing smog towers to curb rising pollution levels in the NCR. On January 13, the Court asked the Central Pollution Control Board to instal smog towers in Connaught Place and Anand Vihar within three months. But no proper steps were taken to do so. This was noted by the Court, which said: “Since steps are being taken and undertakings have been furnished, we have not proceeded for violation of the order passed by this court, only on the basis of the action taken and undertakings furnished to complete the project. Let the project be positively completed within 10 months.” On August 31, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, the Department of Environment and Forests and the Delhi government submitted undertakings before a bench of Justice Arun Mishra of the Supreme Court that they would complete the task within a fixed time frame. The bench said: “Undertakings are taken on record. Any violation on any ground whatsoever shall be treated as contempt of the order passed by this court as there is already huge unjustified delay in making the compliance of the order.” Four decades ago, India passed the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, which aimed at preserving air quality and controlling pollution. The law gave enormous powers to central and state governments to take necessary action to improve air quality by enforcing pollution control measures, shutting down errant industries and sending culprits to jail. Unfortunately, very few cases were filed under the Act. According to the World Health Organisation, 4.2 million people die every year as a result of exposure to outdoor air pollution, with nine out of 10 people on the planet breathing polluted air. Even large scale adoption of green energy won’t be enough to immediately reduce the risk of lung disease, stroke and heart disease due to polluted air. In 2018, the world’s largest air purifying tower was unveiled in Xian, China. The 328-foot tower produces clean air and uses solar power to heat polluted air that is sucked into glass rooms that function as greenhouses. The hot air moves up the tower, passing through a series of filters before finally being emitted as clean air. Since then, the tower has produced 353 million cubic feet of clean air per day, drastically improving air quality in the area. Apart from China, smog towers have been experimented with in recent years in cities in the Netherlands, South Korea and Poland. In fact, the first such tower was erected in 2015, in Rotterdam, Netherlands, created by Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde. However, smog towers are not the ultimate solution to deal with pollution as the initial costs are very high. It would require large funding to mass produce them. It also covers only a small area. But they can be useful in areas of very high air pollution. These towers can be used in open public places such as gardens and green areas where people gather for fresh air. It also works on less power so there is no need for any special arrangements for a power source. According to TERI, the following are the sources for air pollution within Delhi: transport sector (39 percent in PM 2.5 emissions), biomass burning (seasonal open fires, cooking, heating that adds to 20 percent), industries (up to 20 percent), soil and road dust (15 percent), diesel generators and open waste burning (15 percent each) and power plants (5 percent). Some of the immediate measures that can be taken include stopping usage of all diesel generators, driving strict policies to curb construction dust and force industries to adopt methods that don’t release any pollutants into the air. All these measures can bring down at least 50 percent of air pollution in Delhi. In addition, there should be more emphasis on adoption of electric vehicles that can reduce vehicular emission by a significant margin. While there has been a lot of discussion on stubble burning as a major source of pollution, this phenomenon is only a seasonal activity. The air quality in north India is bad and polluted more or less throughout the year. There is continuous increase in emissions, and no matter how many smog towers are installed, there will be negligible reduction in air pollution. Dealing with air pollution requires better measurement of air quality, awareness about sources of pollution, tracking of changing patterns of air quality in cities, installation of air quality monitors, consistent efforts towards reducing emissions and good governance. In 2016, the Centre for Science and Environment published a study wherein it stated that air pollution laws in India were “more than adequate” to improve air quality. Therefore, their proper implementation is imperative to emerge from this deadly menace.

Toxic cocktail of pollutants in air near Delhi's Ghazipur

NEW DELHI: While the capital is already reeling under “severe” air, those residing in the vicinity of the Ghazipur landfill site got a double blow with the waste mound going up in flames on Tuesday night. Not only was the smoke visible several kilometres away, but those near the landfill could feel their eyes burning and also having difficulty in breathing due to the toxic cocktail of pollutants in the air. Track the pollution level in your city The two nearest ambient air quality monitoring stations of Central Pollution Control Board — Anand Vihar and Patparganj — showed an AQI above 400, which falls in the “severe” category. Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) data also showed the average hourly PM2.5 concentration at over 400 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) all through the night, when the fire raged on, which dropped below 300 µg/m3 only after noon on Wednesday. Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, at Centre for Science and Environment, said landfill fires pose a greater risk than a regular blaze owing to the huge amounts of mixed garbage. “The waste there is toxic and such fires are often continuous in nature, lasting for hours. This can cause a huge amount of toxic emissions to be released in the surrounding areas, exposing people of the low-income group living in the neighbourhood extremely vulnerable in terms of health. The smoke can also worsen underlying health conditions,” she added. DPCC data showed the average PM2.5 concentration at Anand Vihar touched 462 µg/ m3 at 4am, over seven times the safe standard, while the highest hourly PM2.5 concentration at Patparganj was 421 µg/m3. The standard for PM2.5 is 60 µg/m3.

Strand Road, Garden Reach… waste burnt at will

Burning of waste, which releases toxic gases in the air and can cause a range of critical diseases, is continuing unabated in Calcutta, The Telegraph has found. Heaps of dry leaves, paper cups and other waste were put on fire on the stretch opposite Judges Ghat on Strand Road on Tuesday morning. In the afternoon, a pile of wires was being burnt on Garden Reach Road, near Karbala Tank. The spiralling smoke rising up could be seen from some distance. The state government has filed an affidavit before the National Green Tribunal stating that it has banned waste burning to maintain healthy air in the city. But this newspaper could not spot anyone from the authorities to stop waste burning on Strand Road or Garden Reach Road on Tuesday. Environment activist Subhas Datta, who had moved the NGT about the deteriorating air quality of Calcutta, said it was the government’s responsibility to stop waste burning. “The government has given an affidavit to the tribunal that it has stopped waste burning. Merely issuing a circular is not enough. If the government says it has stopped waste burning, it becomes the government’s responsibility to see that no one is burning waste,” said Datta. The Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC) and police both were responsible for preventing open burning of waste, said Debabrata Majumdar, a member of the civic body’s board of administrators who is in charge of the solid waste management department. A senior officer of Calcutta police said they would look into the matter. Air quality management specialists said burning waste released tiny particulate matter like PM2.5, which can enter the lungs and cause respiratory problems. “Waste accumulating on open grounds releases PM2.5, PM10, oxides of nitrogen and carbon monoxide when burnt. These make the air toxic,” said Anumita Roy Chowdhury, an air quality management specialist and executive director of the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment. “During winter, this becomes more problematic as the air close to the ground becomes colder and heavier, hangs around for a longer duration than other seasons and more people end up breathing in the toxic air.” A scientist with the state environment department said the wires were put on fire to burn the insulating material and recover the metal from inside, which is then sold. “The insulating material is made of plastic. It releases gases like sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide. Some of the elements released are carcinogenic. Exposure to these gases can be harmful,” said the scientist. The civic solid waste management system would need to be more robust if waste burning has to be stopped, said waste management specialists. Burning is an easy way of disposing of the waste, especially the one that accumulates on public land and is not cleaned or transported for many days. During winter, burning of dry leaves is common as most trees shed leaves during the season. Dry leaves are gathered on the corner of a road or a ground and burnt. The CMC is empowered to fine those found burning waste in the open. The minimum fine amount is Rs 5,000 and the maximum Rs 25,000 according to the Solid Waste Management Bye-Laws, 2020. “If we do not get to know about an instance of open burning of waste, we cannot do anything. I would urge people to inform our control room (22861212/1313/1414) if they come across any instance of open burning of waste,” said Majumdar. The problem is plaguing New Town, too. Metro reported earlier that several New Town residents had got in touch with the New Town Kolkata Development Authority about the issue Avishek Chakraborty, a resident of a cooperative housing society near Eco Park, said he had spotted a fire on a field opposite Eco Park on Tuesday. The field is a popular destination for birders. “I went and checked but could not spot anyone who could have started the fire,” he said.

Delhi: Spraying water may not get you clean air

NEW DELHI: Various government bodies have been spraying several lakh litres of water across the capital to combat pollution and settle dust. However, experts said not only could this be resulting in wastage of water, but also negatively impacting air quality if spraying was not being done at a high pressure. In 2019, IIT-Delhi professor Mukesh Khare had written to the three municipal corporations stating that none of them were spraying water at a high enough pressure to reduce local air pollution, stating a fine “mistlike” spray was required to achieve that. While antismog guns may be more efficient in achieving the purpose, experts said targeting high dust areas was a more efficient way of reducing pollution and saving water. TimesView Water is a precious commodity. It should be put to optimum use. In this case, the authorities must pay heed to the experts. Otherwise, the entire exercise will not only be a waste of time and resources, but may well be counterproductive. So far, Delhi Fire Service (DFS) has sprayed over 70 lakh litres of water since October 17, when it began the drive following orders from Delhi government. The agency has been concentrating on reducing pollution at Delhi’s 13 pollution hotspots and spraying over two lakh litres of water daily through 15 fire tenders and 45 personnel. While DFS has been spraying water at a high pressure, other agencies are slowly catching up. Khare, in his letter, stated that the corporations required retrofitting and a change in the nozzle type to improve water pressure. This winter, the corporations have deployed over 250 water sprinklers, 45 by east, 83 by south and 130 by north. A senior corporation official said they had increased the nozzle pressure for spraying disinfectants on streets and buildings for Covid-19. The same setup was now being used for sprinkling water. Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, at Centre for Science and Environment, said no study had indicated that sprinkling water was effective in reducing air pollution and for how long it would work. “Spraying of water needs to be done in dusty areas. However, we first need to find a systemic solution to the problem and identify major dust-generating areas. Water cannot be sprayed at each location as it will simply amount to wastage. Construction agencies also need to be made accountable so that they don’t dig up an area and leave it exposed,” added Roy Chowdhury. Sumit Sharma, director, Earth Science and Climate Change Division at The Energy and Resources Institute, said anti-smog guns were a more efficient way of settling dust and the priority should be on construction sites and surrounding areas. “We need water sprinkling at large construction sites and locations with substantial dusty materials as dust can become airborne when winds pick up. Smog guns not only use less water, but release it in the form of a spray,” he added.

Air quality slips in Delhi, another round of bad air in coming week likely

The air quality in 21 of Delhi’s 35 monitoring stations on Monday dipped to the ‘very poor’ zone while one station entered the ‘severe’ category as the city’s overall pollution level continued to slide further to the far end of the ‘poor’ category. According to weather scientists and experts, Delhi may be in for another spell of bad air in the coming week with local pollutants and unfavourable meteorological conditions largely behind the spike in pollution levels. On Monday, the overall average air quality index (AQI) was 295 in the poor zone, a few notches from ‘very poor’ (301). The air quality has started to plunge again after a week of remaining in the lower to middle end of the poor zone and experiencing a day of ‘moderate’ air quality. After Diwali, rainfall and good winds had helped clear pollutants and improved the air from ‘severe’ to ‘poor’. An analysis of AQI data shows that within 10 days, Delhi is on the verge of ‘very poor’ air again. Previously, this month, Delhi saw ‘very poor’ air on November 13, with an average AQI reading of 339. Delhi’s AQI fluctuated between ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ and ‘moderate’ in a matter of five days between November 13 and 17. From an AQI of 435 on November 15, which is in the severe zone, the air quality improved to poor (221) on November 16 and moderate (171) last Tuesday. Delhi saw its longest spell of ‘severe’ air quality this season with the average AQI remaining in the upper reaches of the category for six consecutive days during November 5-10. Before this, in 2016, the capital breathed severe air quality for six straight days. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed that on Monday, the air in the Jahangirpuri monitoring station was in the ‘severe’ zone (404). Alipur, Anand Vihar, Bawana, Ashok Vihar, Narela, Dwarka sector-8, Mathura Road, Chandni Chowk, DTU, Karni Singh Shooting Range, ITO, Mundka, Nehru Nagar, Okhla, Patparganj, Vivek Vihar, Wazirpur, R K Puram, Rohini, Sonia Vihar, and Punjabi Bagh showed AQI readings in the upper end of the ‘very poor’zone. These include the 13 pollution hots pots across the city. Government agencies have forecast deterioration in air quality from November 24. V K Soni of the environment monitoring research centre at the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said with wind speed reducing and a dip in temperature, air quality is likely to deteriorate. “While stubble fires have almost reduced to negligible, change in weather conditions and local emissions are affecting air quality . With a western disturbance affecting the Western Himalayan region, winds will become calmer and may result in a plunge in air quality,” said Soni. The average wind speed on Monday reduced to 5-6kmph from 15-16 kmph over the past few days. “Air quality may improve slightly only around November 27-28 when wind speed is likely to pick up again after the passing of the western disturbance,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, IMD’s head of regional weather forecasting centre. Vivek Chattopadhyay, senior programme manager, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said Delhi is likely to have another spell of bad air in the coming week. “Our daily analysis has shown particulate matter concentrations are again rising gradually, as good weather conditions have almost retreated. Action on hot spots is still lacking as unpaved roads and local waste burning has been observed in many areas. Vehicular emissions are the same as public transport is still not running to full capacity. Te government needs to tackle all sources of pollution equally, as these come into play when the peak stubble burning season is over,” he said.

Gautam Gambhir installs 3 giant air purifiers in Delhi, but experts call it ‘unscientific’

New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Gautam Gambhir installed a giant air purifier in the Krishna Nagar market area of his East Delhi constituency, the third such purifier he set up to tackle air pollution in the city. The first two of these air purifiers were installed in Lajpat Nagar and Gandhi Nagar markets. At the latest inauguration, held Sunday, Gambhir reportedly said, “This purifier may not solve the problem of pollution completely but as someone born and brought up in this city, I cannot just sit at home and let things worsen.” The smog tower at Lajpat Market had been procured by Gautam Gambhir Foundation and installed with the help of Lajpat Nagar Traders Association. The purifiers installed at Gandhi Nagar and Krishna Nagar markets that tower at 12 feet and cover an area of 100 square metres have been produced by a Delhi-based company called Florida Electrical Industries Ltd. Gambhir procured these two as well. Florida Electrical’s director Rachit Arora said the purifier can clean two lakh cubic metres of air within 11 hours. “The company believes that the pollution problem is at its worst ever and we are at a crossroads. That makes outdoor air purification a need of the hour and a solution we may not like or choose, but have to at least explore as a first aid and foundation stone,” Arora said. However, experts told ThePrint that such outdoor air purifiers are red herrings at best and air pollution should be curbed at the source. According to them, air purification at this scale is unscientific. ThePrint reached Gambhir via calls and texts for a comment but there was no response until the time of publishing this report. How the air purifiers work The giant air purifiers operate on a “multi-step filtration model” that is capable of “reducing smoke, dust, particulate pollution”, according to Arora. The purifiers use about 100 filters. Arora was, however, reluctant to share the details of the design citing patent concerns. “It also acts against bacteria, viruses as well. After a few hours of operations, a 30-40 per cent reduction in PM 2.5 levels are observed,” he said. The machines rolled out in September cost anywhere around Rs 6.5-Rs 7 lakh. More economical models are available for industries, hospitals, schools and malls. The initial stages of the project involved “third party surveying and data analysis”. “In the last one year, extensive testing and R&D (Research and Development) was done. But the launch was delayed due to lockdown and the Covid-19 outbreak,” he said. Arora added that the model installed in east Delhi consumed 10-12 units of electricity per day, amounting to 300-350 units per month. For now, the company is in discussion with Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) for its next launch. Last month, the Delhi government had also installed anti-smog towers, i.e. large-scale air purifiers, in order to reduce pollution. Back in November 2019, the Supreme Court had asked the Centre and the Delhi government to come up with a roadmap for the installing of smog towers in the national capital. What experts say While advocated by the government, outdoor filtration systems have been a cause for concern for many experts within the scientific community. In their paper Can We Vacuum Our Air Pollution Problem Using Smog Towers?, researchers Sarath Guttikunda and Puja Jawahar of Urban Emissions, an independent research group on air pollution, had argued, “With no boundaries (in the atmospheric conditions), it is unscientific to assume that one can trap air, clean it, and release into the same atmosphere simultaneously. Expecting filtering units to provide any noticeable results at the community level is unrealistic.” Noting this point, Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director, Centre for Science and Environment, said, “Air purification works when you are in confined environment with trapped air… But in outdoor conditions when a situation is so dynamic, wind is constantly blowing, the volume of air we are talking about is extraordinary. You just can’t think of cleaning that up.” She added that there haven’t been any instances outside of India where outdoor air purification has been adopted as a regulatory action to mitigate air pollution. Jyoti Pande Lavakare, co-founder of Care for Air India, a non-profit advocacy group, said, “Any air purifier or a smog tower, they use physical filters … These filters (after being clogged) will then be tossed in the landfills that are already overflowing. So instead of cleaning the air it will further add to the pollution.” Additionally, she pointed out that according to a few estimates, thousands or even lakhs of purifiers have to be set up to effectively deal with air pollution. “You will need them hyperlocally, even in a residential space, but where is the space, electricity and who’s going to pay for it,” she said, adding that only manufacturers stand to benefit from this. Last month, Care for Air India had filed a public interest litigation (PIL) with the Supreme Court asking to stay its earlier direction to install these outdoor purifiers at public cost. The petition was dismissed. Dr Ravindra Khaiwal, professor of environment health at PGIMER Chandigarh, emphasised that “prevention is the best policy”. “We would appreciate source control… These are faith building exercises but will not be useful to controlling the source,” he said. “It is similar to asking people to make use of RO (water purifiers) or indoor air purifiers but you have to understand that if we have high concentration of pollutants, it becomes an expensive affair (to purify it),” added Khaiwal.

US asks India to postpone mandatory GM-free certification for food imports

The US is stepping up pressure on India to not move forward on its proposal to mandate ‘non-GM (genetically modified) origin’ and ‘GM free’ certificates for some agricultural imports from January 1, 2021. It has given a fresh submission at the World Trade Organization asking India to reconsider the measure and delay implementation so that all member countries can submit their comments on the proposed requirement. “India’s requirements appear to apply to imports of all listed products, regardless of whether GE (genetically engineered) varieties of those products are in commercial production in the country of export. All members exporting to India may encounter additional barriers to trade for those crops listed under annex I of India’s order,” the US stated voicing concerns in its submission to the WTO committee on Sanitary & Phytosanitary (SPS) measures. The order could also result in de facto bans on products exported by biotechnology-producing members who do not or cannot provide such certifications, it added. “Given the potential for significant unnecessary disruptions to trade and the lack of technical rationale or justification for this measure, the US requests that India reconsider its temporary measure and delay implementation until members can submit comments,” it said. FSSAI order In August this year, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) published an order specifying that every consignment of 24 identified food products, which include pineapples, apples, wheat, rice, tomato, potato, maize, melon, plum, papaya, potato, egg plant, bean, among others, need to be accompanied by a non-GM-origin-cum-GM-free certificate issued by Competent National Authority of the exporting country. The order is to be effective from January 1, 2021, it said. The US, in its submission, stated that India recently clarified that the order applies only to food crop imports intended for human consumption and not to processed products. “However, many imported raw, unprocessed products are used for both human and animal consumption and India has not explained its process for determining which imported raw, unprocessed products are within or outside the scope of the order,” it said. A study carried out by research and advocacy body Centre for Science and Environment in 2018 found that despite the FSSAI not allowing GM food in the country, several samples of edible oils, processed and packaged food and infant food items, produced locally and imported, were found to contain GM ingredients. While 32 per cent samples tested GM-positive, a large bulk of it was imported. Risk assessment Washington argued that it is not aware of any risk assessment conducted by India, nor has India identified any specific food safety risk associated with the products listed in the order. India’s measure may imply that genetically engineered (GE) foods are less safe than their conventional counterparts, it complained. “Through reports by the National Academy of Science and the WHO, among others, the international scientific and regulatory community has reached consensus that GE products available on the international market are as safe as their conventional counterparts,” it said. India had earlier assured the WTO that the measures would come into effect only after all concerns voiced by WTO member countries are examined.

West Bengal: Covid-19 fears behind spurt in vehicle sales

KOLKATA: Concerns over commuting on public transport during the pandemic seems to have prompted a sharp rise in sale of cars and two-wheelers. Automakers said the pent-up demand after no sale in April and May has also contributed to the impressive numbers now. In October, car registration at the public vehicles department (PVD), the regional transport office for the core city area, increased by 15% against last year's and two-wheeler registrations climbed by over 150%. "If you watch the trend, the growth of registration is overwhelmingly limited to personalized vehicles, like cars and two wheelers. Once the unlock began, people were scared to travel to their workplaces on public transport. Even those who used to take cabs were jittery. The decision to buy a car or bike was largely driven by safety concerns," said a transport department officer. Experts said lack of sales in April and May due to the lockdown and poor numbers in June and July due to supply and production constraints were now being compensated. "Overall, the industry is still in the negative with April-October sales in 2020 lagging behind the corresponding period in 2019. If the sales continue next year, it will also signal a turnaround in the economy," said a functionary at Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, the umbrella body of major auto firms. In rest of Bengal, registration of personalized vehicles in October 2020 started surpassing the figures of that month in 2019 and 2018 in September. In August 2020, car registrations rose to 6,256 from 5,574 in August 2019. But a steadier rise was seen from September, when the registration rose to 9,312 from 6,912 and 5,892 in September of 2019 and 2018. In October, despite fewer working days, it grew to 9,408 from 5,401 and 6,033 in the same month in 2019 and 2018. Similarly, the registration of motorcycles zoomed to 1,03,140 in September this year, compared to 87,833 and 42,317 in October of 2019 and 2018 respectively. In October, 83,141 two-wheelers were registered against 47,965 and 31,582 in the same month in 2019 and 2018. "Though Kolkata's sales spurt is significant, it may not augur well for a city known for its public transport system," said transportation expert Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, Centre for Science and Environment.

World Antimicrobial Awareness Week: By 2050, antibiotic-resistant infections will kill more than 1,000 people every hour in the world, says CSE

Antibiotic-resistant infections lead to about 700,000 deaths a year globally. If no action is taken, this could increase to 10 million deaths every year by 2050 – which would mean about 27,400 lives per day or about 1,140 lives per hour; 90 per cent of these deaths can happen in Asia and Africa. These numbers, quoted by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) at a high-level webinar of experts on antimicrobial resistance, spell out how critical the problem is for the world. The webinar – titled One-Health Action to Preserve Antibiotics – was organised on Friday by CSE to mark the ongoing Antimicrobial Awareness Week, announced by the World Health Organization (WHO) from November 18-24. Opening the virtual meet of experts from across the world, CSE Director General Sunita Narain said: “Antimicrobial resistance, or AMR, has emerged today as a full-blown chronic pandemic. At a time when the world is fighting the COVID-19 crisis, marking a week to build awareness on AMR is a welcome step. It indicates that the world is waking up to this massive health crisis, that it is getting ready because COVID-19 has taught us what havoc can be wrought by unprepared responses to a pandemic.” Narain added: “The AMR pandemic is a silent killer but as grave a threat as climate change. This explains why it does not invoke panic among people, though the damage it causes is similar in scale to what the world is witnessing these days.” The CSE webinar brought together some of the world’s foremost experts on the subject, including Haileyesus Getahun, Director of Global Coordination & Partnership, Director of Tripartite (FAO/OIE/WHO) Joint Secretariat on AMR, Division of Antimicrobial Resistance, WHO; Keith Sumption, Chief Veterinary Officer/Leader Animal Health Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); Girish K Sharma, Officer on Special Duty (Animal Health), National Dairy Development Board, India; Otridah Kapona, Lab Scientist-Communicable Diseases/AMR National Focal Point and Coordinator, Laboratory Systems and Networks, Zambia National Public Health Institute, Zambia; Sekesai Zinyowera, National AMR Focal Point, Coordinator of National Microbiology Reference Laboratory, Ministry of Health and Child Care, Zimbabwe; Sarada Devi K L, Professor and Head, Department of Microbiology, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, India; and Will Gaze, Professor of Microbiology, European Center for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, United Kingdom. In 2015, the WHO had launched its Global Action Plan to tackle AMR. Five years after, the momentum is faltering, points out CSE. Amit Khurana, Programme Director of CSE’s Food Safety and Toxins Programme said: “What is required here is One-Health action – a collaborative effort by multiple disciplines working at the local, national and global level to attain optimal health for humans, animals and the environment. But national AMR action plans are struggling to move as planned, because they have remained largely driven by a human healthcare agenda, controlled by healthcare ministries and sector stakeholders, with very limited involvement or support from other sectors such as animal health and environmental management.” CSE researchers say that a lack of dedicated budgets allocated by country governments for addressing AMR is another obstacle: this breeds dependence on donor agencies. Rajeshwari Sinha, Deputy Programme Manager of CSE’s Food Safety and Toxins Programme said, “This indicates that the political commitment being talked about is still largely on paper.” Khurana points out that animal and food sector stakeholders remain apprehensive of rearing food without antibiotics: “Farmers still use growth promoters, countries continue to allow the use of antibiotics for disease prevention, use of critically important antibiotics is still a common practice, antibiotics are still available without prescription and waste from farms still not managed as it should be. The situation is the same in agriculture -- antibiotic misuse in crops continues.” Awareness about how to grow food without antibiotics has not yet been created among farmers and producers, he said. In environmental management, there is a dearth of understanding and technical expertise on issues such as how to set discharge limits of antibiotics in waste, or how to manage waste from different point sources (such as farms, healthcare settings etc) in view of the AMR determinants – antibiotics, resistant bacteria and genetic elements that can confer resistance.