Tag: POLLUTION

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Environment Lite Blogs

#SelfieWithPollution to draw attention towards local sources

Most common people either do not know who exactly to approach or even if they do know and approach, the authorities are not responsive enough,” said Tongad…reports Asian Lite News.

In the season of air pollution in Delhi-NCR, stubble burning from surrounding states is often always blamed but much less is talked about the small, local sources, such as burning garden waste or municipal waste, that adds to the larger problem.

It can be a garden waste burning or a dusty stretch raising dust clouds every time a vehicle passes ot it can also be someone burning cardboards by the roadside, literally anything and everything that can add to the overall already worse air pollution situation in Delhi-NCR.

Environment conservationist Vikrant Tongad has appealed to people to tag him and his organisation on Twitter with a hashtag #SelfieWithPollution along with a photo of the pollution spot.

Tongad, founder member of Social Action for Forest and Environment (SAFE), has been instrumental in getting over two dozen orders/decisions from the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the Delhi High Court and even the Supreme Court in various environment/conservation related matters. Almost a decade of environmental activism through legal interventions has resulted in the authorities taking his word seriously.

“We just decided to leverage that advantage. Most common people either do not know who exactly to approach or even if they do know and approach, the authorities are not responsive enough,” said Tongad.

The agencies, such as Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) are responsive and reactive on Twitter and hence Tongad’s work has started as a small campaign on twitter but will eventually also be taken to Facebook.

Since he made the appeal on Wednesday evening, half a dozen people have already tagged him to draw attention to local cases of burning waste/dust pollution.

Tongad said that currently they are concentrating on Delhi-NCR only but, if needed, may take the campaign further across north-west Indian states.

ALSO READ-Air Commission lists suggestions to check air pollution in Delhi-NCR

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India News

Delhi’s air quality may deteriorate post Diwali

Delhi’s air quality on Monday morning was pegged at the “very poor” category with its AQI settling at 302 and by evening, it increased to 306….reports Asian Lite News

Delhi’s air quality is likely to deteriorate “significantly” on November 5 and 6 and may reach the upper end of the “very poor” category with PM2.5 being the predominant pollutant, Ministry of Earth Sciences forecast on Monday.

In its outlook for the subsequent five days, the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi, that comes under the Ministry, said that the air quality is likely to deteriorate on November 5 and 6 significantly and may reach the upper end of the “very poor” category. PM2.5 to be the predominant pollutant.

“From November 4 onwards, the wind direction will change from the present easterly to north-westerly which are highly favourable to the intrusion of stubble burning,” System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) founder and project director Gufran Beig told IANS.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJZIIO7f-nY

“Even if 50 per cent of the firecrackers burst in 2020 happen to be lit this Diwali, then the air quality will deteriorate to ‘severe’, and without crackers, the air quality will settle at upper end of ‘very poor’ on November 5 and 6,” he added.

Delhi’s air quality on Monday morning was pegged at the “very poor” category with its AQI settling at 302 and by evening, it increased to 306.

The level of PM 2.5 and PM 10 pollutants in the air this morning stood at 122 and 256, respectively, whereas by evening, the level of PM 2.5 pollutants increased to 128, according to the SAFAR.

“Delhi’s AQI is in the ‘very poor’ category and likely to improve to upper end of ‘poor’ for Monday (November 1) and Tuesday (November 2) due to expected change in wind direction to westerly/south-westerly reducing transport of emissions from stubble burning. Isolated rainfall is likely in upwind region that would improve air quality. Share of crop residue burning emissions in PM2.5 is about 8per cent (Effective fire count 1,734). Prevailing shallow mixing layer height reduces dispersion of pollutants,” SAFAR stated this morning.

Air quality of Delhi starts deteriorating as winter approaches the national capital due to stubble burning in the state of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Punjab. It often leads to a rise in toxicity by increasing the level of PM 2.5 and PM 10 pollutants in the city’s air.

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-Top News India News

Air Commission lists suggestions to check air pollution in Delhi-NCR

“It was the first meeting of the sub-committee of Air Commission for the operationalisation of GRAP which was held on October 12,” an official said…reports Asian Lite News.

Starting Friday, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) for Delhi-NCR and surrounding areas has asked the states concerned to stop the use of coal/firewood in hotels and open eateries, among other suggestions to keep air pollution under check in the region.

There should be strict vigilance and no tolerance for visible emissions, the preventive suggestions said, adding, “Stop plying of visibly polluting vehicles by impounding or heavy fine.”

The annual air pollution season has already started in Delhi-NCR and most parts of northwest India. Stubble burning/farm fires for agro-waste in Punjab and Haryana are among the many ‘point sources of emissions’ for increased air pollution in the region each year.

“In addition to actions under ‘Poor’ to ‘Moderate’ category, some of the actions under ‘Very Poor’ category should commence from Friday, though the Air Quality Index (AQI) is expected to remain in ‘Satisfactory’ to ‘Moderate’ category,” a CAQM sub-committee said after deliberating on the meteorological conditions and actions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

“It was the first meeting of the sub-committee of Air Commission for the operationalisation of GRAP which was held on October 12,” an official said.

Prashant Gargava, member secretary of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), is the chairperson of this sub-committee.

“India Meteorological Department (IMD) scientist V.K. Soni was a special invitee for his inputs on meteorological forecast, which are important for informed decisions,” Gargava said.

Light rains are expected on October 17 and 18, because of which the AQI is likely to remain in the ‘Moderate’ or ‘Satisfactory’ category for the next 4-5 days, the meeting was informed.

The other suggestions by the Air Commission include augmentation of bus and Metro services, including frequency of their operation; stringently enforce/stop garbage burning in landfills and other places and impose heavy fines on person responsible; stringently enforce all pollution control regulations in industries and power plants and ensure that all brick kilns remain closed in Delhi-NCR as per the directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

The sub-committee also suggested ensuring periodic mechanised sweeping and/or water sprinkling on roads with heavy traffic and dust generation potential; strict vigilance and enforcement of Pollution Under Check (PUC) norms; stringent enforcement rules for dust control in construction activities and close non-compliant sites, and deployment of traffic police for smooth traffic flow at the identified vulnerable areas.

At 6 pm on Thursday, the AQI reading in Anand Vihar was 300, while it was 160 in ITO, 182 in Rohini, 144 in Pusa and 185 in Bawana, as per the CPCB.

An AQI of 100 to 200 is considered ‘Moderate’, while that between 201 and 300 is considered ‘Poor’.

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READ MORE-Farm fires from Pakistan to increase air pollution load for Delhi-NCR

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-Top News India News PAKISTAN

Farm fires from Pakistan to increase air pollution load for Delhi-NCR

The IMD issues a forecast for three days and seven days outlook. Accordingly, there would be strong winds for next two days and there is no chance of rain…reports Asian Lite News.

Satellite images by NASA have shown the increasing instances of farm fires vis-a-vis stubble burning not just in Punjab and Haryana in the Indian side but also over large areas in Pakistan to the west of Punjab.
A NASA satellite image tweeted on Sunday morning by India Meteorology Department (IMD) scientist Ashim Mitra shows clusters of red dots (denoting farm fires) spread across Punjab and Haryana and also in Pakistan.

New Delhi: Smog engulfs the national capital as the air quality worsens, on Nov 15, 2019. The air pollution emergency in Delhi has aggravated with the air quality index (AQI) spiking sharply to 528 on Friday morning.The AQI on Thursday was much lower at 470 in the ‘severe plus’ category. The PM 10 count was also in the severe plus category at 496 and PM 2.5 count was at 324.(Photo: IANS)

Despite several efforts by the Central and state governments to prevent farm fires, scores of farmers in Punjab and Haryana have started stubble burning ahead of the rabi season, air pollution from which is soon likely to travel towards Delhi-NCR.

The only saving grace for this week is that the number of fire counts is still very less and there are strong winds that dissipate this pollution faster. “The impact of these farm fires will not be felt much this week as the wind speed is strong and the number of fires is less,” IMD scientist in Delhi Urban Meteorological Services, Dr V.K. Soni said.

The IMD issues a forecast for three days and seven days outlook. Accordingly, there would be strong winds for next two days and there is no chance of rain.

But whatever little impact that these fires can have is already visible in the Air Quality Index (AQI) by the Central Pollution Control Board in the national capital. The AQI at 7 p.m. on Sunday at Anand Vihar was already at 289, Wazirpur was at 230, and Jahangirpuri at 197. At Shadipur, it was 189, at Okhla, it was 172, at Punjabi Bagh it was 166, and even at Lodi Road it was 140.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has been issuing a number of guidelines, the Delhi government has taken a number of initiatives to control dust and other pollutants and the Central government has said, it has provided harvester machines in large numbers for the farmers of Punjab and Haryana so that the stubble left from the kharif crop is not burnt.

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-Top News UK News

‘3.1m kids in England going to schools in areas with toxic air’

On average, PM2.5 concentrations were a third (33 per cent) higher at schools in London than in the rest of England…reports Asian Lite News.

Children in London are four times more likely to go to school in areas with high levels pollution levels that exceed World Health Organization (WHO) limits, than children in the rest of England, reveals New City Hall analysis.

According to the new analysis, the poor air quality stunts the growth of children’s lungs and worsens chronic illnesses, such as asthma, lung and heart disease. It has found 3.1m English children are attending schools in areas exceeding WHO limits for PM2.5.

The new analysis of the national Government data for annual average PM2.5 in 2019 also shows that, before the pandemic, more than 1.2 million children in London attended schools in areas that exceeded WHO limits for PM2.5 – more than 700,000 of them are of primary school age

Also, 98 per cent of state primary and secondary schools in London were in areas that exceeded WHO limits, compared with 24 per cent outside of London.

On average, PM2.5 concentrations were a third (33 per cent) higher at schools in London than in the rest of England.

This is having a real impact on children’s health. A landmark study of the impact of London’s air pollution found children growing up in polluted parts of the capital showed significantly smaller lung volume, with a loss of approximately five per cent in lung capacity – equivalent to two large eggs – compared to their peers in the rest of England.

Research shows that those exposed to the worst air pollution are more likely to be deprived Londoners and from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities. The ULEZ expansion in combination with the Mayor’s other air quality policies will help reduce the exposure gap between the most and least deprived areas by 71 per cent by 2030.

 The difference in exposure between areas with the highest and lowest proportion of BAME residents will decrease by up to 85 per cent. There is also emerging evidence linking air pollution with an increased vulnerability to the most severe impacts of COVID.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “For too long it has been accepted that children growing up in London will breathe more polluted air than their friends and family outside this great city. But I don’t accept this. I’m doing everything in my power to stop young Londoners breathing air so filthy that it damages their lungs and causes thousands of premature deaths every year. This is why I’m expanding the Ultra Low Emission Zone later this year.

“I want to make sure all of London meets the World Health Organization limits for particulate matter. But I can’t do it alone and I want to work with Government to achieve this goal. That’s why I’m asking for the new Environment Bill to include legally binding WHO recommended limits to be achieved by 2030. We can’t sleep walk from the health crisis of COVID back into complacency over the major impact of toxic air on everyone’s health.”

 Harriet Edwards, Senior Policy and Projects Manager, Air Quality, at Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation, said: Each year, the capital’s poor air quality contributes to around 1,000 emergency hospital admissions for children with asthma and other respiratory conditions. Children should feel safe when they are at school, but instead they are being exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution which could be damaging their lungs and future prospects. For the tens of thousands of children living with existing lung conditions, breathing dirty air could trigger a life-threatening asthma attack or exacerbation. That’s why we welcome the expanded ULEZ to help make more of London’s schools safer and more inclusive for children with all types of lung disease.”

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-Top News Environment India News

Delhi air pollution show decreasing trend over last 4 years

A number of policy measures have been taken in the National Capital Region (NCR) to curb air pollution such as switching to cleaner BSVI fuel..reports Asian Lite News

An early estimate from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT-D), has shown a decreasing trend in PM2.5 concentration over Delhi-NCR over the last four years.

“Our data is showing that pollution levels have gone down. In 2020, it had anyways gone down because of the lockdown etc. But data from 2017 to 2018 and 2018 to 2019 has shown a decreasing trend,” said Sagnik Dey, associate professor at the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, IIT-Delhi.

A number of policy measures have been taken in the National Capital Region (NCR) to curb air pollution such as switching to cleaner BSVI fuel, installing CEMS monitoring across industries, cleaner zig zag technology in brick kilns, completion and use of Eastern and Western Peripheral Highways, which bypasses heavy traffic away from Delhi limits, and deployment of happy seeders, which address crop residue burning to an extent.

“With all these measures, the data from the government monitoring has shown a decreasing trend in PM2.5 concentration over Delhi-NCR,” said S.N. Tripathy, head of the Civil Engineering Department at IIT Kanpur.

New Delhi: Smog engulfs the national capital as the air quality worsens, on Nov 15, 2019. The air pollution emergency in Delhi has aggravated with the air quality index (AQI) spiking sharply to 528 on Friday morning.The AQI on Thursday was much lower at 470 in the ‘severe plus’ category. The PM 10 count was also in the severe plus category at 496 and PM 2.5 count was at 324.(Photo: IANS)

But Tripathy also put an immediate caveat: “The time series is very short, and yet, the data is showing some decreasing trend.”

Because of this, both Dey and Tripathi declined to hazard a guess to put a quantum on the levels of pollution, which may be in the range of 10-15 per cent or 15-20 per cent.

Tripathy is part of the National Knowledge Network, which has been set up to provide scientific guidance to achieve National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) goals and has been pushing for adopting an airshed approach as a provincial management expanding to the states.

The government on Saturday introduced a Bill in the Lok Sabha to constitute a commission for air quality management in Delhi-NCR and its surrounding regions based exactly on the airshed approach.

“Domestic policies such as the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojna, which has provided a successful solution in the form of 14 crore LPG connections in India, too has been making a huge difference. Household cooking contributes to one-fourth of the mortality burden due to air pollution in the region. Not just domestic cooking, the street vendors shifting to LPG too may have helped,” said Tripathi.

Lead is a carcinogen generated from solid fuels used in household cooking while nitrogen dioxide emissions (NOx) are mostly attributed to transport.

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Environment World News

Now, a handbook to help nations tackle ocean acidification

Tackling this challenge requires technical expertise and capacity that are often not available in Commonwealth countries…reports Asian Lite News.

A new policy handbook will help Commonwealth governments put in place strategies to tackle ocean acidification — a key aspect of climate change.

Ocean acidification happens when the sea absorbs excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, primarily caused by human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation.

This leads to an increase in the acidity of the ocean, affecting the lifecycles and biology of certain marine species, and in turn, threatening the entire food web as well as the lives and livelihoods of communities that depend on these ocean resources.

Tackling this challenge requires technical expertise and capacity that are often not available in Commonwealth countries. The new handbook addresses this gap by identifying existing resources, streamlining technical concepts, outlining pragmatic solutions and providing useful templates for policy makers.

The handbook was commissioned by the New Zealand government, which champions the Commonwealth Blue Charter Action Group on Ocean Acidification.

The Foreign Affairs Minister of New Zealand, Nanaia Mahuta, said: “We know that ocean acidification has serious consequences for sea life, and this Policymakers’ Handbook for Addressing the Impacts of Ocean Acidification is an important resource.

“It is designed for people who make decisions about how we use and protect our oceans. It introduces them to the steps needed to address ocean acidification. It enables them to act as ‘kaitiaki’ or guardians.”

Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, stated: “The study of ocean acidification and its effects has grown dramatically in the past 15 years, and while the problem is global, it is important for national and regional responses to be developed to address local impacts.

“The handbook has the potential to deliver far-reaching and lasting value, by supporting the identification and implementation by policymakers of response strategies to ocean acidification.”A particular focus in the handbook is on collaboration, which is a distinctive feature of the Commonwealth Blue Charter, an agreement adopted in 2018 by the 54 Commonwealth member countries to work together to solve ocean challenges.

The Commonwealth Blue Charter is implemented through 10 action groups led by 15 “champion countries”, which focus on guiding the development of knowledge, tools and training on ocean priorities such as marine plastic pollution, ocean climate change, and the sustainable blue economy.

Head of Oceans and Natural Resources at the Commonwealth Secretariat, Nicholas Hardman-Mountford, said: “This new handbook is an example of the concrete and practical outcomes that are generated by the Commonwealth Blue Charter Action Groups and their discussions.

“While we all understand the grave threats that confront the ocean — and consequently, the entire planet — we must also realise that we, as the global community, can do something about it, by working together to share expertise, pool resources and align national and regional strategies to existing global commitments.”

The launch of this publication follows on the first-ever workshop by the Commonwealth Ocean Acidification Action Group, hosted in 2019 by New Zealand in its role as Champion Country for the group.

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