Context:
Recently, A monthly air quality snapshot by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) reveals that an industrial town ‘Byrnihat situated in Assam-Meghalaya’s border emerged as the most polluted city in India for February 2024.
The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) :
- It is a nonprofit think tank researching energy and air pollution.
- It was founded & registered in Helsinki, Finland in 2019 & Staff across Asia and Europe.
- Goal : Tracking the impacts of air pollution by providing data-backed research products.
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Most Polluted City in India: Key Highlights of the Report
- In February 2024, 160 out of 253 cities recorded PM2.5 levels below India’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS):
- Government has notified National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for 12 pollutants in 2009 to protect public health and environment from air pollution.
- Set by: Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)
- Pollutants covered: Sulphur dioxide (SO2), Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), PM10, PM2.5, Ozone, Lead, Carbon monoxide (CO), Arsenic, Nickel, Benzene, Ammonia, and Benzopyrene.
- Objectives of air quality standards:
- To indicate the levels of air quality necessary with an adequate margin of safety to protect the public health, vegetation and property
- To assist in establishing priorities for abatement and control of pollutant level
- To provide uniform yardstick for assessing air quality at national level
- To indicate the need and extent of the monitoring programme.
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- Only one city met the World Health Organization’s stricter guidelines to maintain PM2.5 Standard.
- Most Polluted Cities in India
- Byrnihat (1st)
- Araria in Bihar (2nd)
- Hapur in Uttar Pradesh(3rd)
- Hanumangarh in Rajasthan(4th)
- Northeastern Pollution Concerns: Nalbari (5th), Agartala (12th), Guwahati (19th), and Nagaon (28th) also featured among the 30 most polluted cities in India, highlighting the hazardous air pollution levels in urban centers across northeastern states.
- Cleanest Cities in India:
- Satna in Madhya Pradesh, Sivasagar in Assam, Vijayapura in Karnataka as the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, respectively were reported as the cleanest cities in India.
- In the Northeast states cities like Sivasagar, Silchar, Aizawl, and Imphal reported as the cleanest cities in the region.
- Among National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) Cities:
- In 96 (NCAP) cities PM2.5 Monthly average levels exceeded WHO guidelines.
- 60 Cities adhered to India’s NAAQS.
- Among Non-NCAP Cities:
- Only one city reported PM2.5 levels below WHO guidelines.
- 100 cities met India’s NAAQS, while 57 cities faced worse air quality.
National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)
- The National Clean Air Programme was launched by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in January 2019.
- Aim: To achieve reductions up to 40% or achievement of National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter10 (PM 10) concentrations by 2025-26.
Non-Attainment Cities: These are designated if they consistently fail to meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for fine particulate matter or nitrogen dioxide over a five-year period.
Particulate Matter 2.5 :
- PM2.5, fine particulate matter of 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter therefore it can only be detected with the help of an electron microscope.
- It is the most dangerous pollutant because it can penetrate the lung barrier and enter the blood system, causing cardiovascular and respiratory disease and cancers.
- NAAQS : PM2.5=40 µg/m3 (Ecologically sensitive area)-60 µg/m3
- WHO Guidelines :
- The current guidelines state that annual average concentrations of PM2.5 should not exceed 5 µg/m3,
- while 24-hour average exposures should not exceed 15 µg/m3 more than 3 – 4 days per year.
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Reason Behind Shift in Pollution Level in Urban Centres:
- Unregulated industrial operations
- Inadequate public transportation infrastructure
- Rampant construction
- Lacking efficient pollution control measures
Call for Action:
There is an urgent need for bolstering air quality monitoring in the northeastern states to effectively track and address escalating pollution levels.
Also Read: Mitigating Industrial Pollution
News Source : The Hindu
March 9, 2024
