{"id":149627,"date":"2024-12-31T20:02:40","date_gmt":"2024-12-31T14:32:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/?post_type=current-affairs&#038;p=149627"},"modified":"2024-12-31T20:02:40","modified_gmt":"2024-12-31T14:32:40","slug":"ground-level-ozone-pollution","status":"publish","type":"current-affairs","link":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/ground-level-ozone-pollution","title":{"rendered":"Ground-level Ozone Pollution"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has sought a response from the Centre <\/span><b>regarding the implementation of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">recommendations for controlling ozone levels in Delhi.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Key Findings of CPCB Report<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Exceeding Standards:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ozone concentrations surpassed the <\/span><b>national standard (100 \u00b5g\/m\u00b3 for 8 hours)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at several monitoring stations.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Peak Concentrations:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Nehru Nagar recorded 224.9 \u00b5g\/m\u00b3, Patparganj 188.3 \u00b5g\/m\u00b3, and RK Puram 175.4 \u00b5g\/m\u00b3. Nehru Nagar had 56 days, Patparganj 45 days, and Aurobindo Marg 38 days of<\/span><b> elevated ozone levels in 2023.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Traffic-Heavy Areas: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dangerous levels were observed in several high-traffic locations during April-May 2023.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Precursors and Causes: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Major contributors include vehicular emissions, biomass burning, and industrial activities, with influence from transboundary movement and biogenic emissions.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc\/pw-only-ias?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enroll now for UPSC Online Classes<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>About Ground-Level Ozone (GLO)\/ Tropospheric Ozone<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-149595 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/312-6773f6ba0f010.webp\" alt=\"Ozone Pollution\" width=\"372\" height=\"309\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/312-6773f6ba0f010.webp 742w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/312-6773f6ba0f010-300x249.webp 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 372px) 100vw, 372px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Formation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ground-level ozone is a<\/span><b> colorless photochemical pollutant<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> formed just above the Earth\u2019s surface.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is a<\/span><b> secondary pollutant <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">created when precursor pollutants (NOx and VOCs) react in the presence of sunlight.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Photochemical pollutants <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">are formed when sunlight reacts with primary pollutants like <\/span><b>nitrogen oxides<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b>volatile organic compounds (VOCs)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the atmosphere.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Peak Levels: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ozone levels peak during summers as<\/span><b> rising temperatures<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, particularly during heatwaves, <\/span><b>exacerbate ground-level ozone formation,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> leading to dangerous air quality.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Sources of Precursor Pollutants: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Major sources of\u00a0 include <\/span><b>vehicular emissions, fossil fuel power plants, oil refineries, and the agriculture sector.<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>NOx: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nitrogen oxides (NO, NO\u2082) emitted from combustion.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>VOCs:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Volatile organic compounds (e.g., benzene, toluene) that evaporate readily from the volatile fuels.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-149596 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/313-6773f6b96c9cf.webp\" alt=\"Ozone Pollution\" width=\"372\" height=\"276\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/313-6773f6b96c9cf.webp 762w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/313-6773f6b96c9cf-300x222.webp 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 372px) 100vw, 372px\" \/><b>Types of Ozone<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Tropospheric Ozone (Ground-Level Ozone): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Harmful air pollutants are referred to as <\/span><b>&#8220;bad ozone.&#8221;<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Stratospheric Ozone: Protective ozone layer<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the upper atmosphere that shields the Earth from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation, it is also known as good Ozone.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Standards of GLO:<\/b> <b>National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">has set the safe limit of ambient ozone levels.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">8-hour average: 100 \u00b5g\/m\u00b3.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1-hour limit: 180 \u00b5g\/m\u00b3.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"vc_table_green\"><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 99.8983%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"width: 100%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: rgba(184, 165, 217, 0.53); text-align: left; vertical-align: middle;\">\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt; color: #000000;\"><b>National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NAAQS are standards set by the <\/span><b>Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in India to define the permissible limits of various pollutants in the ambient air.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Objective<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:To protect human health and the environment from the harmful effects of air pollution.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Pollutants Covered<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: NAAQS cover major air pollutants like <\/span><b>particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10),sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), carbon monoxide (CO), and lead.<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Classification: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NAAQS are classified into different categories based on sensitive areas <\/span><b>(residential, industrial, and rural areas).<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Implementation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) are responsible for monitoring air quality and enforcing NAAQS within their respective jurisdictions.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Significance:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> NAAQS play a crucial role in controlling air pollution by setting clear targets for air quality improvement and guiding pollution control strategies.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><\/div>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Impacts of Ground-Level Ozone<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Health Impacts:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Increased risk of heart attacks and strokes: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ozone can inflame the lining of the lungs, which can lead to increased blood pressure and heart rate, making people more susceptible to cardiovascular events.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It causes<\/span><b> 1 million premature deaths<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> annually worldwide.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Reduced lung function:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Long-term exposure to ozone can permanently damage lung tissue, reducing lung function and making it more difficult to breathe. It aggravates <\/span><b>asthma, bronchitis, and other respiratory conditions.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Weakened immune system: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ozone exposure can suppress the immune system, making individuals more vulnerable to infections.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Eye irritation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Ozone can irritate the eyes, causing redness, watering, and even temporary vision problems.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Climate Impacts:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Acts as a strong greenhouse gas<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Tropospheric ozone (O3) is the<\/span><b> third most important anthropogenic greenhouse gas<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> after carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Indirectly affects climate change<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Ozone can react with other pollutants to form secondary pollutants, such as particulate matter, which can further contribute to climate change.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Affects weather patterns:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ozone can alter weather patterns by changing atmospheric circulation and temperature.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Agriculture and Ecosystem Impacts:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Reduced forest growth and productivity<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Ozone can damage trees and other vegetation, reducing their <\/span><b>growth and productivity.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Increased susceptibility to pests and diseases:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ozone stress can weaken plants, making them more susceptible to pests and diseases.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Loss of biodiversity:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ozone pollution can harm sensitive ecosystems, leading to a loss of biodiversity.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books\/upsc-textbooks?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+Textbooks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out UPSC NCERT Textbooks From PW Store<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-size: 15pt;\"><b>Recommendations for Ozone Control<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Ozone control is primarily achieved by reducing its precursors:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Nitrous oxides (NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), methane, and carbon monoxide (CO).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Localized control of precursors may not significantly reduce ozone levels as both ozone and its precursors can travel over long distances.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">National-level initiatives are essential for addressing these precursors effectively.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Measures Taken to Control Precursors of Ozone (NOx and VOCs)<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) (2019)<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Aims to reduce air pollution across India.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">City-specific clean air action plans implemented in 130 non-attainment cities.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>BS VI Vehicles: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reduced NOx emissions by up to 87% for heavy vehicles and 70-85% for two-wheelers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Electric Mobility: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Promoted under<\/span><b> PM-E initiative<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to <\/span><b>achieve zero vehicular emissions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Revised Industrial Emission Standards: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stricter NOx and VOC standards for industries such as fertilizers and thermal power plants.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Vapor Recovery System (VRS): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Installed at petrol pumps in Delhi-NCR to reduce VOC emissions during refueling.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<span class=\"vc_button\"><b>Also Read:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/rising-ozone-pollution-in-urban-india\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Rising Ozone Pollution In Urban India: CSE Report<\/b><\/a><\/span>\n<div class=\"vc_table_green\"><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 99.6375%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 111.19%; text-align: center;\" colspan=\"2\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Also Read<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 49.797%; text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/editorial-analysis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>UPSC Daily Editorials<\/b><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 61.393%; text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/daily-current-affairs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>UPSC Daily Current Affairs<\/b><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 49.797%; text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/quiz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Daily Current 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Delhi.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":149601,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"paper-wise":[2089],"subject":[4642],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/149627"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/current-affairs"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=149627"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/149627\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":149629,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/149627\/revisions\/149629"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/149601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=149627"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=149627"},{"taxonomy":"paper-wise","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/paper-wise?post=149627"},{"taxonomy":"subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/subject?post=149627"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}