Air Pollution in Delhi
- In Delhi, winter has arrived. The level of air pollution has started to increase. Due to higher pollution levels brought on by the burning of stubble, Delhi’s air quality is still considered to be “poor.”
- Air pollution in Delhi and the surrounding Indo Gangetic Plains is a complex phenomenon that depends on a variety of factors. Before the environment and climate can have an impact, pollutants enter the system.
Why does air pollution exist?
- Contaminants such as chemicals, particles, or biological elements that are released into the air have the potential to harm not only people but also other living things, the environment, and oneself by causing illness or even death.
How do air contaminants function?
- A substance in the air that could be harmful to both people and the environment is referred to as air pollution. There are primary and secondary groups of pollutants.
- One that is immediately released into the atmosphere from a source, such as a fire, an avalanche, or the carbon monoxide created by moving cars, is referred to as a primary pollutant.
- When other pollutants (primary pollutants), rather than being discharged into the atmosphere directly, interact with it, a secondary pollutant is produced. For instance, when ozone mixes with other gases and chemicals, “bad ozone,” sometimes referred to as atmospheric ozone, is produced.
Facts:
- According to IQAir’s World Air Quality Report of 2020, 22 of the top 30 most polluted cities in the world are found in India.
- Delhi’s pollution in November regularly reaches 300 on the AQI scale. A G20 member’s capital has the worst air quality when the AQI is typically below 50, according to the World Air Quality Index Project.
- With 159 fatalities per 100,000 persons in 2012, India had the highest global fatality rate for respiratory illnesses, according to the World Health Organization. This rate is approximately five times higher than the UK’s and twice as high as China’s.
Why do we need to worry?
- Respiratory issues could develop if someone is exposed for a long time to hazardous levels of these particles.
- PM 2.5 is thought to be the most hazardous form of air pollution since it can get past the body’s natural filters, enter the lungs, and then travel to the bloodstream.
Several initiatives have been put in place to lessen Delhi’s air pollution:
- In response to the increasing pollution across Delhi and its surroundings, the Supreme Court created a one-man committee under the leadership of Justice Madan B. Lokur to supervise stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.
- A practical approach with a graded response: The MoEFCC released the Graded Response Action Plan in 2017 in response to the Supreme Court’s decision in the M. C. Mehta v. Union of India (2016) case involving the air quality in Delhi’s National Capital Region. A set of tier-based activities known as GRAP are implemented after the pollution level reaches a predetermined limit. It only serves as a last resort.
- The government has opened Delhi’s outside motorway to direct non-Delhi traffic away from the city.
- The government has made the guidelines for the management of construction and demolition (C&D) waste public.
- The following four categories of C&D trash must be separated by all C&D waste manufacturers by law: concrete, soil, steel and wood, plastics, and bricks and mortar. Then, they must either drive their segregated waste to collection centres established by the local government or to processing facilities.
- A system to determine the pollutant contribution of burning stubble has been developed over time by the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).
- Tree policy: The Delhi government has unveiled a new plan that places a strong emphasis on maintaining and replacing trees.
- CPCB oversight: The CPCB has dispatched 50 teams to perform inspections in the Delhi-NCR region. Inspection teams will visit the construction site and levy fines if any anti-pollution regulations are broken.
- Red Light On, Gaadi Off campaign: To tackle air pollution, the Delhi government launched the “Red Light On, Gaadi Off” campaign. The government claims that switching off car engines will lessen pollution and save each vehicle $7,000 a year.
- Anti-smog weapons that spray water into the atmosphere to purge the air of all dust and other pollutants help to reduce air pollution. 7. In a mobile version that can be moved throughout the city, the gun is mounted to a water tank.
- Smog Towers: By filtering out impurities, these enormous air purifiers clean the air as it passes through them. They frequently have several layers of air filters installed.
Moving ahead:
- The organic value of the stubble for the soil is preserved by using Happy Seeders, which allow farmers to plant wheat seeds without removing or burning the stubble.
- Technology from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICMR) A treatment developed by the ICMR can be used to turn agricultural waste into manure by spraying it on the waste. The entire region needs to implement this method widely.
- growth of the paddy straw sector Unlike paddy straw, which farmers have figured out how to use, wheat straw has not yet been commercialised, thus government should establish strategies for doing so.
- additional fog towers By adding more smog towers and anti-haze technology, the amount of smog in the capital should be reduced.
- implementing legislation Laws pertaining to the environment must be upheld in letter and spirit and put into action. The different environmental legislation that have been drafted have been implemented relatively slowly.
- Short-term exposure can result in coughing and pain in the eyes and throat, while long-term exposure is strongly connected to heart disease, lung cancer, and a reduction in lung function.
- Pollution from Delhi leads to:
- The MoEF&CC provided the UNFCCC with a dossier outlining the causes.
- Energy generation, which mostly involves coal-based thermal electricity production, is the most crucial factor.
- The categories of construction and manufacturing, agriculture, transportation, industrial processes and product consumption, and “waste burning” are listed in decreasing order.
- According to SAFAR (System of Air Quality Forecasting and Research) data, Delhi’s pollution is caused by a variety of factors all year long. “Stubble burning” in the months of October and November is one illustration.
What other challenges must the NCR face in the fight against pollution?
- Solar energy: For an extended period of time, the land that was purchased for the solar farm cannot be used for other purposes. Nothing else can grow on those enormous solar farms.
- The production of rice in the NCR and Punjab is a challenge for rice straw disposal. Farmers burn any stray plants that they find.
- The issue of vehicle pollution from fossil fuel-powered automobiles still exists because there aren’t enough charging stations for electric vehicles (EV).
