A new survey carried out by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), a Finnish research enterprise, has found that only 32 Indian towns had smooth air in January 2024, with Delhi being the most polluted. The report was published on the CREA internet site on February 14, 2024. They take a look at targeted at the causes and health effects of air pollutants and answers to mitigate them.
According to the file, in January 2024, 98 towns under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) had month-to-month common Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 tiers that handed the World Health Organization’s (WHO) each-day guideline. Only 32 cities met India’s day-by-day National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), and 66 towns recorded PM2.5 concentrations exceeding NAAQS.
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) released NCAP in 2019 to lessen ambient PM pollutants tiers in 131 non-attainment cities from 24 states and Union territories. The revised National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) 2009 described ambient air high-quality requirements/limits, presenting a criminal framework for the manipulation of air pollutants and the safety of public health.
The examination determined that in many of the 66 cities with pollutants tiers beneath query, 15 cities registered ranges greater than double the prescribed PM2.5 fashionable of 60 microgrammes in keeping with cubic meter. Throughout January, the capital metropolis recorded a monthly average PM2.Five concentrations of 206 µg/m³, which exceeded the day-by-day NAAQS.
The report said that Bhagalpur in Bihar closely observed Delhi, recording a month-to-month average PM2.Five concentrations of 206. Saharsa, Byrnihat, Greater Noida, Hanumangarh, Noida, Baddi, Sri Ganganagar, and Faridabad featured a few of the top 10 maximum polluted towns in the same month. Among the 10 maximum polluted cities, were in Bihar, in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Haryana, one in Himachal Pradesh, and one in Delhi.
The study also found that only 101 of the 131 cities identified as non-attainment cities under NCAP had a continuous ambient air quality monitoring station (CAAQMS) installed last month.
The study’s experts claimed in their publication that stable atmospheric conditions were created in northern India by a combination of lower temperatures and moderate wind speeds. As a result, contaminants accumulated close to the earth’s surface and the quick dispersion of emissions was impeded, raising the amount of ambient air pollution. They also stated that baseline emissions are the main cause of the rise in dangerous air pollution levels in any particular area, even when natural atmospheric circumstances are beyond human control.
The report also highlighted the cost of legal guarantees to the government, which would be about Rs 6 lakh crore, according to the director of CRISIL, if traders boycott the APMC’s markets. This cost would be recovered within a year by selling agricultural produce purchased by the government in open markets.
In conclusion, the study conducted by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) found that only 32 Indian cities had clean air in January 2024, with Delhi being the most polluted. The report highlighted the need for the government to take action to reduce air pollution levels in the country. The revised National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) 2009 provides a legal framework for controlling air pollution and protecting public health. The report also emphasized the importance of continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS) in non-attainment cities under NCAP.
what are the long-term effects of air pollution on the environment?
Long-term exposure to air pollution has several detrimental effects on the environment and human health. Some of the long-term health effects include:
- Cancer and damage to the immune, neurological, reproductive, and respiratory systems.
- Increased risk of heart disease, lung cancer, and respiratory diseases such as emphysema.
- Chronic asthma, pulmonary insufficiency, cardiovascular diseases, and cardiovascular mortality.
- Impairment in fetal growth, low birth weight, and autism.
- Skin aging, dyschromia, and wrinkles.
- Higher morbidity in children, with increased risk of respiratory infections, asthma, and preterm births.
Long-term environmental effects of air pollution include:
- Damage to crops and trees leads to reduced growth, susceptibility to disease, and crop and forest yields.
- Ozone depletion can lead to more cases of skin cancer, cataracts, and impaired immune systems.
- Global climate change, as air pollution contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.
- Eutrophication can lead to water quality issues and damage to aquatic ecosystems.
These long-term effects are more frequent in people with pre-existing health conditions and in sensitive populations, such as children, older adults, and people with heart or lung diseases.
what are the economic costs of air pollution?
Air pollution has significant economic costs, including healthcare expenditures associated with pollution-related illnesses and deaths, decreased workplace productivity, decreased tourism, and damage to crops and trees. In 2018, air pollution triggered a cost of USD 2.9 trillion to the global economy, corresponding to 3.3% of the world’s GDP. Unhealthy air quality caused 1.8 billion days of work absences worldwide in the same year. 107,000 premature deaths were predicted to be brought on by respiratory disorders and cardiovascular illness brought on by breathing in air pollution in the United States alone. Air pollution also affects crop yields and the environment, with impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems, among others.
The economic cost of premature death and disability from air pollution in Europe is close to USD 1.6 trillion. In India, reduced productivity, work absences, and premature deaths caused by air pollution cost the economy an estimated $95 billion, or 3% of the country’s GDP, in 2019. However, research shows that the economic benefits associated with air pollution mitigation outweigh its costs by a factor of 30, providing significant support for cleaner technology and green industry development. Most estimates from the U.S. place this number around 30:1, meaning that for every $1 invested into air pollution control and mitigation, there is a $30 benefit in terms of reduced healthcare costs and the productivity of healthier, longer-living citizens. In Europe, research from the European Commission shows that reducing fine particulate matter emissions by 25% would cost €1.2, but the economic benefits would be at least two orders of magnitude greater.
how does air pollution affect agriculture and food production?
Air pollution appreciably influences agriculture and meal production in several methods. According to a study led by Stanford University, decreasing air pollution, specifically nitrogen oxides (NOx), should result in dramatic profits in crop yields. They take a look at found out that nitrogen oxides can immediately harm crop cells and circuitously have an effect on them through the formation of ozone, which reduces crop yields and scatters daylight far away from plants. Additionally, a two-way court exists between food manufacturing and air pollution.
Food manufacturing is a giant contributor to air pollution, with agriculture being the largest contributor of ammonia pollution and emitting different nitrogen compounds, which affect soil pleas and the capacity of the soil to preserve plant and animal productivity. Furthermore, air pollutants, especially floor-level ozone, have been found to reduce staple crop yields, including rice, wheat, and maize, via enormous possibilities, main to monetary losses. Overall, air pollution has a damaging impact on agricultural productivity and food protection, making it vital to reduce air pollutants to ensure sustainable meal production.
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