For several months of the year, pollution levels in a number of other north Indian cities are far higher than the WHO-recommended threshold, but this is not deemed noteworthy.
The levels of air pollution in other months do not draw much notice, even in the NCR. But it’s time for the governments to take this problem seriously. Due to the explosion of Diwali crackers, Delhi’s pollution level reached 957 u00b5g/m3 on November 12, which was the highest level of pollution this year (pm 2.5). This was only somewhat less polluted than the highest point of 999 u00b5g/m3 in Ahmedabad.Source: ABP LIVE- ABP News
It is quite convenient to hold the Aam Aadmi Party responsible for the high levels of air pollution now that the party is in power in Delhi and Punjab. However, science offers a fair and unbiased assessment of the causes and effects of Delhi’s air pollution.
Based on years of research, the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur presented a paper in 2016 titled ‘Comprehensive Study on Air Pollution and GreenHouse Gases (GHGs) in Delhi’. IIT Delhi, IIT Kanpur, and TERI once more provided a thorough report to the Delhi Pollution Control Committee in September 2023.
This is based on their investigation of the causes of pollution during the 2022u20132023 winter.In addition to measuring PM 2.5 particles in the air, these esteemed technical institutions also set up a monitoring station at Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya, Rouse Avenue, New Delhi, which measured elements, ions, secondary inorganic and organic aerosols, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, ozone, elemental carbon, organic carbon, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
The study discovered that the largest contributor to air pollution (32%) was created by Secondary Inorganic Aerosols (SIA), which are long-lived particles that are mainly composed of sulphate, nitrate, and ammonium. The interaction of different gases in the air results in the formation of sulphate, nitrate, and ammonium particles.
These gases are generated by power plants, automobiles, open drains, refineries of petroleum crude, brick kilns, which are widely distributed across large cities. These SIAS are also influenced by open drains and the decomposition of organic waste.
According to the report, burning biomass came next to the SIA and produced 24% of air pollution. Vehicles were estimated to have contributed 17%. Burning crop residue was predicted to have a 22% impact from November 1u2013November 25, 2022. There were days when it was more than 35%.
If air quality is to be addressed, the research suggests that all sources, both inside and outside of Delhi, need to be managed. Even while the measures needed to stop stubble burning are hotly contested, they will be more challenging to put into practice as long as Punjabi paddy farming is still the most profitable crop of all.
The original green revolution states, Punjab and Haryana, require financial support from the central government in order to reduce the acreage planted with rice or paddy. But these states and the federal government aren’t even talking about this.
In the current assembly elections, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have both pledged a bonus on paddy in Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. This is paradoxical because there isn’t an abundance of subsurface water in these states either. It is ludicrous to think that Punjabi farmers are not closely monitoring these election pledges.
Even while Punjab’s pollution from burning stubble attracts greater media attention, the Union government and the governments of the NCR states should demonstrate their commitment to addressing the issue by taking concrete steps to reduce other sources of air pollution.
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