Air pollution in India

Air pollution in India:

             The World health Organization (WHO) which rates only mega cities of the world has rated Delhi the fourth most polluted city ion the world. However compared to other cities in India, Delhi is not at the top of the list of polluted cities. Our country has several pollution hotspots. The recent release from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Parivesh, January 2003 states that Ahmedabad’s air is most noxious flowed by Kanpur, Solapur and Lucknow with small particulate levels (PM10) 3-4 times the standard of 60 microgram per cubic meter (mg/m3). The report has ranked 29 cities according to Respirable Particulate Matter (RSPM) levels recorded during the year 2000. This report thus confirms the fact that Indian cities show high particulate pollution with 14 cities hitting critical levels. Nitrogen dioxide levels in most major cities are generally close to the acceptable annual standard of 60 mg/m3. However sharp increases have been noticed in a few cities with heavy vehicular traffic and density as in a few locations in Kolkata and Delhi indicating stronger impact of traffic. 

         The CPCB indicates vehicles as one of the predominant sources of air pollution. However the impact of hard measures implemented in Delhi over the last few years such as introduction of Euro II standards, lowering the sulphur content in fuel to 500 ppm and implementing Compressed Natural Gas program has succeeded in improving the quality of air. Rapid urbanization of smaller cities especially those situated near the big commercial centers have an enormous increase in traffic load especially in the most polluted segment such as two and three wheelers and diesel vehicles combined with poor quality fuel contribute to the deteriorating air quality in a big way. It is alarming to note that residential locations in India are fast outpacing industrial locations in air pollution implying that vehicular fumes are responsible for this trend. 

          The Supreme Court’s order of April 5, 2002 has directed the Central Government for an action plan for other polluted cities. Absence of any local initiatives for action and delay in air pollution control measures will only make the situation worse. The Supreme Court also played a vital role protecting the Taj Mahal. Being exposed to sulphur dioxide and suspended particulate matter, the Taj had contracted ‘marble cancer’, a fungal growth that corroded its surface giving it a yellowish tinge. The SPM deposits blackened it. Shri MC Mehta an environmental lawyer filed a public interest litigation in 1984 expressing concern over the havoc the polluting units in Agra were wreaking on the Taj Mahal. Twelve years later the Supreme Court ordered 292 industries in the vicinity to either adopt pollution control measures or shut down. It also made it mandatory for these units to either switch over to ecofriendly fuels like natural gas or shift out of the area. Air quality monitoring India does not presently have a well established system of monitoring air pollution. When air quality monitoring began in India in the late 1960s planners focused only on a few pollutants namely sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and suspended particulate matter. Other pollutants such as carbon monoxide and lead were monitored only on a limited scale. 

           The threat from other air toxins such as benzene, ozone, other small particulates is not known as these are not monitored at all. A database on ambient air quality in Indian cities has been prepared by the monitoring networks of the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) initiated its own national Ambient Air Quality Monitoring (NAAQM) program in 1985. Data to the NAAQM is supplied by the respective state pollution control boards, which is then transmitted to the CPCB. Experts feel that the present air quality-monitoring network cannot capture the true profile of urban air pollution due to the lack of adequate monitoring stations. Moreover critical toxins have still not been included in the list of pollutants to be monitored. Legal aspects of air pollution control in India The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act was legislated in 1981.

            The Act provided for prevention, control and abatement of air pollution. In areas notified under this Act no industrial pollution causing activity could come up without the permission of the concerned State Pollution Control Board. But this Act was not strong enough to play a precautionary or a corrective role. After the Bhopal disaster, a more comprehensive Environment Protection Act (EPA) was passed in 1986. This Act for the first time conferred enforcement agencies with necessary punitive powers to restrict any activity that can harm the environment. To regulate vehicular pollution the Central Motor Vehicles Act of 1939 was amended in 1989. Following this amendment the exhaust emission rules for vehicle owners were notified in 1990 and the mass emission standards for vehicle manufacturers were enforced in 1991 for the first time.

            The mass emission norms have been further revised for 2000. Air quality management as a well-defined program has yet to emerge in India. We need a much more strengthened air quality management with continuous monitoring of air if we are to have a better quality of air. This would also need an integrated approach with strict air pollution control laws. Some of the suggestions for doing this include: • Putting a greater emphasis on pollution prevention rather than control • Reducing the use of fossil fuels • Improving the quality of vehicular fuel • Increasing the use of renewable energy