Every day as we breathe in, an invisible storm of particles and molecules enters our bodies, endangering not just our lungs but also the rest of our body. Have you ever given careful thought to how crucial clean air is to your health and happiness? I think you must give this subject some thought because you probably belong to the 99% of individuals who are exposed to air pollution levels that are higher than advised.
Air pollution ranks just below high blood pressure, smoking, and diabetes as the leading risk factor for mortality and a serious environmental threat. A modelling study published in The British Medical Journal (BMJ) stated that, there are 2.18 million premature deaths annually in India due to ischemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer, caused by air pollution from all sources. This number is just second to China. Air pollution, including asthma, is recognized as one of the main risk factors for non-communicable diseases having the potential to impact our whole body as well as cognitive and neurological impairment basically, way beyond our lungs.
Air pollution poses a threat to the public health economy as well. As per a report, air pollution ranks as the second most significant health risk in India, with an approximate annual economic cost of over 150 billion USD (Rs 15000 crore). This loss amounts to around 4% of India’s GDP.
What is air pollution?
A complex mixture of gases, liquid droplets, and solid particles make up air pollution. Different combinations of air pollution can originate from different sources. For example, air in a city gets polluted by dust from construction work, road dust, vehicular pollution, etc. In contrast, a rural area near a forest may have particulate matter consisting of soil, smoke from forest fires or open burning of waste.
Several air pollutants are measured, such as ozone (O3), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur oxides (SOx), carbon monoxide (CO), and particulate matter PM2.5 and PM10 (particles with an aerodynamic diameter of equal to or less than 2.5, also called fine, and 10 micrometre respectively).
Effects of air pollution on human health
All major organs are impacted by fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which can enter the body through lungs and pass through the bloodstream. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, stroke, and other diseases of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems can be caused by exposure to PM2.5.
High levels of air pollution during pregnancy have also been linked to developmental delays by the time the child is three years old, as well as behavioural and psychological issues later in life, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, and depression, according to recent research.
Reducing Air Pollution
Most sources of outdoor air pollution are well beyond the control of individuals and this demands concerted action by local, national and regional level policy-makers in various sectors.
There are many examples of successful policies that may reduce air pollution:
- For industry: Clean technologies that reduce industrial smokestack emissions; improved management of urban and agricultural waste, including capture of methane gas emitted from waste sites as an alternative to incineration (for use as biogas);
- For energy: Ensuring access to affordable clean household energy solutions for cooking, heating and lighting;
- For transport: Shifting to clean modes of power generation; prioritizing rapid urban transit, walking and cycling networks in cities as well as rail interurban freight and passenger travel; shifting to cleaner heavy-duty diesel vehicles and low-emissions vehicles and fuels;
- For urban planning: Improving the energy efficiency of buildings and making cities more green and compact;
- For power generation: Increased use of low-emissions fuels and renewable combustion-free power sources (like solar, wind or hydropower); co-generation of heat and power; and distributed energy generation (e.g. mini-grids and rooftop solar power generation);
- For municipal and agricultural waste management: Strategies for waste reduction, waste separation, recycling and reuse or waste reprocessing, as well as improved methods of biological waste management such as anaerobic waste digestion to produce biogas, are feasible, low-cost alternatives to the open incineration of solid waste, then combustion technologies with strict emission controls are critical; and
- For health-care activities: Putting health services on a low-carbon development path can support more resilient and cost-efficient service delivery, along with reduced environmental health risks for patients, health workers and the community.
Government Initiatives to Combat Air Pollution
Government has taken several initiatives to improve air quality. The following actions were initiated by the Union Government. Graded Response Action Plan (Delhi), Polluter Pay principle, Smog Tower, Tallest Air Purifier, National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), BS-VI vehicles, New Commission for Air Quality Management, Turbo Happy Seeder (THS) Air Quality and Weather, Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), Dashboard for Monitoring Air Quality, National Air Quality Index (AQI), Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), etc.
Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), is being implemented through the Environment Pollution (Prevention & Control) Authority (EPCA), is a set of anti-air pollution measures implemented in Delhi-NCR. In 2020, the EPCA was replaced by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM). In GRAP Stage 1 or Poor Stage, the AQI ranges from 201 to 300, Stage 2 or Very Poor from 301 to 400, Stage 3 or Severe Stage from 401 to 450, and in Stage 4 or Severe Plus above 450.
Pollution in Delhi
Pollution level crosses the GRAP stage 4 and stage 2\3 in Delhi-NCR. The Punjab stubble burning emissions are what the AAP government would have you believe. However, the same government in Punjab fails to impose a ban on stubble burning. Other causes of pollution in the city are car emissions, construction and the burning of rubbish at waste plants.
Delhi also provides Mumbai and other cities a lesson in developing a comprehensive strategy as opposed to sector-specific initiatives. In the early 2000s, Delhi concentrated on lowering emissions from the transport sector, but at the same time, it permitted the expansion of polluting businesses and coal-fired power plants in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) airshed. Within a 300-kilometer radius of Delhi, more than 75% of the operating capacity of coal-based power generation was added after 2007. Without sufficient emission control technologies, the unrestrained expansion of coal-based power generation capacity resulted in a significant rise in emissions. The growth of small and medium-sized businesses in Delhi-NCR added to the rising emissions. Rise in the use of private vehicles, unchecked industrial growth, and power generation without effective emission controls escalated air pollution.
Pollution in Mumbai
October is one of the most polluted months in Mumbai, when air pollution levels rise alarmingly. In certain regions of the city, the AQI surpassed even Delhi’s values, at above 300. There has been a sharp rise in respiratory symptoms as a result of the pollution, especially in youngsters. The reasons seem unclear but ongoing construction projects are said to be significant. They reportedly occupy an area five times larger than Mumbai’s commercial hub, Nariman Point. The construction of the metro, which has drastically reduced the width of important roadways like Dr DN Road renowned for its Art Deco structures, is another concern raised by environmental activists. Automobile pollution is further exacerbated by Mumbai’s high private car density of 600 vehicles per kilometre of road.
The quality of the air in Mumbai is also impacted by climate change. Experts connected the 2022 La Nina, a climatic condition that blocked coastal breezes, to the elevated particle matter levels. The October heat and delayed monsoon retreat have made air pollution worse this year, even if there isn’t a La Nina. Harish Phuleria, an associate professor from the Environmental Science and Engineering Department at IIT Bombay, suggests that a combination of outdoor pollution from vehicles and construction activities, along with certain meteorological phenomena, contribute to the problem. Dr Dilip Boralkar, an environmental consultant in Mumbai, believes that photochemical reactions, triggered by heat, have become a significant contributor to air pollution and smog in the past three years. According to some scientists, the efficiency of the sea breeze may be hampered by tall structures that produce localised wind patterns. Dr Harish Phuleria (IIT Bombay) contends that these patterns wouldn’t be substantial enough to alter the weather throughout the city.
A ray of light has emerged for Mumbai with the recent announcements by MPCB, which include shutting down enterprises that pollute, and ordering Tata Power and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Infrastructure Limited to cut operations by 50%. These actions point to a more coordinated strategy for Mumbai’s air quality governance’s emission management. However, unless mid- and long-term emission load reduction targets are made explicit in the state and local clean air action plans, these efforts might not last long.
The building and transport industries continue to be major contributors to high air pollution levels. It is indisputable that new development is necessary, but these industries also need stronger regulations and stringent enforcement. To avoid repeating the mistakes of Delhi-NCR, Mumbai must take the following steps:
1. Establish progressive emission reduction targets and emission load caps for all sectors of the city’s economy that cause pollution, as well as the airshed that surrounds it.
2. To discourage the use of private vehicles, encourage the development of non-motorized and renewable energy-powered electric public transportation networks.
3. Instead of depending just on reactive strategies like smog guns and anti-smog towers, establish an air quality forecasting system for proactive efforts.
4. Free building sites of pollutants by enforcing pollution standards.
5. To increase responsibility for polluting industries and regulatory agencies, improve public data disclosure regarding emissions from all active industries in the airshed surrounding Mumbai.
With the ability to learn from Delhi’s mistakes and take a comprehensive approach to decision-making, Mumbai might set the standard for sustainable development of clean air routes.
*The writer is Professor of Chemistry, School of Physical Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
