{"id":14418,"date":"2021-03-17T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-17T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/current_affairs\/uncategorized\/17-03-2021\/world-air-quality-report-2020\/"},"modified":"2021-03-17T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-03-17T00:00:00","slug":"world-air-quality-report-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/17-03-2021\/world-air-quality-report-2020","title":{"rendered":"World Air Quality Report 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>In News<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Recently, <strong>Swiss technology<\/strong> company <strong>IQAir <\/strong>has released the <strong>World Air Quality report.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>About<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The global cities ranking report is based on PM2.5 data from 106 countries, which is measured by ground-based monitoring stations, most of which is operated by government agencies.<\/li>\n<li>India continues to feature prominently at the top of the most polluted cities ranking, with 22 of the top 30 most polluted cities globally.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Key Highlights of the Report<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>22 of the world&#8217;s 30 most polluted cities including Delhi are in India.<\/li>\n<li>It shows that Delhi\u2019s air quality improved by approximately 15% from 2019 to 2020.\n<ul>\n<li>Despite widespread<strong> air quality improvements<\/strong> during 2019-20, air pollution in India is still <strong>dangerously high.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cfstatic.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/file_library\/mix_content\/494045819800158900_image.png\" style=\"height:278px; margin-left:100px; margin-right:100px; width:387px\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0India continues to dominate annual <strong>PM 2.5 rankings by city.<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>PM 2.5 refers<\/strong> to the <strong>ambient airborne particles of size 2.5 micrometres<\/strong> that <strong>are emitted from various sources<\/strong> and are linked to <strong>negative health effects <\/strong>such as<strong> cardiovascular disease, respiratory illness and premature mortality.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>The annual exposure limit of PM2.5 set by WHO is 10 \u00b5g\/m3, lower than 40 \u00b5g\/m3 set under the Indian National Ambient Air Quality Standards.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cfstatic.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/file_library\/mix_content\/227123998013832300_image.jpg\" style=\"height:260px; margin-left:100px; margin-right:100px; width:352px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Despite an <strong>11% reduction in the annual average of PM 2.5<\/strong> levels due to nationwide coronavirus lockdown curbs imposed last year, India emerged as the<strong> world&#8217;s third most polluted country after Bangladesh and Pakistan.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Sources <\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Major sources of India\u2019s air pollution include<strong> transportation, biomass burning for cooking, electricity generation, industry, construction,<\/strong> <strong>waste burning, and episodic agricultural burning.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Impacts <\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Air pollution caused an estimated 54,000 premature deaths in New Delhi in 2020.<\/li>\n<li>Prolonged exposure to PM 2.5 can lead to deadly diseases, including cancer and cardiac problems.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"width:735px\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color:#fff2cc; width:468.0pt\">\n<p><strong>What is Air pollution?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Air pollution refers to the <strong>release of pollutants<\/strong> into the air that is <strong>detrimental to human health<\/strong> and the planet as a whole.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Source of Air Pollution<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Nitrogen dioxide<\/strong>: It is one of the major pollutants and major sources of <strong>NOx include emissions<\/strong> from <strong>motor vehicle exhaust,<\/strong> <strong>industrial facilities, and chemical solvents<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Agriculture &#038; Allied Sources<\/strong>: <strong>Ammonia (NH3)<\/strong> -It is another <strong>gaseous pollutant<\/strong> that is monitored.\n<ul>\n<li>It occurs naturally in <strong>air, soil and water<\/strong>, and is used as an<strong> agricultural fertiliser and in cleaning products. <\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Short-term inhalation of <strong>high levels of ammonia <\/strong>can <strong>cause irritation<\/strong> and <strong>serious burns in the mouth, lungs and eyes. <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stubble burning: <\/strong>It is also one of the<strong> major sources of air pollution<\/strong> in northern India, especially in winters.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sulphur dioxide (SO2) and particulate matter<\/strong>: They emitted from the <strong>combustion of fossil fuels <\/strong>have, historically, been the main components of<strong> air pollution in many parts of the world.<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The largest source of <strong>SO2 in the atmosphere<\/strong> is <strong>burning fossil fuels<\/strong> by <strong>power plants and other industrial facilities. <\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Short-term exposure to SO2 can harm the<strong> respiratory system<\/strong>, <strong>making breathing more difficult.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Particulate matter (PM) are inhalable and respirable particles composed of sulphate, nitrates, ammonia, sodium chloride, black carbon, mineral dust and water.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Carbon monoxide (CO)<\/strong>: It is a<strong> toxic, colourless and odourless ga<\/strong>s, given off when<strong> fuel containing carbon<\/strong>, such as <strong>wood, coal and petrol, are burned.<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Major sources of <strong>methane include waste<\/strong> and the<strong> fossil fuel and agricultural industry.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ozone (O3): <\/strong>It occurs both in the <strong>Earth\u2019s upper atmosphere<\/strong> and at<strong> ground level<\/strong>. At the ground, <strong>O3 is created by the chemical reaction<\/strong> between <strong>oxides of nitrogen (NOx) <\/strong>and <strong>volatile organic compounds.<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>It is formed when<strong> pollutants emitted by cars<\/strong>,<strong> power plants, refineries<\/strong> and other sources <strong>chemically react in presence of sunlight.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>It can trigger a variety of <strong>health problems,<\/strong> including <strong>chest pain, throat irritation<\/strong> and <strong>airway inflammation.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Concerns<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The Lancet Planetary Health published in December 2020 states that lost output from premature deaths and morbidity attributable to air pollution accounted for <strong>economic losses <\/strong>of $28\u00b78 billion (about Rs 2,13,451 crore) in India in 2019.<\/li>\n<li>The global death rate attributable to air pollution exposure is 86 deaths per 100,000 people.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Steps Taken by Government<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The <strong>Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Household LPG program<\/strong> and <strong>other schemes have helped to dramatically expand access<\/strong> to <strong>clean energy,<\/strong> especially for <strong>rural households.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>It was launched in 2019)now renamed <strong>National Clear Air Mission<\/strong> which aims to reduce the <strong>particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) concentrations<\/strong> in the air by <strong>20\u201330% by 2024.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Commission for Air Quality Management<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0The Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and adjoining areas, 2020 \u2014 with a provision for a fine of Rs 1 crore and\/or jail for 5 years for those violating air pollution norms.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><strong>Way Forward<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>With the National Clean Air Programme and introduction of BS-VI emission standards, India has begun to take <strong>steps towards improving air quality<\/strong> and the efforts<strong> must be continued<\/strong> and <strong>expanded over the next few years to see improvements in air quality.<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>This will require concerted action at both the national and state and local levels.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0Given the severity of air pollution within this region, more real-time monitoring is needed to enable more people to respond and protect their health.<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0Governments prioritise sustainable and clean <strong>energy sources, as well as the cities<\/strong>, need to <strong>encourage low cost, active and carbon-neutral mobility <\/strong>choices such as<strong> walking, cycling, and accessible public transport.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/city\/delhi\/delhi-still-worlds-most-polluted-capital-report\/articleshow\/81541177.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source :TOI<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In News Recently, Swiss technology company IQAir has released the World Air Quality report. About The global cities ranking report is based on PM2.5 data from 106 countries, which is measured by ground-based monitoring stations, most of which is operated by government agencies. India continues to feature prominently at the top of the most polluted [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14419,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[60,26],"class_list":["post-14418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current-affairs","tag-environmental-pollution-degradation","tag-gs-3"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2023\/07\/20613676268277current-affairs.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14418"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14418\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14419"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}