North India most polluted this winter: CSE study

Northern India was the most polluted region in the country this winter with Delhi-NCR cities recording higher levels of pollutants, said an analysis of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).The report said the most polluted cities this winter were located in Delhi-NCR and UP, with Ghaziabad and Bulandshahr taking the top spots. The analysis was based on real time data from Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) official online portal Central Control Room for Air Quality Management for 99 cities.The analysis of PM2.5 data showed that, while some cities witnessed arresting or stabilisation of trend with small variation, others experienced either increase or decrease. North Indian cities were, on average, the most polluted — over three times the average of cities in the south. North India cities, including Delhi, witnessed an increase in seasonal average, but a decline in seasonal peak.Mysuru was the least polluted, followed by Satna in Madhya Pradesh and Kochi in Kerala, while Ghaziabad was the most polluted. The analysis said 26 cities in the north recorded over 8% increase from the last winter. Fatehabad in Haryana saw a staggering jump of 228% in the seasonal average.Anumita Roychowdhury, CSE’s executive director in charge of research and advocacy, said winter presented a special challenge when inversion and cool and calm weather traps and spikes daily pollution.“The northern Indo-Gangetic Plain is the most affected, as other regions also experience a rise, but with lesser intensity. However, the average level of PM2.5 during summer and monsoon in 2020 was considerably lower than the previous year due to the lockdown, but the winter PM2.5 concentration has risen compared with 2019 in many cities,” said Roychowdhury. Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager in CSE’s Urban Lab team of the Sustainable Cities programme, said the report had helped in understanding the regional differences in profile of winter pollution. “Though there is considerable regional variation, peak pollution episodes increased and synchronised within the regions during winter. At the same time, uneven rise across monitoring locations and contiguous cities bring out the impact of local pollution,” said Somvanshi.

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/3pTAI6w