Abstract:
The air quality in peninsular India is relatively better than that in other parts of India due to its proximity to the sea on three sides. The pandemic-induced lockdown resulted in negligible anthropogenic emissions of particulate pollutants and provided a unique opportunity to estimate the baseline levels (to which people are chronically exposed) and the background levels (when internal emissions are negligible but external intrusions are ongoing). This research work reports the baseline and background PM2.5 and PM10 levels in five major cities in various states of peninsular India and compare them with the corresponding levels estimated for other parts of India. It is observed that cities with high ambient levels do not necessarily have high baseline levels and vice-versa. The baseline levels of PM2.5 and PM10 in these cities are estimated to be 5 and 15 µg/m3 and 15 – 43 µg/m3, respectively, whereas their background levels range between 18 - 37 µg/m3 and 46 – 70 µg/m3, respectively. Although the ambient PM10 levels in Hyderabad and Vishakhapatnam are significantly lesser than in Delhi, the baseline levels in these cities are higher than in Delhi. The results suggest that some cities in peninsular India are more vulnerable to air pollution-related illnesses compared to highly polluted cities like Delhi. It is also observed that even the baseline levels that are very hard to alter in all major Indian cities are higher than recently prescribed WHO guidelines. The results question whether WHO guidelines are too stringent even for Indian cities. The paper emphasizes that air quality standards and policies must consider the human susceptibility to air pollution, which may vary based on age distribution, nutritional intake, access and quality of health care, location, meteorological conditions, and any natural immunity. These results are useful for epidemiologists and policymakers to develop effective risk management policies and assess national air quality standards.
About the speaker:
Ms. V. P. Lavanyaa is a PhD Scholar at the School of Natural Sciences and Engineering, NIAS. She is working with Prof. R. Srikanth. Her PhD thesis is titled "Air Quality and Public Health: A case study in Bengaluru". Her research work attempts to explore the relationship between fine particulate matter concentration (PM2.5) and public health indicators such as mortality and morbidity in Bengaluru. Prior to joining as PhD scholar at NIAS, she completed her master’s in Physics from the University of Madras.