THE POISON YOU BREATHE

The Telegraph , Friday, May 13, 2016
Correspondent : Piyush Kumar Tripathi
First, the good news: Patna now ranks third - a step better than 2014 - among the most-polluted Indian cities in the latest World Health Organisation (WHO) report. The bad news? The Bihar capital now ranks sixth among 3,000 most-polluted cities across the world that WHO studied; in 2014, it was 48 among 1,600.

The slight improvement in the outdoor air pollution the city has registered is also negated by the level of PM2.5 - ultra-fine particulate matter (PM) of less than 2.5 microns, that invade human lungs and cause diseases such as cancer - higher than any city in China, which is so infamous for air pollution that some global athletes have refused to participate in several athletics meets in that country.

The latest urban air quality database released by WHO on Thursday indicates overall deterioration of Patna in the past couple of years.

WHO monitored the level of PM2.5 and PM10 (particulate matter of less than 10 microns) in 3,000 cities between 2010 and 2015 based on information received either from government agencies or third party research agencies. In case of Patna, the assessment was made based on data furnished by the Central Pollution Control Board while Open Government Data Platform India provided details of other cities in the country.

Officials in the Bihar State Pollution Control Board are not much concerned about the report though. "We are taking all possible measures to curb air pollution," was all that Subhash Chandra Singh, chairman, state pollution control board, said in response to the WHO report.

Experts claimed the report highlights the apathy of the state government towards air pollution. "It is clear from the report that Patna is facing air pollution crisis," said Ashok Ghosh, professor-in-charge at the state department of environment and water management. "Alarming level of air pollution is not something new to Patna but the response from the state government has been unfortunately inadequate. Bihar State Pollution Control Board is a toothless agency as it does not have any executive powers to take stringent measures to curb pollution. The state government has also not shown any proactive-ness on this front."

Suspended road dust particles, vehicular emission and smoke from brick kilns have been linked to higher levels of suspended particulate matter (RSPM/PM10) in Patna's air. WHO in October 2013 classified outdoor air pollution as carcinogenic (cancer-causing agents) to humans.

Health experts have said particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) leads to a number of health hazards, including cancer. "Particulate matter more than 10 microns get filtered in the nasal cavity but the finer particles reach the lung and cause damage to the respiratory system. The common ailments caused by high-level of air pollution include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, allergic reaction to the lungs, bronchitis, sinus blockage and asthma," said physician Diwakar Tejaswi.

Patna has done little over the years to lower air pollution. As per the last report on air pollution in Patna released by the state pollution control board, the level of three out of four air pollutants increased in 2014-15 as compared to the corresponding levels in the previous year (2013-14). (See graphic)

Against the prescribed standard of 60 microgram per cubic metres (µg/m3), the corresponding actual annual average of PM10 in the city stood at 185.85 mg/cubic metres. It stood at 152 µg/m3 in the previous year (2013-14). PM10 also invades the lungs and triggers respiratory diseases and even cancer.

The number of vehicles in Patna is around 11.5 lakh. Even though vehicular population in the city has been growing rapidly, experts have blamed dust particles more for the deteriorating air quality.

"Particulate matter, including those less than 2.5 micron, 10 micron and heavier particles, are the single-largest cause behind deteriorating air quality of Patna. Among the various sources, road dust particles form the biggest share of particulate matter," said Ghosh.

The average level of PM10 in the air these days has been around 350 µg/m3, three-and-a-half times the daily permissible limit of 100 µg/m3. The pollution control board, in its advisory issued on December 14 last year, said Air Quality Index (AQI) of Patna crossed the 400-mark in November-December, shattering all previous records in the city.

The AQI is an assessment of the air quality taking into account eight pollutants: PM2.5, PM10, nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide, ammonia and lead.

 
SOURCE : http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160513/jsp/bihar/story_85237.jsp#.VzVnKuV97IU
 


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