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Ishita Roy

Delhi Is a Gas Chamber Where Nothing Comes In or Goes Out, Says Expert; Neighboring States Not to Blame for AQI

Delhi's air quality index (<span>AQI</span>) remained in the 'very poor' category on Wednesday, as the city's average AQI stood at 329 as of 7am. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data in all stations, though, showed that it was below the 'severe' range, with some locations in the 'poor' range too. 

Delhi has not yet experienced the cold wave this season, however, the city is still covered with smog, and the air quality continues to threaten people's health. The Delhi winters haven't peaked yet, so what made the pollution so worse already? Gufran Beig, Chair Professor at National Institute of Advanced Studies, IISC-Campus and Founder Project Director SAFAR, writes for Indian Express that while the AQI right now may be 'very poor', "It will return, playing hide-and-seek for at least another month". 

<h2>No Buffer To Protect Public Health From Delhi's Air Pollution</h2>

He says that the wind speed across Delhi and its wider airshed "dropped close to zero". This means "nothing was coming in and nothing was going out". He also noted that stubble burning in the neighboring state is not the problem, rather Delhi is choking on its own emission. He explains that the vertical dispersion was restricted by a shallow inversion layer, which was approximately 500 to 700 metres deep. Which means, emission from a fixed point sources linger where they released, and it creates a localized pollution hotspot instead of spreading, because there was almost no wind. 

He explained that the atmosphere here has temporarily lost its capacity to clean itself. Even if this is for couple of days, this has become very apparent in Delhi. "When the air stands still, stagnation sets in, ventilation collapses, and the system is left with no buffer to protect public health. When the weather naps, there is nowhere left to hide. Yet, we continue to blame the weather instead of our emissions," he writes.

Read: <a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health-wellness/winter-vomiting-disease-on-the-rise-in-the-us-how-to-disinfect-after-norovirus-article-153304061" data-type="tilCustomLink">AQI Explained: It’s Not Temperature, As Delhi CM Says, Here’s What the Air Quality Index Really Means</a>

Beig writes that if Delhi is able to cut its local pollution by 50 per cent, the pollution too could drop by 50 per cent. The emission should happen across the airshed. However, the focus should be for a long-term action on the source of emission and not short-term optics like cloud seeding, smog towers, water sprinkling or air purifiers. 

In fact, as per a study published in Sustainability (MDPI), an open access journal, which mapped Delhi's air quality between 1990 to 2022 and found that transports emit around 10 to 30% of pollution, whereas agricultural residue burning, which is a seasonal source of pollution leads to less than 3% of pollution, whereas firecrackers, another seasonal source, leads to less than 1% of pollution.

<a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health-news/lancet-study-estimates-15-lakh-annual-air-pollution-deaths-in-india-centre-calls-data-inconclusive-article-153294868" data-type="tilCustomLink">Lancet </a> study revealed that 15 lakh annual deaths in India are due to long-term exposure to air pollution. The particulate matter or PM2.5 found in air pollution is linked to many health issues. Since the particles are so small in size, it could easily penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream, and cause serious health impacts. 

However, despite the global studies highlighting the country's ever-growing pollution problem, the Centre stated that "there is no conclusive data available in the country to establish direct correlation if death/disease exclusively due to air pollution."

The study estimated: “1·5 million deaths occurred annually due to long-term exposure to PM2·5 in India every year in excess of the 5 μg/m3 that is recommended by the WHO ambient air quality guidelines.”

The study noted that every 10μg/m³ increase in annual PM2·5 concentration was associated with an 8.6 pc higher risk of all-cause mortality.

Using India’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards, researchers estimate that about 3.8 million deaths between 2009 and 2019 were linked to PM2.5 exposure. When WHO guidelines were applied, the number rose sharply to 16.6 million, nearly one-fourth of all deaths in the country. The analysis relied on advanced causal methods and high-resolution models that mapped district-level PM2.5 exposure across India, while accounting for factors such as socioeconomic status, age distribution, and indoor air pollution.

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Delhi's air quality index (AQI) remained in the 'very poor' category on Wednesday, as the city's average AQI stood at 329 as of 7am. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data in all stations, though, showed that it was below the 'severe' range, with some locations in the 'poor' range too. Delhi has not yet experienced the cold wave this season, however, the city is still covered with smog, and the air quality continues to threaten people's health. The Delhi winters haven't peaked yet, so what made the pollution so worse already? Gufran Beig, Chair Professor at National Institute of Advanced Studies, IISC-Campus and Founder Project Director SAFAR, writes for Indian Express that while the AQI right now may be 'very poor', "It will return, playing hide-and-seek for at least another month". No Buffer To Protect Public Health From Delhi's Air PollutionHe says that the wind speed across Delhi and its wider airshed "dropped close to zero". This means "nothing was coming in and nothing was going out". He also noted that stubble burning in the neighboring state is not the problem, rather Delhi is choking on its own emission. He explains that the vertical dispersion was restricted by a shallow inversion layer, which was approximately 500 to 700 metres deep. Which means, emission from a fixed point sources linger where they released, and it creates a localized pollution hotspot instead of spreading, because there was almost no wind. He explained that the atmosphere here has temporarily lost its capacity to clean itself. Even if this is for couple of days, this has become very apparent in Delhi. "When the air stands still, stagnation sets in, ventilation collapses, and the system is left with no buffer to protect public health. When the weather naps, there is nowhere left to hide. Yet, we continue to blame the weather instead of our emissions," he writes.Read: AQI Explained: It’s Not Temperature, As Delhi CM Says, Here’s What the Air Quality Index Really MeansCould There Be A Solution?Beig writes that if Delhi is able to cut its local pollution by 50 per cent, the pollution too could drop by 50 per cent. The emission should happen across the airshed. However, the focus should be for a long-term action on the source of emission and not short-term optics like cloud seeding, smog towers, water sprinkling or air purifiers. In fact, as per a study published in Sustainability (MDPI), an open access journal, which mapped Delhi's air quality between 1990 to 2022 and found that transports emit around 10 to 30% of pollution, whereas agricultural residue burning, which is a seasonal source of pollution leads to less than 3% of pollution, whereas firecrackers, another seasonal source, leads to less than 1% of pollution.Pollution's Impact On HealthLancet  study revealed that 15 lakh annual deaths in India are due to long-term exposure to air pollution. The particulate matter or PM2.5 found in air pollution is linked to many health issues. Since the particles are so small in size, it could easily penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream, and cause serious health impacts. However, despite the global studies highlighting the country's ever-growing pollution problem, the Centre stated that "there is no conclusive data available in the country to establish direct correlation if death/disease exclusively due to air pollution."The study estimated: “1·5 million deaths occurred annually due to long-term exposure to PM2·5 in India every year in excess of the 5 μg/m3 that is recommended by the WHO ambient air quality guidelines.”The study noted that every 10μg/m³ increase in annual PM2·5 concentration was associated with an 8.6 pc higher risk of all-cause mortality.Using India’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards, researchers estimate that about 3.8 million deaths between 2009 and 2019 were linked to PM2.5 exposure. When WHO guidelines were applied, the number rose sharply to 16.6 million, nearly one-fourth of all deaths in the country. The analysis relied on advanced causal methods and high-resolution models that mapped district-level PM2.5 exposure across India, while accounting for factors such as socioeconomic status, age distribution, and indoor air pollution.

delhi is a gas chamber where nothing comes in or goes out, says expert; neighboring states not to blame for aqi

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Delhi Is a Gas Chamber Where Nothing Comes In or Goes Out, Says Expert; Neighboring States Not to Blame for AQI

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