Managing in-country air pollution sources can benefit South Asian nations: Experts

Professor S N Tripathi, head of civil engineering department at Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, said, “While Kathmandu and the entire Gangetic plains have a valley effect, making the odds against them, cities in South Asia are not only impacted by their topography and meteorological factors. A comparative analysis between Kanpur, which is a representative site of the Indo-Gangetic plains, and Dhaka shows that even if PM2.5 levels in Dhaka are lesser in comparison to Kanpur, the lead (Pb) concentration is far higher and exceeds even the NOx values for a good part of the year in Dhaka. Lead is a carcinogen generated from solid fuels used in household cooking, while nitrogen dioxide emissions are mostly attributed to transport.”

“An early estimate from the Central Pollution Control Board and IIT Delhi shows that there’s a 20 per cent reduction in PM2.5 levels in Delhi in the last four years due to policy measures taken in the National Capital Region, like switching to cleaner BSVI fuel, installing CEMS monitoring across all industries, cleaner zigzag technology in brick kilns, eastern and western peripheral highways which bypass heavy traffic from city limits, and happy seeders which addressed the crop residue burning to an extent,” he added.

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