Pollution

A new report from Greenpeace India reveals that a year after initial nationwide lockdowns due to Covid-19, NO2 (Nitrogen Dioxide ) pollution has increased in all eight most populous state capitals studied highlighting worsening air quality. Among Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Jaipur and Lucknow, Delhi saw the most dramatic increase between April 2020 and April 2021. Chennai stood at second position with an increase of 94% between April 2020 and April 2021. NO2 in Chennai NO2 is a dangerous air pollutant that is released when fuel is burned, as in most motor vehicles, power generation, and industrial processes.…

Singara Chennai. The capital of Tamil Nadu and a hub of automobile and electronic hardware industries. A city that is often labelled as India’s health capital with several multi speciality government and private hospitals. And yet, there remains a lot to be done to fulfill the expectations and aspirations of its citizens. The recent elections saw the DMK come to power in the state, clinching every seat in the city. In its earlier stints, the DMK government had been behind several projects that are key landmarks in the city today: the multi-level flyover at Kathipara, the largest cloverleaf flyover in Asia,…

A report by Healthy Energy Initiative — India (an initiative that works in healthcare and climate change spaces) reveals that two Thermal Power Plants (TPPs) in the Ennore thermal cluster in Tamil Nadu were found violating the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC) prescribed norms up to 53% of the total operational time in two years, between 2019-2020.  In March 2021, just as the second wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic was surging in India, the MOEFCC issued a notification extending the deadline to meet the 2015 emission norms for thermal power plants until 2024. Zero action to meet…

“I was thrilled when the government issued an ordinance to control air quality in the NCR,” says 76-year old Mithilesh Kumar of Seemantak Vihar near the Delhi-Ghaziabad border. But as crackers shattered the relative quiet of his area, Mithilesh, an asthma patient who thought he was safe this year from cracker smoke polluted air, wanted to lodge a complaint with the new commission. “But I did not know whom to complain to. My grandson tried to find out from the net, but could not.” Not far away, Chandra Aggarwal, 43, was so gung-ho, she had hoped her use of nebulizer…

'Poison in the Air', a study by Chennai Climate Action Group (CCAG), has revealed that six major industries in the Ennore-Manali region have been contributing to pollution during 59% (215.35 days) of the previous year (2019). The study analyzed over 18 lakh hours of the stack emissions data of TANGEDCO’s North Chennai Thermal Power Station (NCTPS) Stage I, NTECL Vallur power plant, Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd (CPCL), Tamil Nadu Petroproducts Ltd (TPL), Manali Petrochemicals Ltd (MPL), and Madras Fertilizers Ltd (MFL) obtained from Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board's (TNPCB) Care Air Centre through the Right to Information (RTI) Act. According…

The Supreme Court decided to increase the pressure on the Centre and states. Last winter, the apex court had ruled that stubble burning was a violation of people’s right to life under Article 21. But last month, it decided to take the matter into its own hands. “We just want that the people of Delhi-NCR breathe fresh air without any pollution”, a bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde said on October 16th, after appointing retired Justice Madan B Lokur as a one-man committee to take steps to prevent stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. And set October…

Farmers in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh are peeved at being blamed for Delhi’s smog. “We have been burning crop residue for the past 50 years now,” said a leader of the Bharatiya Kisan Union from Haryana, who does not want to be named. “If anybody is affected it should be the surrounding villages. We don’t face any such problem. So why is this problem in Delhi seen just during these past few years?” Every winter, not just Delhi but the entire northern region is frequently enveloped in a thick blanket of smog, caused by air pollution from vehicular and…

The BMTC has more often than not followed the KSRTC in increasing fares. With the latter recently increasing fares, chances of the former considering a revision is a possibility. While that suspense continues, a study by the city-based think-tank Fields of View demonstrates exactly why it makes sense -- economically and environmentally -- to reduce bus fares. The study -- ‘Scenario based analysis of change in fares for public transport, ridership, congestion and emissions in Bangalore’ -- demonstrates through different scenarios (bus fare being the primary variable) just how much Bengaluru could gain, or lose, from BMTC’s decisions.The authors of…

Air quality in all 15 locations sampled from across the city between May and July 2019 was unhealthy, with levels of PM 2.5 in the worst affected areas nearly three times the national standard of 60 ug/m3, according to a study released by Healthy Energy Initiative and Doctors for Clean Air-Tamil Nadu. The widespread nature of pollution and the fact that the samples were taken in summer highlights how the current pollution crisis is neither an isolated nor a seasonal incident. The study analysed 24-hour air samples for PM 2.5 and a host of heavy metals. The densely populated areas…

The air quality in Chennai has deteriorated to alarming levels. An hourly data feed from Central Pollution Control Board's app - Sameer - shows that as of Nov 7th, 2:37 PM, the Air Quality Index (AQI) level in Velachery area stood at 271 (as compared to Delhi which is at 282 at the same time). The Weather Channel AQI data for the same time showed Chennai AQI as 217. While the calculation to arrive at AQI may differ, but one thing is clear from the findings across all these reports. The air is not healthy for breathing. Chennai's natural air…