Air pollution in three megacities of India during the Diwali festival amidst COVID-19 pandemic

Mandal, Jayatra; Chanda, Abhra; Samanta, Sourav

doi:10.1016/j.scs.2021.103504

Cited by 21 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 88 publications

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“…A study of Israel showed that the total percentage change of pollution emissions explained by the lockdown was up to 26%, which increased to 47% by taking meteorological conditions as a factor in addition to the lockdown effect ( Agami and Dayan, 2021 ). In India, Mandal et al (2022) noted that adverse meteorological conditions exacerbated Delhi's air pollution situation.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Meteorology-normalized variations of air quality during the COVID-19 lockdown in three Chinese megacities

Tian

Luo

et al. 2022

Atmospheric Pollution Research

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Meteorology-normalized variations of air quality during the COVID-19 lockdown in three Chinese megacities

Tian

Luo

et al. 2022

Atmospheric Pollution Research

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“…On the one hand, firecrackers consume a lot of oxygen to burst, and on the other hand, they produce a substantial amount of carbon monoxide, PAHs, SO 2 , NOx, and CO 2 resulting from incomplete combustion (Mandal et al 2021 ). Spontaneously, moisture gets absorbed on particles/gas molecules which may produce toxic secondary pollutants.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical characterization of PM10 and PM2.5 combusted firecracker particles during Diwali of Lucknow City, India: air-quality deterioration and health implications

Saxena

Kumar

Mahanta

et al. 2022

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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Urban air pollution is a growing menace leading to human discomfort, increased hospitalizations, morbidity, and mortality. This study deals with deteriorated air quality due to firecracker bursting during Diwali in Lucknow. Inhalable particulates and gaseous pollutants were monitored during Diwali 2020 using air samplers. Elements, ions, and surface morphology of particles were analyzed using ICP-MS, ion chromatograph, and SEM-EDX, respectively. PM 10 , PM 2.5 , SO 2 , and NO 2 were 558, 352, 44, and 86 μg/m 3 during Diwali night and 233, 101, 17, and 40 μg/m 3 on pre-Diwali night while 241, 122, 24, and 43 μg/m 3 on Diwali day. Concentrations surged for PM 10 : 139% and 132%, PM 2.5 : 249% and 189%, SO 2 : 159% and 83%, and NO 2 : 115% and 100% on Diwali night compared to pre-Diwali night and corresponding Diwali day, respectively. Al, K, Ba, and B showed dominance in PM 10 whereas Zn, Al, Ba, and K in PM 2.5 on Diwali night. The order of metal abundance in PM 2.5 was Cd < Co < Ag < As < Cr < Ni < Cu < Bi < Pb < Mn < Sr < Fe < B < Zn < Al < Ba < K. Cations NH 4 + , K + , Mg 2+ , Ca 2+ , and anions F − , Cl − , NO 3 − , Br − , NO 2 − , SO 4 −2 , PO 4 3− showed a 2–8 fold increase on Diwali night relative to pre-Diwali night. Average metal concentrations varied by 2.2, 1.6, and 0.09 times on Diwali than pre-Diwali in residential, commercial, and industrial areas, respectively. PM 10 concentration increased by 458% and 1140% while PM 2.5 , 487%, and 2247% than respective NAAQS and WHO standards. Tiny firecracker particles vary in toxicity as compared to vehicular emissions and have enhanced bioavailability leading to severe threat in terms of LRI, COPD, and atherosclerosis for city dwellers. It is imperative to recognize the present status of ambient air quality and implement regulatory strategies for emission reduction. Graphical abstract

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“…This indicates that particulate matters (PM 2.5 and PM 10 ), and primary trace gases (SO 2 and NO 2 ) have similar sources of emissions like fossil fuel combustion and traffic. The recent studies also stated a strong positive correlation between particulate matters (PM 2.5 and PM 10 ), and primary trace gases in Beijing [ 67 ] and Delhi [ 68 ]. The correlation of O 3 with other trace gases and particulate matter showed diverse trends over the different cities of this study.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatiotemporal characterization of aerosols and trace gases over the Yangtze River Delta region, China: impact of trans-boundary pollution and meteorology

et al. 2022

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Background The spatiotemporal variation of observed trace gases (NO2, SO2, O3) and particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10) were investigated over cities of Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region including Nanjing, Hefei, Shanghai and Hangzhou. Furthermore, the characteristics of different pollution episodes, i.e., haze events (visibility < 7 km, relative humidity < 80%, and PM2.5 > 40 µg/m3) and complex pollution episodes (PM2.5 > 35 µg/m3 and O3 > 160 µg/m3) were studied over the cities of the YRD region. The impact of China clean air action plan on concentration of aerosols and trace gases is examined. The impacts of trans-boundary pollution and different meteorological conditions were also examined. Results The highest annual mean concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, NO2 and O3 were found for 2019 over all the cities. The annual mean concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 showed continuous declines from 2019 to 2021 due to emission control measures and implementation of the Clean Air Action plan over all the cities of the YRD region. The annual mean O3 levels showed a decline in 2020 over all the cities of YRD region, which is unprecedented since the beginning of the China’s National environmental monitoring program since 2013. However, a slight increase in annual O3 was observed in 2021. The highest overall means of PM2.5, PM10, SO2, and NO2 were observed over Hefei, whereas the highest O3 levels were found in Nanjing. Despite the strict control measures, PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations exceeded the Grade-1 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and WHO (World Health Organization) guidelines over all the cities of the YRD region. The number of haze days was higher in Hefei and Nanjing, whereas the complex pollution episodes or concurrent occurrence of O3 and PM2.5 pollution days were higher in Hangzhou and Shanghai. The in situ data for SO2 and NO2 showed strong correlation with Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) satellite data. Conclusions Despite the observed reductions in primary pollutants concentrations, the secondary pollutants formation is still a concern for major metropolises. The increase in temperature and lower relative humidity favors the accumulation of O3, while low temperature, low wind speeds and lower relative humidity favor the accumulation of primary pollutants. This study depicts different air pollution problems for different cities inside a region. Therefore, there is a dire need to continuous monitoring and analysis of air quality parameters and design city-specific policies and action plans to effectively deal with the metropolitan pollution.

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Air pollution in three megacities of India during the Diwali festival amidst COVID-19 pandemic

Cited by 21 publications

References 88 publications

Meteorology-normalized variations of air quality during the COVID-19 lockdown in three Chinese megacities

Meteorology-normalized variations of air quality during the COVID-19 lockdown in three Chinese megacities

Chemical characterization of PM10 and PM2.5 combusted firecracker particles during Diwali of Lucknow City, India: air-quality deterioration and health implications

Spatiotemporal characterization of aerosols and trace gases over the Yangtze River Delta region, China: impact of trans-boundary pollution and meteorology

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