Analysis of a severe air pollution episode in India during Diwali festival – a nationwide approach

Ganguly, Nandita D.; Tzanis, Chris G.; Philippopoulos, Kostas; Deligiorgi, Despina

doi:10.20937/atm.2019.32.03.05

Cited by 26 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 29 publications

(30 reference statements)

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“…The variation in the PM 2.5 levels for a location is an interplay of emissions, geography, and meteorological conditions ( Alimissis et al, 2018 ; Ganguly et al, 2019 ; Nair et al, 2007 ). Previously, the diurnal and seasonal variations have been reported for five cities for the period of fewer than four years 2013–2016 by Sreekanth et al (2018) and for four cities excluding Kolkata for four years (2015–2018) by Chen et al (2020) .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One of the distinct features in Delhi is that the PM 2.5 levels are found maximum in November due to the increased biomass burning around Delhi. Moreover, the firecrackers emissions during Diwali, which is celebrated around this period, further adds to the total pollution in Delhi leading to severe pollution episodes for few days ( Ganguly et al, 2019 ). For Chennai, the lowest level is found in April instead of monsoon because of less rainfall during South-West monsoon and onset of sea-breeze.…”

Section: Conclusion and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exceedances and trends of particulate matter (PM2.5) in five Indian megacities

Singh

Biswal

2021

Science of The Total Environment

122

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Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) is the leading environmental risk factor that requires regular monitoring and analysis for effective air quality management. This work presents the variability, trend, and exceedance analysis of PM 2.5 measured at US Embassy and Consulate in five Indian megacities (Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and New Delhi) for six years (2014–2019). Among all cities, Delhi is found to be the most polluted city followed by Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Chennai. The trend analysis for six years for five megacities suggests a statistically significant decreasing trend ranging from 1.5 to 4.19 μg/m 3 (2%–8%) per year. Distinct diurnal, seasonal, and monthly variations are observed in the five cities due to the different site locations and local meteorology. All cities show the highest and lowest concentrations in the winter and monsoon months respectively except for Chennai which observed the lowest levels in April. All the cities consistently show morning peaks (~08: 00–10:00 h) and the lowest level in late afternoon hours (~15:00–16:00 h). We found that the PM 2.5 levels in the cities exceed WHO standards and Indian NAAQS for 50% and 33% of days in a year except for Chennai. Delhi is found to have more than 200 days of exceedances in a year and experiences an average 15 number of episodes per year when the level exceeds the Indian NAAQS. The trends in the exceedance with a varying threshold (20–380 μg/m 3 ) suggest that not only is the annual mean PM 2.5 decreasing in Delhi but also the number of exceedances is decreasing. This decrease can be attributed to the recent policies and regulations implemented in Delhi and other cities for the abatement of air pollution. However, stricter compliance of the National Clean Air Program (NCAP) policies can further accelerate the reduction of the pollution levels.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Conclusion and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exceedances and trends of particulate matter (PM2.5) in five Indian megacities

Singh

Biswal

2021

Science of The Total Environment

122

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“…3). Aside from the use of recrackers, meteorological conditions may have a role in the delayed dispersion of pollutants (Ganguly et al 2019).…”

Section: Characteristics Of Pm 25mentioning

confidence: 99%

Particulate Oxidative Potential Associated with Fireworks Activity during Diwali at a site in the Indo-Gangetic Plain

Goyal

Verma

Kumari

et al. 2022

Preprint

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The dithiothreitol (DTT) assay was used to investigate the oxidative potential (OP) of atmospheric fine particles (PM2.5) to form reactive oxygen species (ROS) during Diwali festival firework activity at a site in the Indo-Gangetic Plain, India. During the study period, the 12-hour mean PM2.5 was reported to be 263 ±151 µg m-3, which was 4.4 times higher than the NAAQS standards. Increased levels of gaseous pollutants (NOx, SO2, CO and O3), as well as metal concentrations such as Ba, Pb, Cu, Fe, Mg, K, Al, and Mn, were also observed during fireworks displays. The increased PM2.5-NOx slope for fireworks, which included traffic emissions, revealed that fireworks played a significant role. The highest value of OP of PM was detected in the next morning of Diwali, with a volume-based DTT value of 1.4 nmol min-1 m-3 and a mass-based DTT value of 11.8 pmol min-1 μg-1, implying higher PM-related DTT activity due to fireworks. A positive association was found between redox-active metals like Cr, Cu, Ni, and V and DTT activity which could be due to the ability of these metals to catalyse ROS generation in ambient air. Ba and Se concentrations in the particulate matter, which are key components of firecrackers, were likewise highly linked to DTT activity. During the daytime, ozone levels were strongly correlated (r2 = 0.9) with OPv activity; this may be due to photochemical processes which may lead to the formation of tropospheric O3. Elements C, O, Al, Si, S, K, and Ba were found to be the most prevalent in elemental mappings, which suggests that fireworks may have contributed to their abundance. A comparison of the daily OPv activity and hazard index (HI) suggests that the HI may be a poor metric for measuring the health impacts of PM exposure on human health.

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“…Besides, emissions in the surrounding rural areas, also contribute to the urban pollution in India (Guttikunda et al, 2019;Ravindra et al, 2019), such as local sources (like traffic, power plants, industries) account for ∼70% of total PM 2.5 , but the non-local sources (agricultural crop burning in the neighboring states) contribute over 30% in Delhi (Guo et al, 2017;Prabhakaran et al, 2020). Moreover, the burning of firecrackers during Diwali festival in Delhi worsens the situation by adding more pollutants (Ganguly et al, 2019). With the ongoing urbanization, PM 2.5 pollution is expected to further increase in the coming decades (Chowdhury et al, 2018;Conibear et al, 2018).…”

Section: Aerosols and Particulate Mattermentioning

confidence: 99%

Air Pollution, Climate Change, and Human Health in Indian Cities: A Brief Review

Kaur

Pandey

2021

Front. Sustain. Cities

110

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Climate change and air pollution have been a matter of serious concern all over the world in the last few decades. The present review has been carried out in this concern over the Indian cities with significant impacts of both the climate change and air pollution on human health. The expanding urban areas with extreme climate events (high rainfall, extreme temperature, floods, and droughts) are posing human health risks. The intensified heat waves as a result of climate change have led to the elevation in temperature levels causing thermal discomfort and several health issues to urban residents. The study also covers the increasing air pollution levels above the prescribed standards for most of the Indian megacities. The aerosols and PM concentrations have been explored and hazardous health impacts of particles that are inhaled by humans and enter the respiratory system have also been discussed. The air quality during COVID-2019 lockdown in Indian cities with its health impacts has also been reviewed. Finally, the correlation between climate change, air pollution, and urbanizations has been presented as air pollutants (such as aerosols) affect the climate of Earth both directly (by absorption and scattering) and indirectly (by altering the cloud properties and radiation transfer processes). So, the present review will serve as a baseline data for policy makers in analyzing vulnerable regions and implementing mitigation plans for tackling air pollution. The adaptation and mitigation measures can be taken based on the review in Indian cities to reciprocate human health impacts by regular air pollution monitoring and addressing climate change as well.

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Analysis of a severe air pollution episode in India during Diwali festival – a nationwide approach

Cited by 26 publications

References 29 publications

Exceedances and trends of particulate matter (PM2.5) in five Indian megacities

Exceedances and trends of particulate matter (PM2.5) in five Indian megacities

Particulate Oxidative Potential Associated with Fireworks Activity during Diwali at a site in the Indo-Gangetic Plain

Air Pollution, Climate Change, and Human Health in Indian Cities: A Brief Review

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