BENGALURU: Bengaluru has a nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollution problem, a Greenpeace report released on Thursday revealed. The city is one of the top hotspots for this pollutant, the study revealed. Relying on satellite data collected and analysed between February 2018 and May 2019, Greenpeace compiled a list of cities that had high levels of NO2, owing to various factors.
“Cities such as Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad which have high vehicular population, naturally consume more diesel and oil and are among the most polluting hotspots. Coal consumption centres and industrial clusters like Sonbhadra-Singrauli in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Korba in Chattisgarh, Talcher in Odisha, Chandrapur in Maharashtra, Mundra in Gujarat and Durgapur in West Bengal were found equally polluting,” the report stated.
NOx emissions contribute to three types of toxic air pollution, PM2.5, NO2 and ozone, each of which is responsible for thousands of premature deaths each year in India, the organisation said in the report, adding that the satellite-based data doesn’t allow the major polluters to hide.
“Over the past few years, several studies have identified PM2.5, NOx and O3 pollutants having a significant impact on human health. These are particularly dangerous air pollutants, causing respiratory illnesses and lung damage with acute exposure, and increasing the risk of chronic diseases such as heart attacks and lung cancer with long-term exposure,” said Pujarini Sen, Senior Campaigner, Greenpeace India.
Given the seriousness of the spread of NOx pollution across the country, Greenpeace called for the country’s decision-makers to ensure the power sector complies with the emission standards notified for coal-based power plants and notify stricter emission standards for other polluting industries. They also demanded that the government introduce a cap on emission loads for transport and other sectors in and around cities.