BENGALURU: A new report from Greenpeace India revealed that a year after the initial Covid-induced nationwide lockdown, NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) pollution has increased in eight most populous state capitals -- Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Jaipur and Lucknow.
According to satellite observations, NO2 pollution in Bengaluru increased by 90 per cent, between April 2020 and April 2021, as per satellite data. The weather contributed little to this change. In 2020, the city recorded 0.085 Dobson Unit (DU) of NO2, and in 2021, the city recorded 0.161 Dobson Unit of NO2.
NO2 is a dangerous air pollutant that is released when fuel is burned -- in motor vehicles, power generators and during industrial processes. Exposure to NO2 can severely impact people’s health at all ages, including the respiratory and circulatory systems and the brain, leading to an increase in hospital admission and mortality.
Delhi registered a dramatic spike of 125 per cent in NO2 emissions, Chennai saw a sharp 94 per cent increase, Mumbai 52 per cent, Hyderabad 69 per cent spike, Kolkata 11 per cent, Jaipur saw a 47 per cent spike, and Lucknow 32 per cent. These figures were recorded in April 2021, and compared to the same month last year.
The health impact of fossil-fuel related air pollution is severe, and is recorded in several reports, time and again. Yet, there has been little change in our reliance on fossil fuels, including coal, oil and gas, increased economic activity is still largely coupled with toxic air pollution in most cities, the organisation said in a press statement
“Air quality levels in these cities are alarming. The cities and people are already paying a huge price for our reliance on burning fossil fuels, this cannot continue. People saw clean skies and breathed fresh air during the nationwide lockdown, though it was an unintended consequence of the pandemic,” said Avinash Chanchal, senior climate campaigner, Greenpeace India, adding that there is a need to transition to cleaner, equitable and sustainable decentralised energy sources such as rooftop solar, and clean and sustainable mobility must be central to recovery efforts across cities. “The recovery from the pandemic must not come at the expense of a return to previous levels of air pollution,” Chanchal added.