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Delhi has made a not so enviable distinction of being among the most polluted cities in the world, thanks to the "big smog" of last November. But it is not only Delhi that is afflicting its inhabitants with clean air, because the notorious pollution of Kanpur in recent years has made breathing even harder for its inhabitants.
Kanpur, the industrial hub of Uttar Pradesh, in recent years, has broken down the barriers with regard to the Air Quality Index (AQI), and even the whole world has took good note. In May 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that Kanpur was the most polluted city in the world. The ranking was based on the 2016 Central Pollution Control Board data for the amount of particles below 2.5 micrograms.
In November of last year, the annual average of Kanpur PM2.5 was 173 micrograms per cubic meter (ug / m3) – three times the national safety level of 60 ug / m3 – while Delhi , in 6th place on the list, had 143 / m3.
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A WHO study estimated that nine out of ten people in the world breathe air containing high levels of pollutants. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) had described the situation from November to December as a public health emergency, which would amount to smoking 50 cigarettes a day.
And since it's again this time of year (read: the bad-weather stubble burning season in Punjab and Haryana), IQA has already started to climb to Delhi and surroundings. The situation in Kanpur is even worse, where the value of the IQA was 422 and the air quality marked under 'Severe' on October 29 at 4 pm, in comparison with 367 the index of air quality and the "very poor" ranking for Delhi.
In Agra, the IQA was recorded at 327, with a "very bad" air quality. Noida (374), Muzaffarnagar (345), Lucknow (305), Baghpat (377), Agra (325), Bulandshahr (351), Greater Noida (385), are also classified as "Very Poor" at AQI. Gurugram (389) and Hapur (357).
The main ingredients of air pollutants in Agra and Kanpur were PM2.5, but in Delhi it was a mixture of PM2.5 and PM10.
What are PM2.5 and PM10?
Large dust particles (PM10) have a diameter of 2.5 to 10 micrometers. Sources include crushing or grinding operations and dust from vehicles on the roads. These tiny particles are small enough to be inhaled through the defensive nose hairs and into the lungs.
Fine particles (PM2.5) have a diameter equal to or less than 2.5 micrometers and are visible only under the electron microscope. Fine particles are produced from all types of combustion, including motor vehicles, power plants, agricultural burning and certain industrial processes.
As PM10 particles stop in the lungs, PM2.5 particles can enter the bloodstream and be transported throughout the body.
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BUT WHY KANPUR?
Emissions from vehicles, proliferating tanneries and coal burned by the industry combine to produce a toxic cocktail of air pollutants in Kanpur.
Experts attributed the meteoric rise in pollution levels in Agra and Kanpur to the number of industrial wastes in adjacent areas. The wind direction in the cities also brings them pollutants from other regions.
The wind blows mainly from northwest to east during most of the year. Experts have suggested that more than 60% of the particles found in Kanpur are generated elsewhere.
In addition, high humidity levels in this region contribute to the formation of secondary aerosols that remain suspended over the landlocked region. In many small towns, chulhas (wood or coal stoves) contribute to 25% of outdoor pollution.
A Reuters report, in May, cited a 2015 report from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), run by the government, Kanpur, stating that in the city, particles like dust and Soot accounted for about 76% of air pollution in the winter months. Biomass combustion accounted for about 15% and vehicle emissions about 8% in Kanpur.
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Spike in respiratory diseases
In November of each year, hospitals in Delhi record a minimum 25% increase in respiratory diseases.
Staff at Kanpur Hospital, quoted by Reuters, said that every week during the winter, a patient with lung cancer entered. "Earlier we would have one every three months," he added.
Hospitals in these small towns have experienced an outbreak of diseases such as bronchial asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia – a consequence of air pollution – in recent years. The largest hospital in Kanpur is so overpopulated with patients with respiratory conditions that it is often placed in the ophthalmology department.
WAY TO FOLLOW
Indian cities that are partially or totally isolated are not the only ones to be subject to this type of geographical constraint. The need of the moment is to build and apply anti-pollution models, such as those that exist in other countries, that specifically target landlocked areas.
(With contributions from PTI and Reuters)
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