Air pollution

Air pollution is devastating the environment of the capital. The reasons are due to the compounding effects of manmade causes ( vehicles, industries, excess burning, etc) and also due to the main geographic controls ( location, wind behavior, climate, etc) of the place. As far as Delhi is concerned, it is located in the indogangetic plain belt develped forefront parallel to the trend of the Mighty Himalayan range, which prevents the wind from the northern sides. Though lot of trees are there in Delhi because of scare wind the manmade pollutants are not dispersed or desipated. The rate of generation of pollution is day by day increasing. Gaseous pollutants gradually move upwards but not on the sides because of lack of wind force. Lighter to less medium sized Particulate matter emitted from vehicles tend to raise in the atmosphere whenever wind is blowing. Middle to heavy particles heavier than air tend to raise to certain height and get deposited in trees and on the neaby structures. Industrial air pollutants are sent to the atmosphere directly through chimneys. The speed and quantity of the gases released from the chimneys are high, the gases clog together by absorbing moisture in the air and as such the movement is restricted and trends to remain there with less movement, controlled by the wind. In hot summer season due to dry weather pollution is very minimal. In rainy season all the air pollutants suspended in air are brought down by rain water. The problem is in winter season. During winter, the night time temperature is particularly very low due to the presence of high content of moisture in the atmosphere. The effect of the sun hot will be very less even during daylight or day time. So whatever the air pollutants generated during the day in the absence of wind by the combined effects of the moisture and the absence of nil or speedy wind remain stand still without any movement. Since the suspended pollutants are nothing but various chemical gases they used to clog and form dense clouds. The gases can not react with each other and combine because of the low temperature present in the atmosphere. Unless the temperature increases the chances of dissociation of the pollutants are rare. The speedy wind can disperse and ultimately the pollution level decreases. But it is not happening in Delhi. The effect of pollutants will remain there during winter till the day time temperature is increased. If the temperature is low due to absence of ⛅ light the level of pollution will be at higher side. Therefore in winter the pollution level increases always due to the compound effects of the increased moisture level and no or less wind in Delhi. This pollution effects are commonly seen in the cities, towns and villages localed all along the indogangetic plains. However the pollution level may vary from place to place depending on the presence of the pollutants in the atmosphere (due to the combined effects of the manmade activities and climate present in the place). Now how to control pollution levels when the nature doesn't cooperate with us with less wind movement. First of all we should find out the nature of the air pollutants causing air pollution. Though we are moinitiring the level of presence of various pollutants in air regurarly, the root causes for the pollutants should be defined. On the basis of the chemical analysis, the pollutants should be classified as (a) industrial pollutants and (b) transport sector pollutants. Then the level of pollutants generated by each sector by knowing their perodic levels in the atmosphere sholud be known. It will help us to get an idea of the root cause of the pollutants whether it is due to industrial or manmade causes. It will help us to take remedial measures.
Main way to curb air pollution is to totally stop and ban using petrol and Diesel vehicles. In it's place government has to introduce imediately electic vehicles in all sectors (2,3 and 4) except in heavy duty vehicles used in transporing heavy machinery. It should be affordable by common people. Government should give subsidy to the manufacturer and to the customer at the beginning till the technology develop fully. While doing so government should look into only the pollution not the hue and cry of car manufacturer. Government has to give notice to the manufacturers to stop the supply of such vehicles to Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, kokotta, coimbatore, kanpur, and in all the cities where the pollution levels are high or going to increase.

Secondly, treatment plants are to be made mantatory to treat the industrial air pollutants, similar to industrial effluents. Gases should be totally treated in the treatment plants and nothing should be sent to the atmosphere. Each plant has to develop it's flow charts as per their requirements for complete treatment. Even the steam should be condensed in to water and used for recycling. Default company liscence should be cancelled irrespective of their role in the society.

So these measures are required to be taken by the government immediately. Government should set up an exclusive department under MOEF to combat air and industrial pollution in India. It should take over the administatve, technical, management, planning, implementation, monitoring and reclamation aspects of the pollution policy.

So in nutshell, in the absence of proper wind, increased moisture content in winter in the presence of perennial air pollutants, it is not possible to get out of system especially in Delhi. So measures are to be taken by the government with the cooperation and support of the public
to minimize the generation and pumping of pollutants into the environment.

These are my views.
Placed for others opinions. more