Air pollution is the contamination of the atmosphere by harmful substances, such as gases, particulates, and biological molecules, which can cause detrimental effects on human health, ecosystems, and the Earth’s climate. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 9 out of 10 people worldwide breathe air containing high levels of pollutants.

• Definition: Air pollution refers to the presence of harmful substances or pollutants, including particulate matter (PM), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur dioxide (SO2), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and carbon monoxide (CO) in the air that can adversely impact human health, ecosystems, and the overall quality of the environment.

Major Driving Factors Of Air Pollution: Agriculture Practices, Vehicular emissions

• Agriculture Practices – Stubble burning for eg. in Punjab, Haryana, Western UP, bringing toxic and unburned carbon particles into Delhi/NCR – a major source of smoke, smog & particulate pollution.

• Vehicular emissions & traffic congestion – in metropolitan cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, in spite of the metro railways. Rising number of diesel vehicles. 

• Increasing population pressures – leading to unplanned urbanization, increased energy demands, inefficient energy usage, and excessive reliance on coal fired plants.

• Unsustainable urbanization – Dust from construction sites, roads and rapid deforestation and change in land use pattern. Fuel wood and biomass burning – especially in slum areas by urban poor.

• Exhaust from factories and industries – highly haphazard and unplanned development of industries and factories, mostly located in residential and commercial areas.

• Unsophisticated waste disposal methods – Burning of garbage in open landfills.

• Climatic conditions & Topography: For example, Winters in North India & a drop in wind speeds facilitate concentration of pollutants in the atmosphere.

• Domestic Cooking and Heating: More than 60% of India’s rural households rely on solid fuels such as biomass, coal, and kerosene for cooking and heating🡺releases harmful pollutants, including particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).  Etc.

Note: The Supreme Court has ruled that people have a “right to be free from the adverse effects of climate change”, which should be recognised by Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution.

• In M.C. Mehta vs. Union of India, the Supreme Court recognized the right to live in a pollution-free environment as part of the fundamental right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution.

Major Interventions To Combat Air Pollution: Legislations, Monitoring Air Quality

• Legislations: Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1981 to restore air quality.

• Comprehensive amendments to various Waste Management Rules including Municipal Solid Waste, Plastic Waste, Hazardous Waste, Bio-medical Waste and Electronic Waste notified.

• • Monitoring Air Quality – NAMP (National Air Quality Monitoring Programme), NAAQs (National Ambient Air Quality Standards, National Air Quality index, SAFAR etc.

• Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to deal with different levels of pollution.

• Air pollution Mitigation – WAYU (Wind Augmentation PurifYing Unit), Anti-smog guns (at large construction sites), ‘Oxygen Parlour’ (at Nashik railway station), ban on pet coke & furnace oil etc.

• Regional project on ‘Climate Resilience Building among Farmers through Crop Residue Management’, focussing on tackling issue of stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan

Outstanding Challenges: Absence of Targeted deadline, Lack of awareness and civic sense

• Absence of Targeted deadline for India to meet its national air quality standards. 
• Lack of inter-state coordination to tackle the air pollution with a comprehensive regional planning.
• Lack of awareness and civic sense among general public 🡺 Culture of Non compliance with rules

• Regulatory agencies lack will, expertise, & resources to design, implement, enforce and evaluate effective air pollution policies and programs.
• Inadequate financing and incentives for adopting clean technologies and practices that can reduce emissions from various sectors.
• Lack of research and innovation that can generate evidence-based solutions and technologies for air pollution mitigation and adaptation.

Further Suggestions To Tackle Rising Pollution: Inter-state coordination, Encourage cycling and walking

• Focussed approach – identifying all major sources of pollution, setting up a network of monitoring stations, setting clear deadlines for meeting national air quality standards, establishing ‘responsibility matrix’ for each task, etc.
• Inter-state coordination & regional level plan to holistically counter air pollution.
• Improving the Public Transportation system – by making it faster, affordable and more comfortable e.g., Metro, BRT, Electric vehicles etc.
• Alternatives to stubble burning – For e.g. Diverting crop residue to create straw-panel boards for the construction and furniture industry. Governments can procure agro-wastes for bio-gas production.
• Encourage cycling and walking – Dedicated lanes for cycling, cemented walkways, more pedestrian crossings and no-vehicle zones in marketplaces.
• Infrastructure improvements such as city bypass, to divert unnecessary traffic. Creating urban green spaces such as parks, gardens and rooftops that can improve air quality, reduce heat island effect and provide recreational benefits.
• Awareness campaigns: to reform public behaviour.
• Reform in legal and regulatory framework: stricter penalties and reform in the working of agencies such as the CPCB, SPCB, etc.

• Use of Technology – For e.g. advanced LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) to vertically monitor the quality of air. Supporting social enterprises or start-ups that can provide innovative solutions for air pollution, such as Graviky Labs, Chakr Innovation, HelpUsGreen, etc.

• Other measures – Allocating more funds for research on clean energy & waste management, increase in parking fee, congestion charges, registration capping, encouraging work-from-home options etc.

Lessons from other countries

• Create moss walls like Germany. Delhi Metro pillars can host moss.
• Installing Smog Free Towers like China.
• Tapping renewable energy like Iceland.
• Learning to effectively use public transport from Curitiba (Brazil).

National Air Pollution Policy Framework In India: Constitutional Provisions, Environmental Legislation

• Constitutional Provisions: The Constitution of India recognizes the right to a clean and healthy environment (Article 21), providing a legal basis for formulating air pollution policies.
• Environmental Legislation: Acts such as the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, establish the regulatory framework for addressing air pollution in the country.

• The National Green Tribunal (NGT) Act, 2010: Provides a specialized forum for the effective and expeditious disposal of cases related to environmental protection and air pollution control.

• Key Policies and Programs: National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), Air Quality Index (AQI), Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY). 

Government Initiatives Taken For Controlling Air Pollution: National Clean Air Programme, SAMEER app

• • National Clean Air Programme (NCAP): to tackle the air pollution problem across the country in a comprehensive manner with targets to achieve 20 % to 30 % reduction in PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations by 2024.
  • Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) for prevention, control and abatement of air pollution in Delhi and NCR.
  • Green Crackers Awareness Campaign, Green Good Deeds
  • SAMEER app air quality information is available to the public along with a provision for registering complaints against air polluting activities.

• For Reducing Vehicular Pollution: BS-VI Vehicles + National Electric Mobility Mission Plan.

• Others initiatives:  Bharat Stage Emission Standards, Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) Portal, Air Quality Index, National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP), Commission for Air Quality Management, Turbo Happy Seeder (THS) Machine, New Commission for Air Quality Management.

Fly Ash Utilization: Meaning, Importance

• Meaning: Fly ash utilization refers to the beneficial reuse of fly ash, a by-product generated from coal combustion in power plants. Instead of being disposed of as waste, fly ash can be utilized in various applications, offering environmental and economic benefits.
• Fly ash: Fine powder consisting of inorganic particles, primarily composed of silica, alumina, and iron oxide, obtained from coal combustion.

Importance of Fly Ash Utilization:

• Environmental benefits: Reduces the need for landfill space, minimizing the release of pollutants into air, water, and soil.
• Resource conservation: Reduces the extraction of natural resources by utilizing fly ash as a substitute material.
• Energy conservation: Reduces the energy required for producing alternative materials, such as cement or bricks.
• Economic opportunities: Creates new industries and employment opportunities in fly ash processing and utilization.
• Sustainable agriculture: Enhances soil fertility, water retention, and crop productivity when used as a soil amendment.

Note: Fly ash utilisation in India has increased from nearly 10% in 1996-97 to the highest level of over 90% during 2020-21, over 17 million tonnes remains unutilised and gets dumped in an environmentally hazardous manner, polluting air, water and soil.

Challenges in Fly Ash Utilization: Quality variation, Market demand

• Quality variation: Fly ash characteristics can vary, requiring proper testing and quality control measures for different applications. 
• Market demand: Promoting the benefits of fly ash utilization and creating a market demand for fly ash-based products can be challenging.
• Regulatory and policy framework: Ensuring proper regulations, guidelines, and incentives to encourage fly ash utilization and ensure safe handling and disposal.
• Technological limitations: Some applications may require further research and development to improve the performance and compatibility of fly ash-based materials.
• Stakeholder engagement: Collaboration and coordination among stakeholders, including power plants, industries, and government agencies, is essential for effective fly ash utilization.
• Public perception: Addressing concerns and misconceptions regarding the safety and performance of fly ash-based products is crucial.

Gov. steps: The Centre has made it mandatory for such plants to ensure 100% utilization of ash in an eco-friendly manner, and introduced for the first time a penalty regime for noncompliance based on ‘polluter pays’ principle.

Conclusion

Fly ash utilization offers vast potential for sustainable development and environmental stewardship. By raising awareness, investing in research and innovation, strengthening policies, and fostering collaboration, we can maximize its benefits, create a circular economy, and build a greener, more sustainable future.

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