A blanket of smog envelopes Kuarmunda and Bonai subdivisions of Odisha’s Sundargarh district every morning. Area residents attribute it to emissions from sponge iron factories nearby that switch off their emission control devices—electrostatic precipitators (ESPs)—at night. The reason these factories get away with such offences is weak rules and weaker …
If one were to compare steel consumption figures, Indians lag far behind the rest of the world. Against the world average of 215 kg, per person steel consumption in India is just 50 kg a year. This consumption gap is likely to reduce in coming years. With rapid economic growth, …
DIGITAL photographs of the retina have revealed that healthy people exposed to high levels of air pollution have narrower retinal blood vessels. While past studies linked an increase in air pollution to a higher risk of death and hospitalisation from heart disease, the study published in the November issue of …
EUROPE has set fuel-efficiency targets for vans to curb greenhouse gases emissions. Environment ministers who met at Brussels in December endorsed a deal to achieve emission of 175 grammes of CO2 per kilometre by 2017 and 147 g/km by 2020 from vans. The 2017 target represents a 14 per cent …
Why a song on mining? I am a trained environmental engineer, so I always wanted to write a song on environmental degradation caused by mining in Australia. I am not sure why I did not write it before, but it is an opportune time as mining is expanding in the …
Based on its review of the air quality criteria and the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for carbon monoxide (CO), EPA is proposing to retain the current standards. EPA is also proposing changes to the ambient air monitoring requirements for CO including those related to network design.
THE Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has fumbled in answering a critical question on carbonyl and methane emissions from vehicle exhausts: which pollutes less—petrol, diesel, CNG or LPG? The pollution watchdog’s study on emissions provides a database that could be used to give a policy message. It declared CNG to …
CSE comments on CPCB's recently released Study of Exhaust Gases from Different Fuel-based Vehicles for Carbonyls and Methane Emissions. Urges CPCB to recall and urgently review this study to make it more scientifically tenable. CPCB has made a valuable effort to generate emissions data on unregulated toxic emissions as well …
The Centre for Science and Environment has reviewed the magnitude of the winter air pollution in Delhi and has pressed the alarm button. This time the winter pollution is not only high but is also different. While the serious concern over very high levels of tiny particles persists, more pollutants …
Centre for Science and Environment has reviewed the magnitude of the winter air pollution in Delhi and has pressed the alarm button. Reveals that the city now faces threat of multiple pollutants going up together and this time the winter pollution is not only high but is also different.
PLANTS soak more atmospheric pollutants than thought. A study by US scientists shows that apart from carbon dioxide, plants rid the air of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, the most abundant class of carbon-based chemicals in the atmosphere. Automobile exhaust, coal burning and industry are some of the major sources …
CYCLING is a good aerobic fitness exercise. But should one cycle on congested city roads? Yes, suggests a team of Dutch scientists. Even though there are risks of traffic accident and exposure to vehicle exhaust, health benefits of cycling are greater than the hazards associated with it, they say. The …
Pollution control strategies for attainment of particulate standards must be able to provide convincing evidence that the relative importance of emission sources is understood and that the control programmes proposed are cost-effective and can be adopted by the community with confidence. To specifically address these issues, Central Pollution Control Board, …
Sevagram ashram in Maharashtra where Mahatma Gandhi spent many years of his life is threatened by pollution. Effluents from a pig iron plant are flowing in the drain passing through the ashram complex in Wardha district and have contaminated the groundwater. Villagers have stopped using the well in the ashram, …
HOW cloudy is it outside? Will it rain? The answers may depend on the level of atmospheric pollution in one’s region. Cloud-forming microscopic particles, called aerosols, absorb and reflect solar radiation. These particles have the ability to modify cloud formation and encourage or suppress precipitation. They can be released from …
What inspired you to monitor air pollution through a cellphone? In Los Angeles, we always worry about air quality. In the past few years, there has been a revolution in the cellphone technology. They are equipped with programmable sensors like cameras, GPS systems and compasses. If each phone can act …
STRESS, frustration, rising blood pressure and breathing problems are common in motorists who spend hours in traffic jams. Now scientists have found another health consequence of traffic snarls— diabetes. Scientists from German Diabetes Centre and the Institute for Environmental Medical Research at Heinrich Heine University, Germany, claim traffic-related air pollution …
Amid reports that the ambient air quality at the Commonwealth Games village and other venues was not up to the mark, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has maintained that the situation was under control and polluting units were being sealed to reduce air pollution. As per ongoing study by …
The Indonesia Air Quality Profile provides background information and findings on the: State of the Air: What is the air quality in cities? Which of the cities in the country are experiencing air pollution challenges or will soon enter into this situation?; Legal framework for air quality management: What is …
The rich green fields of Darramuda village in Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh were almost peaceful. A JCB backhoe loader whirred on as it dug in and pulled out lumps of wet brown earth. The crane inched along carving a neat road on the fertile fields. The people of Darramuda, in …
