Open Access
Subscription Access
Towards Baseline Air Pollution Under Covid-19: Implication for Chronic Health and Policy Research for Delhi, India
The Megacity of Delhi, home to 19 million inhabitants, is infamous for its poor air quality mainly due to anthropogenic emissions. While the COVID-19 pandemic is a health emergency, lockdown due to it saw an unprecedented decline in emission sources of pollutants by ∼85%–90% in Delhi, resulting in sharp decline in the concentration of majority of pollutants. Here we report the experimental estimate of baseline level that is defined as the minimum level reached after lockdown under consistent fair weather condition of major criteria pollutants. This may be considered as an indicator of the background levels to which the population is chronically exposed. The consequences of such chronic air pollution exposure are excess respiratory and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality which are reported to be more serious than severe pollution episodes by epidemiologists. As the lockdown which was imposed on 24 March 2020, was extended during April and May, we present the prevailing ambient pollution levels and compare them with the baseline levels. Results are based on India’s largest monitoring network of 34 stations in Delhi. The findings are critical for policymakers to fine-tune ambient air quality standards and regulations leading to the development of effective risk management policies and control strategies.
Keywords
Air Pollution, Anthropogenic Emissions, Baseline Level, COVID-19 Pandemic.
User
Font Size
Information
- Gufran Beig, S. K. et al., Objective evaluation of stubble emission of North India and quantifying its impact on air quality of Delhi. Sci. Total Environ., 2020; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.136126.
- WHO, Glossary on Air Pollution, WHO Regional Publications, Europe Series No. 9, Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark, 1980.
- Pénard-Morand, C., Charpin, D., Raherison, C., Kopferschmitt, C., Caillaud, D., Lavaud, F. and Annesi-Maesano, I., Long-term exposure to background air pollution related to respiratory and allergic health in school children. Environ. Model. Softw, 2005, 35(10), 1279–1278.
- Gómez-Losada, Á., Pires, J. C. M., Pino-Mejías, R., Modelling background air pollution exposure in urban environments: implications for epidemiological research. Environ. Model. Softw., 2018, 106, 13–21; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2018.02.011.
- Beig, G. et al., System of Air Quality Forecasting and Research (SAFAR-India). GAW Report No. 217, World Meteorological Organization, Global Atmosphere Watch, Geneva, Switzerland, 2015.
- Grimmond, S. et al., Establishing integrated weather, climate, water and related environmental services for megacities and large urban complexes – initial guidance, Global Framework for Climate Services, World Meteorological Organization, United Nations, Geneva, Switzerland, 2014.
- Anand, V., Korhale, N., Rathod, A. and Beig, G., On processes controlling fine particulate matters in four Indian megacities. Environ. Pollut., 2019; doi:ENVPOL_2019_1529, 254 A, 113026.
- http://pdf.directindustry.com/pdf/environnement-sa/mp101m-pm 10-pm25-tsp-continuous-particulate-monitor/23554-578190.html (accessed on 3 April 2020).
- Beig, G. et al., SAFAR-high resolution emission inventory of Megacity Delhi for 2018. Special Scientific Report, SAFARDelhi 2018-A, ISSN: 0252-1075, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, 2018.
- Menichini, E., Iacovella, N., Monfredini, F. and Turrio Baldassarri, L., Atmospheric pollution by PAHs, PCDD/Fs and PCBs simultaneously collected at a regional background site in central Italy and at an urban site in Rome. Chemosphere, 2007, 69, 422–434.
Abstract Views: 340
PDF Views: 131