Aerosol pollution in Maharashtra could get severe next year

Every year studies are published highlighting the contaminants in the air and how they clog our lungs However according to a latest study aerosol pollution in Maharashtra is anticipated to move from its current lsquovulnerablersquo orange zone to the lsquohighly vulnerablersquo red zone in 2023 It has attributed the probable rise to majorly thermal power plantsThe study lsquoA deep insight into statelevel aerosol pollution in Indiarsquo by researchers Dr Abhijit Chatterjee and his PhD scholar Monami Dutta from Bose Institute in Kolkata was published in the peerreviewed journal Elsevier an academic publishing company that publishes medical and scientific literature in AugustAlso read Bharat Jodo Yatra enters Maha Rahul to address rallies on November 10 and 18The contamination is measured on the aerosol optical depth AOD scale which ranges from 0 and 1 While 0 indicates a crystalclear sky with maximum visibility 1 indicates very hazy conditions An AOD of less than 03 denotes green zone safe 0304 is blue zone less vulnerable 0405 is orange vulnerable and over 05 is the red zone highly vulnerableWhat is AODAOD is the quantitative estimate of the aerosol present in the atmosphere and can be used as a proxy measurement of PM25Maharashtra currently falls under the orange category However rising aerosol pollution is expected to push the AOD much higher than 05The study identified the primary sources of aerosol pollution in Maharashtra thermal power plants solid fuel burning and vehicular emissions The sources were assessed through three phases phase I 2005 to 2009 phase II 2010 to 2014 and phase III 20152019Health impactldquoOur study has shown that air pollution in Maharashtra has mostly been influenced by coalbased thermal power plants TPP in the past Its capacity is increasing with the increase in demand for electricity However if the state continues to install TPPs as observed in the past it would enter into the most vulnerable zone This could result in an increase in morbidity rate a decrease in life expectancy and other health issuesrdquo said Dr Chatterjee principal author of the study and Associate Professor of Environmental Sciences at Bose InstituteMaharashtra can witness an overall AOD rise of about 7 per cent between 20192023 he addedThe contribution of emissions from TPPs increased from 31 per cent to 39 per cent between phase I and phase III 20052019 mainly due to the increase in capacity and dependence on coalbased power generation the study statedOver the years the contribution of solid fuel burning to aerosol pollution has declined from 24 per cent to 18 per cent while vehicular emissions have remained consistent throughout the three phases 1415 per centRecommendationsThe study recommended that Maharashtra turn down its TPP capacity by 41 per cent 10 GW to move to the blue safe zoneldquoCoal highly influences Maharashtrabased thermal power plants Between 2015 and 2019 the TPP contribution to air pollution was found to be around 39 per cent In order to control such threats the state government should not only restrict further sanction of new TPPs but should also focus on reducing the current TPP capacity by at least 10 GWrdquo said Dutta senior research fellowldquoThe researchers might have studied the chemical composition and sources that contribute to rising aerosol pollutionMaharashtra has many thermal power plants and over the years capacity of these plants has increased Unless thermal power plants are modernised or the government puts a stop to increasing the capacity of existing ones and setting up new ones the situation might not change and keep worsening insteadrdquo said Gufran Beig founder and project director of the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research SAFARThe humidity linkDr Arun Kumar Sharma director at ICMRNIIRNCD National Institute for Implementation Research on NonCommunicable Diseases Jodhpur said ldquoItrsquos a known fact that thermal power plant or coalbased power plants are sources of aerosol pollution This however is more critical in places where moisture content is high so the particles get accumulated thus pollution level remains as high as compared to places with dry air This includes Mumbai and other coastal parts of Maharashtra where there is moist airHe added ldquoHowever I do not know on what basis the researchers have concluded that the thermal power plants in Maharashtra are the main source of aerosol pollution and Maharashtra is anticipated to move from its current orange zone to the red zone I can only know when I see the research paperrdquoPrevious studiesA joint study by an IITDelhi scientist and an American climate expert from the University of Illinois with the help of NASA in October 2010 had identified Mumbai and areas within a 100kilometre radius including Navi Mumbai as some of the aerosol hotspots in the country The aerosol pollution levels were 25 times higher than World Health Organisation guidelinesWhat is aerosol and why is it badAerosols are the microscopic particles that make up smoke and dust and are suspended in the air nevertheless the most dangerous aerosols are produced by human activity including industry vehicle emissions and construction work They include soot and hydrocarbons released during the burning of fuels as well as sulphatesHigh aerosol amounts include particulate matter PM25 and PM10 consisting of sea salt dust sulphate black and organic carbon If inhaled they can be harmful to peoplersquos healthDoctors believe that aerosol pollution contributes to asthma bronchitis and longterm respiratory tract irritation which might rarely but trigger cancer