World Bank Report on Air Pollution

Why in News?

  • Recently, the World Bank published a report titled ‘Striving for Clean Air: Air Pollution and Public Health in South Asia’.
  • The report shows how persisting with policies currently being implemented (largely since 2018) will yield results but not to the desired level.

Key Highlights of the Report-

  • Airsheds- Six large airsheds exist in South Asia, where the air quality in one can affect the air quality in another. They are,
  • West/Central Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP), that encircles Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab (India), Haryana, part of Rajasthan, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh.
  • Central/Eastern IGP- Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bangladesh.
  • Middle India- Odisha, Chhattisgarh.
  • Middle India- Eastern Gujarat/Western Maharashtra.
  • Northern/Central Indus River Plain- Pakistan, part of Afghanistan; and
  • Southern Indus Plain and further west- South Pakistan, Western Afghanistan extending into Eastern Iran.
  • When the wind direction was mainly northwest to the southeast, 30% of the air pollution in Indian Punjab came from the Punjab Province in Pakistan and, on an average, 30% of the air pollution in the largest cities of Bangladesh (Dhaka, Chittagong, and Khulna) originated in India. In some years, substantial pollution flowed in the other direction across borders.
  • Exposure to PM 2.5- At present more than 60% of South Asians is exposed to an average 35 µg/m3 of PM2.5 annually.
  • In some parts of the IGP it spiked to as much as 100 µg/m3 – around 20 times the upper limit of 5 µg/m3 suggested by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
  • Dominant Sources of Air Pollution- Large industries, power plants and vehicles are dominant sources of air pollution around the world, but in South Asia, other sources make considerable additional contributions.
  • These involve combustion of solid fuels for cooking and heating, emissions from small industries for example brick kilns, burning of municipal and agricultural waste, and cremation.

Key Suggestions-

  • Reducing Airsheds- Governmental measures can bring down particulate matter, but significant reductions in airsheds need coordinated policies across the airsheds.
  • If Delhi National Capital Territory were to fully implement all air pollution control measures by 2030 while other parts of South Asia continued to follow present policies, it wouldn’t keep pollution exposure below 35 µg/m3.
  • Though, if other parts of South Asia also adopted all realistic measures it would bring pollution below that level.
  • Changing Approach- South Asian countries involving India need to alter their approach in order to enhance air quality and decrease pollutants to levels considered acceptable by the WHO.
  • Close Coordination Required- Controlling air pollution requires not only tackling its specific sources, but also close coordination across local and national jurisdictional boundaries.
  • Regional cooperation can support implement cost-effective joint strategies that leverage the interdependent nature of air quality.
  • The most cost-effective one, which calls for full coordination between airsheds, would cut the average exposure of PM 2.5 in South Asia to 30 µg/m³ at a cost of USD 278 million per µg/mᶾ of reduced exposure and save  over 7,50,000 lives annually.

About Airsheds- According to The World Bank, an airshed is a common geographic area where pollutants get trapped, creating similar air quality for everyone.

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