Massive coal use in Mumbai’s industrial clusters worsening city’s air quality: CSE study

 Inaction may lead to Mumbai’s air turning as toxic as Delhi’s, warn experts

 

 

Mumbai is gradually losing its coastal city trait of enjoying clean air through the year and the massive use of coal by its industries could be a major culprit, found a new study by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a Delhi-based non-profit.

The factories in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) burn two million tonnes coal every year, the report released on February 15 said.

Out of the 13 industrial areas bordering Mumbai, CSE has done an in-depth assessment of four: Trans-Thane Creek (TTC), Taloja, Ambernath and Dombivali. They cover about 70 per cent of the industries operating in MMR.

The study has analysed and estimated the air pollution load from various industrial sectors. An indicative ambient air quality monitoring for particulate matter was also conducted to calculate exposure of locals to the pollutants.

TTC a hotspot

TTC was the most polluting, contributing about 44 per cent of the total load from the studied areas. It was followed by Taloja Industrial Area with a contribution of about 26 per cent.

Nivit Kumar Yadav, programme director, industrial pollution unit, CSE attributed the high pollution levels to rampant use of solid, dirty fuels like coal and agro-based fuels, and furnace oil. 

TTC has the highest consumption of coal- and agro-based fuels, accounting for nearly 60 per cent of the coal and 70 per cent of agro-residues consumed in the areas studied.

“Mumbai is a coastal region and so, is not expected to have very high levels of pollution. But with rapid industrial and infrastructural development, air quality of the region has started deteriorating. The city needs to wake up and take corrective actions, to avoid turning into a pollution pressure-cooker like Delhi,” said Yadav. 

The chemical sector, which uses about 3.1 million tonnes of fuels every year, was found to be a major polluter. It contributed close 72 per cent of the total load in the region, the study said.

Medium and small enterprises (MSME) were found to be bigger contributors to air pollution, observed the study.  

Dombivali residents were the most exposed to pollution, as analysed by CSE’s indicative monitoring of particulate matter (PM). Poor road infrastructure and high, uncontrolled pollution from surrounding industries could be the reasons for the high PM content.

Patalganga industrial area in Navi Mumbai (near Panvel) had the least exposure.

Way ahead

Against the backdrop of the challenges outlined for the industrial sector, CSE has developed a comprehensive action plan for the MMR. The highlights:

• The shift in industries from conventional polluting fuel (coal, furnace oil, etc) to cleaner and non-polluting fuel (PNG, electricity) should be expedited
• Policy to incentivise use of clean fuel introduced. Cleaner fuels like biomass and natural gas need to be less expensive. Removal of VAT on natural gas and inclusion of natural gas under GST would be positive steps
• Volatile organic compounds (VOC) in the ambient air should be continuously monitored in areas where chemical industries are predominant
• Air toxics emissions inventory and control plan should be developed Identify and monitor toxics and assess health risk through exposure modeling
• Sector-specific pollution assessment study for chemical industries should be developed
•  A unique strategy of cross-regional inspection as already devised and implemented by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board(MPCB) in Taloja can be replicated in other regions. Inspection of industries should be done by MPCB officers drawn from other regions.
• Mechanism for penalties for the MSME sector for not instaling and using air pollution control devices should be created
• Infrastructure should be well maintained and need assessments for development of roads and drainage lines conducted
• Subsidies for purchase of air pollution control devices (APCD), particularly for small- and medium-scale units should be provided
• The possibility of a common solvent recovery plant in chemical clusters and common steam generation units for industrial sectors cluster can be explored
• Non-attainment criteria for cities within which industries are located should be modified
• Policy-level intervention is needed for upcoming industrial areas to ensure presence of adequate buffer zones along the periphery of the industrial areas, so as to clearly demarcate the boundaries of residential and industrial areas .
  

 

Fossil fuel combustion caused 2.5 million premature deaths in India in 2018 

 Pollution levels used for simulation are of 2012 levels, which means the actual number of deaths as of 2018 could be higher 

 

 

 

Air pollution and higher particulate matter 2.5 concentrations in ambient air originating from fossil fuel combustion caused 2.5 million premature deaths in India in 2018, according to a new research.

While other studies, including the Global Burden of Disease report, quantifies the health impacts of PM 2.5, the recent research demarcates between PM2.5 pollutants generated via fossil fuel combustion and those from dust and biogenically sourced particles.  

This, according to researchers, is a fresh set of multiplying evidence against usage of fossil fuels.

The study, published in journal Environmental Research on February 9, was conducted by researchers from Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, University of Birmingham and University of University of Leicester.

They used chemical transport model GEOS-Chem to quantify the number of premature deaths attributable to ambient air pollution from fossil fuel combustion.

The GEOS-Chem model processes satellite data and distinguishes between fossil fuel emissions from anthropogenic multiple sectors — that include power generation, industry, ships, aircraft, ground transportation, backup generators, kerosene and gas extraction — and biological processes such as wildfires.

All simulations were set up to replicate 2012 pollution levels.

Population and health data was collected from Center for International Earth Science Information Network and country specific. Country specific baseline mortality rates from the Global Burden of Disease 2015 report were used. Secondary analysis was carried out to assess the rate of lower respiratory tract infections (LRI), including pneumonia and bronchiolitis, in children aged less than five years.

The excess annual deaths due to LRI in children (0-4 years) were estimated at 876 in North America, 747 in South America and 605 in Europe within the same time period. Exact numbers for India and other south-east Asian countries could not be generated due to lack of robust data.

Globally, a total of 10.2 million premature deaths annually is attributable to PM 2.5 generated from combustion of fossil fuels. Regions with higher dependence on fossil fuels — China, India, Eastern United States, Europe and South East Asia — contribute majorly to this number.

China accounted for the highest number of premature deaths globally in 2012 at 3.9 million. A subsequent decline in fossil fuel usage brought the number down to 2.4 million in 2018. This was due to a 43.7 per cent reduction in fossil fuel usage from 2012 to 2018.

But the numbers for India are staggering. This has two major caveats:

• The pollution levels used for the simulation are that of 2012 levels. India’s pollution levels have steadily risen between 2012 and 2018 in most cities. Therefore, the actual number of premature deaths is probably higher.

All numbers are for 2018. Despite a country-wide lockdown in 2020, pollution levels have been higher than most years.So, if real-time pollution data were to be used, the number of deaths would be higher.   

Even though India has introduced several initiatives to impose control on pollution sources, including the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), there is no evidence yet of significant reduction in pollution levels across the cities. Most importantly, there has been very little progress on our use of fossil fuels, primarily coal.

The study found that the population weighted PM 2.5 in India for 2012 was at 9 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³) for particulates coming solely from fossil fuel combustion.  However, according to experts, this number, though viable for south India, would be substantially higher for those living in the Indo-Gangetic Plain, an area plagued by the annual seasonal stubble burning episodes.

Additionally, this number would have steadily increased since 2013, since cropping patterns were shifted.

The adverse impacts of carbon dioxide-driven climate change are well studied. Further, adverse effects of localised air pollution have gained a lot of traction in the last decade. However, both these strands of evidence must now be dealt together in a holistic manner.

The human cost of both air pollution and climate change are primarily due to only one factor: Fossil fuel combustion. If all fossil fuel emissions from anthropogenic sources could be potentially controlled, the average life expectancy of the global population would increase by more than one year.

The transition to cleaner and alternative sources of energy has to be engineered faster, by policy makers and stakeholders.

For now, as China continues to reverse its fossil fuel usage, we are on the way towards achieving the number one spot of maximum number of lives lost, prematurely, due to our toxic air.

 

Social media is bold.

Social media is young.

Social media raises questions.

 Social media is not satisfied with an answer.

Social media looks at the big picture.

 Social media is interested in every detail.

social media is curious.

 Social media is free.

Social media is irreplaceable.

But never irrelevant.

Social media is you.

(With input from news agency language)

 If you like this story, share it with a friend!  

We are a non-profit organization. Help us financially to keep our journalism free from government and corporate pressure