India has some of the most polluted cities in the world. Rising air pollution is taking a heavy toll on the health and productivity of citizens. With recent studies pegging the death toll due to air pollution at 9 million, we need urgent, effective solutions.
At CSTEP, we are working with state pollution control agencies and the Central Pollution Control Board to scientifically identify the sources of pollution for effective and targeted interventions. With the use of emerging technologies such as low-cost sensors, mobile monitoring, and satellite-based monitoring of air pollution, CSTEP is looking at ways to make data on air pollution comprehensive, robust, and accessible.
The capacity-building measures initiated by CSTEP ensure that state agencies can scientifically assess, interpret, and formulate effective strategies to check rising air pollution.
Emission inventory and pollution reduction strategies for 76 NA cities
A comprehensive study on what is polluting the air in India undertaken in 76 cities by the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), a research-based think tank, has found that only a few cities are on track to achieving the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) targets. NCAP was launched in 2019 by the Government of India, with an aim to improve air quality in 131 cities that do not meet the national air quality standards. The research spanning 2.5 years suggests that only 8 of the studied cities will be able to achieve 40% emission reduction by 2030.
Press Release: Stubble management: Harnessing ex-situ options and market mechanisms
As we head into yet another rice harvesting season in Punjab, the search for effective solutions to manage stubble continues. In 2021, over 50% of the rice stubble in the region was burnt, a practice that exacerbates respiratory illnesses, depletes soil fertility, and increases air pollution across neighbouring states.
Stubble management: Harnessing ex-situ options and market mechanisms
Punjab, known as the ‘Granary of India’, is among the top three producers of food grain in the country, with over 11 million tonnes of rice and 16 million tonnes of wheat produced every year. The state relies heavily on the rice–wheat cropping pattern, wherein rice is cultivated during the kharif (summer) season and wheat during the rabi (winter) season. These two crops occupy over 80% of Punjab’s total cropped area. To handle this large-scale crop harvesting, farmers have transitioned to using mechanical harvesters, leaving stubble on the ground.
Introducing the CSTEP Air Quality sector
Air quality can be improved through well-designed air quality management plans that are effectively implemented. For this, we need to know the sources impacting a certain location; the emissions contributed by each source; the interventions that can reduce these emissions; the cost of those interventions; and once implemented, their effectiveness. The sources in question can be local (e.g., city traffic emissions), transboundary (e.g., an industry outside a city or sources in another state), or natural (e.g., desert dust or wildfires).