Ajay Singh Nagpure

Preliminary Estimates of Nanoparticle Number Emissions from Road Vehicles in Megacity Delhi and Associated Health Impacts

Rapid urbanisation in developing megacities like Delhi has resulted in an increased number of road vehicles and hence total particle number (ToN) emissions. For the first time, this study presents preliminary estimates of ToN emissions from road vehicles, roadside and ambient ToN concentrations, and exposure related excess deaths in Delhi in current and two future scenarios; business as usual (BAU) and best estimate scenario (BES). Annual ToN emissions are estimated as 1.37 × 10(25) for 2010 which are expected to increase by ∼4 times in 2030-BAU, but to decrease by ∼18 times in 2030-BES. Such reduction is anticipated due to a larger number of compressed natural gas driven vehicles and assumed retrofitting of diesel particulate filters to all diesel vehicles by 2020. Heavy duty vehicles emit the majority (∼65%) of ToN for only ∼4% of total vehicle kilometres traveled in 2010. Their contribution remains dominant under both scenarios in 2030, clearly requiring major mitigation efforts. Roadside and ambient ToN concentrations were up to a factor of 30 and 3 higher to those found in respective European environments. Exposure to ambient ToN concentrations resulted in ∼508, 1888, and 31 deaths per million people in 2010, 2030-BAU and 2030-BES, respectively.

Human health risks in national capital territory of Delhi due to air pollution

This study evaluates the human health risks in Indian National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT Delhi) in terms of mortality and morbidity due to air pollution. The spreadsheet model, Risk of Mortality/Morbidity due to Air Pollution (Ri–MAP) was used to evaluate the direct health impacts of various criteria air pollutants present in various districts of NCT Delhi during the period 1991 to 2010. By adopting the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline concentrations for the air pollutants SO2, NO2 and total suspended particles (TSP), concentration–response relationships and a population attributable–risk proportion concept were employed. About 11 394, 3 912, 1 697 and 16 253 excess number of cases of total mortality, cardiovascular mortality, respiratory mortality and hospital admission of COPD respectively were observed for entire NCT Delhi in year 2000. However, within a one decade, in year 2010 these figures became 18 229, 6 374, 2 701 and 26 525. District–wise analysis shows that North West district is having the highest number of mortality and morbidity cases continuously after 2002, moreover least excess number of cases was observed for New Delhi district.

Characterizing the Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Open Burning of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in Indian Cities

Open-burning of municipal solid waste (MSW) is a major source of PM emissions in developing world cities, but few studies have characterized this phenomenon at the city and intracity (neighborhood) scale relevant to human health impacts. This paper develops a consistent field method for measuring the spatial frequency of the incidence of MSW-burning and presents results in three neighborhoods of varying socioeconomic status (SES) in Delhi, India, observed in winter and summer over 2 years. Daily MSW-burning incidents ranged from 24 to 130/km2-day during winter and 5-87/km2-day during summer, with the highest intensity in low SES neighborhoods. Distinct seasonal and diurnal patterns are observed. The daily mass of MSW-burned was also estimated at 90-1170 kg/km2-day and 13-1100 kg/km2-day in highest to low SES neighborhoods, in winter and summer, respectively. The scaled-up estimate of total MSW-burned for Delhi city ranged from 190 to 246 tons/day, about 2%-3% of total generated MSW; morning-burning contributed >65% of the total. MSW composition varied systematically across neighborhoods and season. Agra had much higher MSW-burning (39-202 incidents/km2-day; 672-3485 kg/km2-day) in the summer. The field method thus captures differences in MSW-burning across cities, neighborhoods, diurnally and seasonally, important for more fine grained air pollution modeling, and for tracking/monitoring policy effectiveness on-ground.

Characterization of Uncertainty in Estimation of Methane Collection from Select U.S. Landfills

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas generated from the anaerobic decomposition of waste in landfills. If captured, methane can be beneficially used to generate electricity. To inventory emissions and assist the landfill industry with energy recovery projects, the U.S. EPA developed the Landfill Gas Emissions Model (LandGEM) that includes two key parameters: the first-order decay rate (k) and methane production potential (L0). By using data from 11 U.S. landfills, Monte Carlo simulations were performed to quantify the effect of uncertainty in gas collection efficiency and municipal solid waste fraction on optimal k values and collectable methane. A dual-phase model and associated parameters were also developed to evaluate its performance relative to a single-phase model (SPM) similar to LandGEM. The SPM is shown to give lower error in estimating methane collection, with site-specific best-fit k values. Most of the optimal k values are notably greater than the U.S. EPAs default of 0.04 yr(-1), which implies that the gas generation decreases more rapidly than predicted at the current default. We translated the uncertainty in collectable methane into uncertainty in engine requirements and potential economic losses to demonstrate the practical significance to landfill operators. The results indicate that landfill operators could overpay for engine capacity by

Assessment of environmental profile in the vicinity of Indian cement industry

30,000-780,000 based on overestimates of collectable methane.

Exploring social and infrastructural factors affecting open burning of municipal solid waste (MSW) in Indian cities: A comparative case study of three neighborhoods of Delhi.

The present study focuses on an impact assessment of the cement industry on various social, environmental and public health issues. During the study, various socio-environmental issues, such as sex ratio, literacy rate, availability of basic amenities, disease spectrum, land use pattern, crop production, drinking water quality and the effect of emissions on vegetation were thoroughly addressed. Finally, the study also suggests a viable solution for the sustainable development of the cement industry in the particular area. The results show that socio-economic status (e.g. sex ratio, literacy rate and basic amenities) of study area are comparatively below than national average and the people health condition is also poor in the vicinity. Substantial numbers of asthma and tuberculosis patients have been found in study area during field visit. Study also reveals that leaves of dominating plant species in the study area are suffering from necrosis/chlorosis disease.

Municipal solid waste and dung cake burning: discoloring the Taj Mahal and human health impacts in Agra

Open municipal solid waste (MSW)-burning is a major source of particulate matter emissions in developing world cities. Despite a legal ban, MSW-burning is observed ubiquitously in Indian cities with little being known about the factors shaping it. This study seeks to uncover social and infrastructural factors that affect MSW-burning at the neighborhood level. We couple physical assessments of the infrastructure provision and the MSW-burning incidences in three different neighborhoods of varying socio-economic status in Delhi, with an accompanying study of the social actors (interviews of waste handlers and households) to explore the extent to which, and potential reasons why, MSW-burning occurs. The observed differences in MSW-burning incidences range from 130 km−2 day−1 in low-income to 30 km−2 day−1 in the high-income areas. However, two high-income areas neighborhoods with functional infrastructure service also showed statistical differences in MSW-burning incidences. Our interviews revealed that, while the waste handlers were aware of the health risks associated with MSW-burning, it was not a high priority in the context of the other difficulties they faced. The awareness of the legal ban on MSW-burning was low among both waste handlers and households. In addition to providing infrastructure for waste pickup, informal restrictions from residents and neighborhood associations can play a significant role in restricting MSW-burning at the neighborhood scale. A more efficient management of MSW requires a combined effort that involves interplay of both social and infrastructural systems.

Indian megacities as localities of environmental vulnerability from air quality perspective

The Taj Mahal—an iconic World Heritage monument built of white marble—has become discolored with time, due, in part, to high levels of particulate matter (PM) soiling its surface (Bergin et al 2015 Environ. Sci. Technol. 49 808–812). Such discoloration has required extensive and costly treatment (2015 Two Hundred Sixty Second Report on Effects of Pollution on Taj Parliament of India Rajya Sabha, New Delhi) and despite previous interventions to reduce pollution in its vicinity, the haze and darkening persists (Bergin et al 2015 Environ. Sci. Technol. 49 808–812; 2015 Two Hundred Sixty Second Report on Effects of Pollution on Taj Parliament of India Rajya Sabha, New Delhi). PM responsible for the soiling has been attributed to a variety of sources including industrial emissions, vehicular exhaust and biomass burning, but the contribution of the emissions from the burning of open municipal solid waste (MSW) may also play an important role. A recent source apportionment study of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) at the Taj Mahal showed biomass burning emissions, which would include MSW emissions, accounted for nearly 40% of organic matter (OM)—a component of PM—deposition to its surface (Bergin et al 2015 Environ. Sci. Technol. 49 808–812); dung cake burning, used extensively for cooking in the region, was the suggested culprit and banned within the city limits (2015 Two Hundred Sixty Second Report on Effects of Pollution on Taj Parliament of India Rajya Sabha, New Delhi), although the burning of MSW, a ubiquitous practice in the area (Nagpure et al 2015 Environ. Sci. Technol. 49 12904–12), may play a more important role in local air quality. Using spatially detailed emission estimates and air quality modeling, we find that open MSW burning leads to about 150 (±130) mg m−2 yr−1 of PM2.5 being deposited to the surface of the Taj Mahal compared to about 12 (±3.2) mg m−2 yr−1 from dung cake burning. Those two sources, combined, also lead to an estimated 713 (377–1050) premature mortalities in Agra each year, dominated by waste burning in socioeconomically lower status neighborhoods. An effective MSW management strategy would reduce soiling of the Taj Mahal, improve human health, and have additional aesthetic benefits.

South Asian Perspective: A Case of Urban Air Pollution and Potential for Climate Co-benefits in India

Large proportions of the Indian population live in megacities (e.g., Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata), which are vibrant centers of economic opportunities and offering better quality of social life. Due to increasing migration to these cities, Indian megacities are constantly expanding, which subsequently leads to strain on the environment with a range of impacts at local, regional and global levels. During the last few decades the anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and other air pollutants have increased substantially, resulting in worsening ambient air quality of these cities. With respect to time span the concern over air pollutants has also changed in Indian megacities. Concern over particulate matter, black carbon, NOx and ozone has heightened recently due to their local and regional impacts on air quality and environmental (including public) health and also because they contribute to global climate change. Although authorities have implemented several measures to reduce air pollution and its impacts in Indian megacities, much more is yet to be done to improve their ambient air quality. This paper focuses on major air pollution and GHGs emission issues in Indian megacities and associated problems within the framework of their role in environmental vulnerability.

Urban Traffic Emissions and Associated Environmental Impacts in India

This chapter provides an analysis of the urban pollution and potential for co-benefits in India, making a comparison with other South Asian countries. Most of the South Asian countries are at the stage of developing or emerging economies, and India is the fastest growing economy among them. The Indian subcontinent is comprised of hundreds of densely populated large and medium size cities including five megacities (each with a population of more than 10 million). Constantly increasing energy-intensive urban activities in burgeoning cities and biomass burning in rural areas of India are responsible for a large share in the unacceptably high emissions of health-endangering and environment-polluting gaseous and particulate pollutants. The air pollution problem in India and the rest of the South Asia came into the spotlight by the South Asian haze called the Atmospheric Brown Cloud (ABC), which is said to be responsible for annually 100,000s premature deaths in the South Asian region (Lelieveld et al. 2001). Given the increasing trend of energy use and emissions in Indian cities, the present study is a step to make governments and people aware of the extent and intensity of the ambient as well as the indoor air pollution problem. The analysis presented in this study is expected to help initiate appropriate policy measures and suitable action plans to limit emissions and adopt ways based on the co-benefits approach that promote sustainable development.