10^th April, 2022, Sunday

12 noon - 1pm

• The WHO Air Quality Report 2021, released in March is based on PM2.5 only.
• The report has used data of air quality monitoring stations and low-cost sensors.
• Bhiwadi in Rajasthan is the most polluted city in the world with a PM2.5 of 106.2 µg per cu mm. Delhi is the most polluted capital city in the world. No city in India met the latest WHO guidelines.
• Dust suppression methods must be used to control pollution. GRAP, national air quality control program and state air quality control programs have also focused on this.
• Proper disposal of the dust collected during mechanical road sweeping is very important.
• The focus should also be on developing green belts to arrest dust. The slogan should be “either pave or green”.
• Data of low-cost sensors cannot be compared with air quality monitoring station data.
• Toxic components of PM2.5 are a matter of concern.
• Industries and power plants in developing countries use coal (survival emissions). Hence, data of developing countries should not be compared with data of developed countries.
• Construction and demolition waste contribute significantly to air pollution in the form of PM2.5 and PM10.
• Delhi currently has five construction and demolition waste recycling plants. This not only controls air pollution but also controls excessive use of natural resources. Air pollution can be limited by providing such facilities all over the country.
• The only solution for legacy waste is segregation of waste into wet waste and dry waste.
• Formation of secondary organic aerosols is a big challenge.
• It is very important to stop organic pollution arising due to biomass burning, which forms black carbon and which is difficult to capture. Hydrocarbons are proven carcinogens.
• There is lack of awareness about rule and management plans.
• Failure of knowledge transfer or knowledge gap is also one of the reasons for high levels of air pollution.
• There is system failure when it comes to implementation of the rules. This is an administrative issue and not a technical issue.
• Emergence of secondary pollutants in the atmosphere is governed by local meteorological conditions and hence, we have no control over these.
• There is a need to study the health impact of the pollutants and find out what mitigation methods can be adopted to prevent the harmful impact. Masks are one such option. 
• Air pollution is a multidimensional issue. There are several challenges and many stakeholders. But there is a lack of coordination and consistency among them.

Participants

Dr Anil Kumar

Mr Vivek Kumar

Mr Paritosh Tyagi

Dr M George

Dr Dipankar Saha

Dr Rajeev Sharma

Dr SK Gupta

Dr SK Tyagi

Mr Pradeep Khandelwal

Mr Sanjeev Aggarwal

Mr Neeraj Tyagi

Mr Ankit Sethi

Mr Vikas Singhal

Mr Varun Singh

Ms Ira Gupta

Dr S Sharma