National Air Quality Monitoring Programme

A national programme for monitoring ambient air quality is called the National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP), and it is run by the Central Pollution Control Board. A total of 344 cities and towns in 28 states and 6 union territories are served by the network's 804 active stations. The National Air Quality Monitoring Programme's objective is to determine the ambient air quality's current state, any trends, and any deviations from the stated standards. The purpose of an air quality monitoring programme is to assess the level of pollution in urban areas and take the necessary steps to minimize it. 

 

•    WHO Report: The WHO estimates that India has some of the worst air pollution in the world, which reduces life expectancy by an average of more than three years for most Indians.

 

•    More than half of India's population, or 660 million people, live in areas with fine particulate matter pollution that is above the country's permissible standards, according to the Economic & Political Weekly.

 

•    Decline in Life Expectancy: Thirteen of the world's top 20 most polluted cities are located in India. Due to air pollution, the 660 million Indians who reside in cities have a 3.2-year shorter life expectancy.

 

•    Addressing Environmental Issues And Poor Air Quality: In a 2014 global evaluation of how nations approach environmental issues, India came in at position 155 out of 177 countries, and its air quality is among the worst in the world.

 

•    Environmental Performance Index Report: India is rated as the "worst performer" on a number of measures, including environmental health effect, air pollution, water quality, and sanitation, according to the Environmental Performance Index 2014.

 

•    India's environmental health severely lags behind that of the BRICS countries in comparison.

 

•    The Ganga and Yamuna are two of the 10 most contaminated rivers in the world, according to the list.

 

•    Concretization in Green Belts: Despite the National Green Tribunal's directives, civic organizations continue to permit concretization in green belts.

 

•    Real estate: The need for housing is rising, and the real estate market is flourishing, which is changing how land is used and driving the disappearance of natural conservation areas such forests, water bodies, wastelands, sanctuaries, and groundwater recharging sites.

 

•    Due to the senseless concretization of the planet, the loss of open space, and the growth in real estate, concrete surfaces emit shortwave radiation at night. 

 

The National Air Quality Monitoring Programme's (NAMP) goals are as follows:

•    To establish whether the prescribed ambient air quality requirements are being violated, To identify the Non-Achievement Cities, To evaluate the status and trends of ambient air quality.

 

•    Gaining the knowledge and understanding necessary to develop preventive and corrective measures, understanding the natural purification of the environment caused by pollution creation, dilution, dispersion, wind-based movement, dry deposition, precipitation, and chemical change.

 

•    There are 104 observations in a year because the monitoring of pollutants is done twice a week for a total of 24 hours (4 hours for gaseous pollutants and 8 hours for particulate matter).

 

•    The National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur, the Central Pollution Control Board, State Pollution Control Boards, Pollution Control Committees, and other organizations are all participating in the monitoring process.

 

•    The CPCB collaborates with these groups to ensure the stability and uniformity of the air quality data, and it provides them with technical and financial support so they can operate the monitoring stations. N.A.M.P. is managed by a number of monitoring organizations.

 

•    Under N.A.M.P., four air contaminants have been designated for regular monitoring at all the locations.

 

•    They include respirable suspended particle matter (RSPM / PM10), nitrogen oxides (NO), sulphur dioxide (SO2), and fine particulate matter (PM2.5).

 

•    Weather variables like temperature, relative humidity (RH), wind speed and direction, and RH were tracked in addition to the air quality monitoring.

 

•    The National Ambient Air Quality Standards' permissible limits for sulphur dioxide concentrations have been met.

 

•    In recent years, sulphur dioxide levels have decreased in residential regions of cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, Bhopal, etc.

 

•    The use of LPG as a substitute for coal as a domestic fuel and the lowering of sulphur in diesel, among other things, may be causing it to decline.

 

•    Changing from diesel to CNG may also have reduced ambient SO2 levels.

 

•    Nitrogen dioxide concentrations are often below the regulated National Ambient Air Quality Standards in urban areas.

 

•    In recent years, residential areas in Bhopal, Solapur, etc. have also seen a decline in nitrogen dioxide levels.

 

•    As a result of numerous initiatives taken to lessen vehicular pollution, such as stricter car emission requirements, etc., nitrogen dioxide levels may be decreasing.

 

•    Transport is one of the primary contributors of NO2 emissions in the country.

 

•    Despite a rapid rise in the number of cars, the ambient NO2 trend varies widely across the country.

 

•    RSPM stands for respirable suspended particulate matter.

 

•    Most cities have levels of respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM) that exceed the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

 

•    The number of vehicles is increasing exponentially in many places. This is the single important factor that raises RSPM levels.

 

•    In recent years, RSPM levels have also decreased in cities like Solapur, Ahmedabad, etc.

 

•    It could be due to a variety of measures implemented, such as lowering the sulphate content of diesel and requiring diesel vehicles to adhere to higher particulate matter limits, among others.

 

•    The ambient RSPM trend is inconsistent in many cities.

 

•    The majority of the time, SPM levels exceed the allowed National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

 

•    Some of the causes of SPM include vehicles, ambient dust, industries including thermal power plants, sugar, cement, etc., the resuspension of dust, rubbish burning, etc.

 

•    The annual average SPM concentration trend is erratic in several cities.

 

•    Due to wet deposition, it was discovered that RSPM and SPM concentrations were lower during the monsoon season.

 

•    Higher RSPM levels were observed throughout the winter, most likely as a result of lower mixing heights and calmer weather.

 

•    Droplets of both solid and liquid debris are referred to as "particulate matter" (PM) and are present in the air.

 

•    Dust, smoke, and soot are examples of particulate matter that may be seen with the unaided eye. However, other particulate matter is too small to be seen without an electron microscope.

 

•    PM can be found in many different settings, such as fields, fires, building sites, and unpaved roads.

 

•    Most of the particles are the result of complex chemical processes involving nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide.

 

•    These are the pollutants that are produced by items like factories, autos, and power plants.

 

•    Here are a few instances of PM's natural sources: Black carbon from wildfires, pollen, secondary sulphate, sea salt, dust (also known as crustal detritus), and volcanic ash.

 

•    The National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) have been developed, and the CPCB has compiled a list of polluting cities that do not meet them.

 

•    These cities have been recognised (NAMP) based on ambient air quality data gathered (2008–2010) under the National Air Quality Monitoring Programme.

 

•    The national ambient air quality requirements were not reached in a city with non-attainment air.

 

•    To reduce air pollution in non-attainment cities, states are creating and implementing effective action plans.

 

The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1981 outlines the following as the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) main duties:

•    To provide direction to the central government on any matter pertaining to improving the quality of the air and preventing, controlling, and reducing air pollution.

 

•    To plan and oversee the execution of a national programme to prevent, manage, and reduce air pollution.

 

•    To provide technical assistance and advise to the State Pollution Control Board.

 

•    To carry out and support research and studies on the mitigation, control, and prevention of air pollution.

 

•    Assemble, disseminate, and collect technical and statistical data regarding air pollution.

 

•    Establishing and removing air quality regulations.

 

•    Thanks to the authority given to it by the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, the CPCB has the power to set standards for air quality.

 

•    Network Improvement: It is crucial that the current monitoring network be developed.

 

•    Regular Monitoring Stations: Regular monitoring stations must be put into operation in accordance with the population, traffic, and industrial densities.

 

•    New Online Stations: In accordance with the recommendations made by the Parliamentary committee, the creation of a number of new online stations is necessary to acquire real-time data regarding the spatial distribution of pollution and areas of acute pollution.

 

•    Handling and distribution of information from sensors must be carefully handled and rapidly released to allow citizens to take preventative action.

 

•    Regional-level Action Plans: To reduce air pollution, policymakers and pollution control authorities must develop city- and regional-level action plans based on the exact data collected from the monitors.

 

•    If not, the entire monitoring procedure will be pointless, making it more difficult to meet the mitigation aim and eventually increasing the risk of health issues for citizens.

 

It is crucial to keep in mind that these statistics should only be used as a guide rather than as an absolute because there is a larger likelihood that personnel biases and differences will be reflected in the data. Aside from that, NAMP's effective operation, general sustainability, and system performance are crucial for making judgments regarding the population's environment and health. The CPCB has implemented several measures through its zonal offices to ensure high-quality data. Employees in the field and laboratories are taught to meet the program's objectives, and regular visits and inspections are used to maintain monitoring stations and conduct quality control tests.