Haryana flower show reveals an increase in demand for air purifying plants

The two-day lower show or the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) Flower Festival 2017 held at Leisure Valley saw people craving for air-purifying plants to counter the effects of pollution. With more and more people growing plants at home, they prefer air-purifying plants. Some of the most popular varieties of air-purifying plants were sansevieria, areca palm, Boston fern and spider plant.
This has been reported in thehindu.com dated 27 February 2017.

Apart from these plants, other attractions were roses, marigolds, daisies and lilies and a large variety of bonsai plants - their prices ranged from ₹500 to ₹25,000. There was an increasing awareness in NCR about the bonsai plants and both Chinese and Indian bonsai plants were on display.
Then there were the medicinal and vastu plants. However, the number of stalls were less this year - it was only 35 compared to 70 of last year.
To cater to outstation visitors there are a wide variety of street food stalls and ice-cream vendors.


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Speed bumps on roads add to the pollution levels

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has indicated that introducing measures which stop vehicles from continually stopping and starting would go a long way in reducing harmful emissions from cars and will also help motorists to economize on fuel.
In its opinion, enforcing average speed checks and variable speed limits across the motorway network could help lower the levels of deadly air pollution.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 1 December 2016.

Air pollution accounts for 5% of all deaths in England - about 25,000 deaths a year. The health watchdog has proposed a number of measures and a series of initiatives that would help lessen the impact of pollution. These are -
(i) review the use of speed bumps on roads because some of these tend to cause drivers to accelerate and decelerate towards them
(ii) introduce "no-idling" zones around schools. Usually, parents leave their car engines running during drop-offs and pick-ups - this should be discouraged
(iii) explore possibilities of congestion charge zones in towns and cities worst hit by pollution problems - and launch public awareness initiatives such as "car free days"


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Air pollution in Delhi takes its toll on foreign missions in the city

Air pollution in Delhi has affected the lives of those working in foreign missions and, while India is trying to become a global force, the deteriorating quality of living, particularly related to the unhealthy air, has robbed Delhi of much of its sheen.
The US embassy has expressed its concern on the issue of the impact of poor air on its community and is now trying to work with the Delhi government to improve the situation.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 8 November 2016.

US state department medical experts on pollution has explained to embassy officials on how to deal with the hazards of air pollution in Delhi. Other embassies, mostly from developed countries, are taking similar steps to deal with the extremely polluted environment.
Moreover, some countries, mainly European ones, have reduced the tenure of their officials serving in Delhi from four to three years. Others have reduced it from three to two while some countries have made Delhi a non-family station, where spouses and children prefer not to join the diplomat here.
In addition, younger diplomats with families now prefer to skip Delhi, even though the work here is believed to be interesting and, families with school-going children are specially reluctant to serve here.
These do not paint a very rosy picture of our country and the authorities need to take immediate action to remove these irritants from the capital.


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A few indoor plants that can combat air pollution

Air pollution is a major problem in metros and Delhi is currently witnessing its worst smog in 17 years. The hazardous level of air pollution has put the health of residents at risk from a number of respiratory diseases, including asthma.
While the authorities are trying to reduce the level of air pollution and people are wearing masks when out on the streets, the air quality inside the house can be reduce by planting indoor plants instead of buying air purifiers or protective face masks. The air quality inside the house can be controlled and the air can be rid of pollution in a cheap cheap method by employing the green technique – planting trees.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 5 November 2016.
A few of such plants are -
Flamingo lily - this is one of the plants listed in the NASA Clean Air Study and is effective in removing formaldehyde, xylene, toluene, and ammonia from the air.

Spider plant - this is native to Africa and is effective in removing pollutants. A study by NASA has discovered that the spider plant not only released oxygen and removed carbon dioxide in relatively low levels of light, but it can trap and absorb many harmful toxins from the air.

English ivy - this is an invasive species that provides a natural way of removing toxic agents like benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene from the air. It also helps to neutralize the effects of sick building syndrome.

Areca palm - this is also known as bamboo palm, golden cane palm, yellow palm,or butterfly palm and is a species of flowering plant in the Arecaceae family. As per NASA it can filter indoor air pollutants such as xylene and toluene. It can grow to a height of nearly 5 ft 11 in and has the ability to transpire 1 liter of water per 24 hours. Thus, it is a natural and effective humidifier.

Boston fern - these are highly effective in removing indoor air pollutants, such as benzene, formaldehyde, and xylene. Nephrolepis exaltata is a very popular house plant, often grown in hanging baskets or similar conditions.


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Saying no to Chinese fircrackers does not help the cause of Indian manufacturers

Realization appears to have dawned that banning import and sale of Chinese firecrackers during Diwali has had little or no effect on domestically made crackers. This is mainly because of anti-cracker campaigns run by schools, resident welfare associations (RWAs) and others.
The ASSOCHAM had interacted with firecracker wholesalers, retailers, traders in 10 cities of Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Chennai, Dehradun, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow and Mumbai to understand the enthusiasm and demand for firecrackers together with impact of ban on Chinese crackers across India.
This has been reported in indianexpress.com dated 28 October 2016.

The dismal outlook is not only on cheap Chinese firecrackers but multiple other factors like growing environmental awareness, rising cost of living, growing tendency amid people to save their hard-earned money rather than spoiling it on burning crackers, paucity of time, traffic congestion during festive period etcetera.
Agreed that banning Chinese firecrackers was a welcome move targeted at strengthening the domestic industry, but growing criticism of bursting firecrackers and the associated negative publicity together with rising air and noise pollution have resulted in the firecracker industry across India gong into the doldrums.
Hundreds of units in Sivakasi have closed down because of intense campaigns and growing sales of China-made crackers over the years. On a rough estimate, nearly 30,000 people have lost their livelihood. There are about 800 licensed firecracker making units in Sivakasi and this industry accounts for a market size of about 2,500 crore rupees. But, rise in cost of raw materials and, overall inflation have also discouraged people from buying firecrackers and this trend has been going on for past few years now.


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Air pollution took 1.4-million lives in India during 2013

World Bank has disclosed that India has the distinction of being the country with the second highest number of deaths due to air pollution in 2013. With 1.4-million deaths during 2013, India is next only to China which is the world's most populous country and it lost 1.6 million lives.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 9 September 2016.

According to the report that has been released by the World Bank and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, premature deaths due to air pollution has cost the global economy $5.1 trillion annually. The report also highlights the fact that in 2013, premature deaths alone cost the global economy about $225 billion in lost work days. These have adversely affected the economic development of the countries, especially in the growing economies in Asia. In 2013, for which global data is available, China lost nearly 10% of its GDP, while India over 7%, Sri Lanka and Cambodia roughly 8%.
In 2013 about 93% of deaths and non-fatal illnesses attributed to air pollution worldwide had occurred in these countries, where 90% of the population was exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution. This factor is a major environmental health risk and increases one's chance of contracting diseases like stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and both chronic and acute respiratory diseases, including asthma.


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Environmental pollution from exhaust gases lead to one in three heart strokes

A new research undertaken by New Zealand has shown that almost one in three strokes are triggered by air pollution. The worldwide study has said that the environmental hazard is a major reason of the leading causes of death for the first time. Air pollution, both inside from cooking fires and outside from traffic fumes, is ranked among the top ten causes of stroke. This is apart from smoking, high blood pressure and obesity.
In 2013, 17 per cent of global stroke cases were attributed to environmental air pollution as revealed by the Lancet Neurology study.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 10 June 2016.

It seems microscopic particles, much of which is generated by diesel exhausts, have resulted in clotting of arteries, which can lead to a stroke. Incidentally, stroke claims six million lives every year and, as a result, many survivors suffer paralysis, speech problems and personality changes.
The New Zealand-led research has analyzed data from 188 countries to estimate the proportion of strokes that could be avoided if certain risks were avoided. It has concluded that 70 per cent of strokes could be prevented by lifestyle changes like giving up cigarettes, eating more fruit and vegetables and doing more exercise.
Overall, 30 per cent of of global disability associated with stroke is linked to air pollution and this is especially high in developing countries where the burden is 33.7 per cent compared to 10.2 per cent in developed countries. In low and middle-income nations in Asia and Africa, almost a fifth of stroke burden was attributed to household air pollution. However, in China and India, a similar percentage was blamed on outside air pollution.


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Delhi is 9th most polluted city in the world as per WHO

WHO has released details of polluted cities and India is home to four of the five cities in the world with the worst air pollution. While WHO experts admit that India faces a "huge challenge", there are many countries that are so bad that they have no monitoring system and, hence, are not included in its ranking.
This has been reported in news18.com dated 12 May 2016.

WHO has placed Zabol in Iran as the city with the dirtiest air - Zabol suffers from months of dust storms in the summer, and it recorded a so-called PM2.5 measure of 217. The next four cities are all Indian cities namely Gwalior, Allahabad, Patna and Raipur. At 9th place is New Delhi - measured by the amount of particulate matter under 2.5 micrograms found in every cubic metre of air, with an annual average PM2.5 measurement of 122.
These tiny particulate matter can lead to diseases like lung cancer, strokes and heart disease in the long term. Moreover, polluted and poor quality of air can result in health problems and trigger symptoms of heart attacks that kill more rapidly. As per WHO, more than 7 million premature deaths occur every year due to air pollution, and 3 million of them are due to poor quality of outdoor air. The ranking of New Delhi has improved when compared to 2014 because it has tried to tackle its toxic air by limiting the use of private cars on the road for short periods.
Common causes of air pollution are too many cars on the roads, especially diesel-fuelled vehicles, the heating and cooling of big buildings, waste management, agriculture and the use of coal or diesel generators for power.


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Air fresheners, cleaning products and scented candles are dangerous to health

A study has revealed that pollution from household products like air fresheners, cleaning products and scented candles are not good for health - these are putting lives of people at risk. These everyday items carry harmful particles that can contribute to breathing problems, stress on the heart and even cancer. The report is by the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
This has been revealed in news.sky.com dated 23 February 2016.

The study has indicated that air pollution is contributing to as many as 40,000 deaths in the UK every year - and, out of these, indoor air pollution alone might be responsible for 99,000 deaths in a year across Europe. The conclusion is that while being indoors offers some sort of protection against outdoor air pollution, it can also expose us to other sources of air pollution.
The lemon and pine scents that we use to make our homes smell fresh can react chemically to generate air pollutants. Moreover, ozone-based air fresheners can also give rise to indoor air pollution. Others in the list are joss sticks, cookers, boilers, open fires and portable gas or paraffin heaters. The effects of such forms of air pollution begin as early as development in the womb and such pollution can damage the development of the foetus, including its lung and kidney development.


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#airpollution #NarendraModi #nitingadkari In order to check pollution in the capital, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has plans to gift two electric buses for Members of Parliament that will help them play their part in preventing choking of the national capital. The PM will donate these two electric buses to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on December 21 - this has been informed by Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari as reported in ibnlive.com dated 15 December 2015.

These lithium-ion-powered buses will run on the same battery that is used to propel satellites made by Indian Space and Research Organization. The batteries have been made by ISRO scientists, in collaboration with the ministry and other wings - each battery costs Rs 5 lakh -- about a tenth of the astronomical Rs 55 lakh for imported ones.
These electric buses is a part of the Prime Minister's 'Make in India' drive and that such vehicles will be commercialized for which patents have been registered. The initial plan is to run 15 such buses on Delhi roads as a pilot project initially and, the same would be replicated later at other places.
Pollution is a major issue which concerns the government deeply and the ministry is committed to addressing all such issues related to Delhi within two years is how Nitn Gadkari has put it. The basic idea is to minimize pollution not just Delhi but also in all parts of the country.
A long term plan is to convert 1.5 lakh diesel-run buses in the country to electric.
A bio-CNG plant will be encouraged in Nagpur and necessary methane can be extracted from sewage water to produce bio-CNG for running buses. Moreover, farmers will be encouraged to diversify towards production of bio-fuel from sugar and other products. Such actions can reap rich dividends and contribute significantly to the economic development of the country also.

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WHO report - pollution highest in North Indian cities, lowest down South

#airpollution #WHO #mostpollutedcities According a report of WHO, the cities facing maximum pollution in India are located in the northern regions and cities in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan dominate the list. These states lie in the fog belt and air pollution is worsening the problem. Incidentally, it had been already reported that the average fog hours in the month of January in Delhi had increased by as much as eight hours since 1989 — this is a trend that can be attributed to rising pollution.
Delhi has earned the dubious tag of the most polluted city in the world. The breakup of polluted cities statewise is nine in UP, five in Punjab, four in Rajasthan. There were three cities each in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra and one city each in J&K, Bihar and Uttarakhand.
At the other end of the spectrum are five cities with the cleanest air – all of these are located in south India. Two of these were in Kerala - Kollam and Pathanamthitta, one in Karnataka - Hassan, one in Tamil Nadu - Madurai, and Pondicherry.
A total of 124 Indian data stations - mostly in cities – have been featured in the report of WHO.
A comparison between the cleanest and most polluted cities will reveal the extent of variation - Pathanamthitta, the cleanest city on the list, recorded a concentration of 10 parts per million of particles under 2.5 microns while in Delhi it was a concentration of 153 parts per million of such particles. This is more than fifteen times that of Pathanamthitta.
WHO relied on the concentration of particles in the air under 2.5 microns to determine how bad air pollution is because such tiny particles cause the most damage to health - when inhaled, they can go deep into the lungs, whereas larger particles are usually filtered out before they reach that far.