industry

Coal-based power makes India top global SO2 emitter: Greenpeace


NEW DELHI: Sulphur dioxide (SO2), a significant contributor to air pollution, may be within the national ambient air quality standard in all major cities in India, but the country is the largest cumulative emitter of this pollutant in the world and thus prone to being a victim of a cocktail of several toxic air pollutants.

As a reactive pollutant, SO2 reacts with other air pollutants to form sulphate particles and makes a significant part of particulate matter (PM2.5), which has the largest public health impact. It is estimated that SO2 commonly makes up more than 10% of the deadly fine particles in India and China.

Though Russia’s Norilsk smelter complex is the largest individual SO2 emission hotspot, India figured at the top, contributing more than 15% of all anthropogenic sulphur dioxide globally in 2018. The primary reason for the country’s high emission output is the expansion of coal-based electricity generation over the past decade.

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These are the findings of a new report by Greenpeace, a global environmental NGO, which analysed sulphur dioxide hotspots detected by US space agency Nasa’s OMI (Ozone Monitoring Instrument) satellite. It shows Russia is the second largest cumulative emitter of sulphur dioxide followed by China, Mexico, Iran, Saudi Arabia and South Africa.

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The Greenpeace study, released on Monday, finds that Singrauli, Neyveli, Talcher, Jharsuguda, Korba, Kutch, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Ramagundam and Raigarh are the major SO2 emission hotspots in India.

Analysis of ambient air quality data by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), India’s national pollution watchdog, however, shows that sulphur dioxide levels were within the acceptable limits in all 50 major cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Pune and Kanpur, in the country during 2016-18.

Asked for explanation, clean air analyst and one of the authors of this report, Sunil Dahiya, said, “Although SO2 concentration monitored directly across cities in India might show low values, being a reactive pollutant, it converts to sulphates very quickly, making a significant part of secondary PM2.5, which has proven to be a major health risk across the world, leading to millions of deaths”.

Citing an example, he told TOI that the IIT Kanpur report on air pollution in Delhi, compiled in 2015, also highlighted this fact by mentioning that 90% reduction in SO2 from power plants within 300km of the capital will result in reduction of approximately 35 micrograms per cubic metre of PM2.5.

The report noted that among the major emitters of SO2, China has been able to reduce emissions rapidly by dramatically improving emissions standards for its power plants and enforcing sulphur dioxide controls.

“This report makes it clear that we cannot give coal power plants a free hand to continue polluting and keep leading to a health emergency situation in India due to air pollution,” said Pujarini Sen, senior campaigner at Greenpeace, in a statement.





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