Assessment of the seasonal trends of air pollution: A case study of Gurugram city, Haryana, India
Abstract
Introduction: The air pollution is a significant environmental issue that profoundly impacts urban areas and their surrounding regions. The processes involved in air pollution are complex, as primary pollutants are released into the atmosphere and then transported by the action of wind. Primary pollutants may undergo chemical reactions, change phases, and eventually be eliminated from the atmosphere through dry and wet deposition.
Materials and methods: The Air Quality Index (AQI) has been used to analyse the variations in the AQI over a span of three years (2019-2021) for Gurugram city. The study aimed to quantify the changes in the AQI values on seasonal basis (winter, summer, and monsoon).
Results: The results show that there has been a slight improvement in the air quality in certain areas, but it still remains critical. Therefore, it highlights the need for continued and concerted efforts to address the issue of air pollution. The deteriorating air quality poses severe threats, including the potential alteration into the natural state of atmospheric composition, besides health-related issues.
Conclusion: It is closely linked to adverse health effects, such as respiratory problems, increased instances of asthma, cancer, and even leads to mortality in extreme cases. The measurements from four monitoring sites namely Seva Sadan, Sector-51, Gawal Pahari, and Manesar, were analysed and a comparison of seasonal trends among these sites were also attempted.
2. Government of India. Compendium of Environment Statistics. Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation and Annual Report, Central Pollution Control Board, Ministry of Environment and Forests. Government of India. 2002.
3. Central Pollution Control Board. White Paper on Pollution in Delhi, 2004.
4. Reddy S, Verma P, Waghulade M. Air Quality Index–A Study to Assess the Air Quality. International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET). 2020 Feb;7(2):3363-7.
5. Bishoi B, Prakash A, Jain VK. A comparative study of air quality index based on factor analysis and US-EPA methods for an urban environment. Aerosol and Air Quality Research. 2009 Mar 1;9(1):1-7.
6. Kandlikar M, Ramachandran G. The causes and consequences of particulate air pollution in urban India: a synthesis of the science. Annual review of energy and the environment. 2000 Nov;25(1):629-84.
7. Mohan M, Kandya A. An analysis of the annual and seasonal trends of air quality index of Delhi. Environmental monitoring and assessment. 2007 Aug;131:267-77.
8. Zumla A, George A, Sharma V, Herbert RH, Oxley A, Oliver M. The WHO 2014 global tuberculosis report—further to go. The Lancet Global Health. 2015 Jan 1;3(1):e10-2. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/s2214-109x(14)70361-4.
9. Tiwari P. Computational methods of air quality indices: a literature review. IOSR Journal of Environmental Science, Toxicology and Food Technology. 2015;1(5):46-9.
10. Mamta P, Bassin JK. Analysis of ambient air quality using air quality index-A case study. International Journal of Advanced Engineering Technology. 2010 Jul;1(2):106-14.
11. Shukla A, Mishra RK, Parida M. Estimation of composite air quality index for Lucknow. Institute of Town Planners, India Journal. 2010 Dec;7(4):45-56.
12. Aneja VP, Agarwal A, Roelle PA, Phillips SB, Tong Q, Watkins N, Yablonsky R. Measurements and analysis of criteria pollutants in New Delhi, India. Environment International. 2001 Jul 1;27(1):35-42.
13. Gurjar BR, Van Aardenne JA, Lelieveld J, Mohan M. Emission estimates and trends (1990–2000) for megacity Delhi and implications. Atmospheric Environment. 2004 Oct 1;38(33):5663-81.
14. Smith KR, Ezzati M. How environmental health risks change with development: the epidemiologic and environmental risk transitions revisited. Annu. Rev. Environ. Resour.. 2005 Nov 21;30:291-333.
15. Zilly RG. Handbook of environmental civil engineering. (No Title). 1975 Sep 22.
16. Badami MG. Transport and urban air pollution in India. Environmental Management. 2005 Aug;36:195-204.
17. Bashkin VN. Environmental chemistry: Asian lessons. Springer Science & Business Media; 2003 Apr 30.
18. Gupta P, Christopher SA, Wang J, Gehrig R, Lee YC, Kumar N. Satellite remote sensing of particulate matter and air quality assessment over global cities. Atmospheric Environment. 2006 Sep 1;40(30):5880-92.
19. Kumar N, Chu A, Foster A. An empirical relationship between PM2. 5 and aerosol optical depth in Delhi Metropolitan. Atmospheric Environment. 2007 Jul 1;41(21):4492-503.
20. Murty BP. Environmental Meteorology, IK International Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi. 2004.
21. Taylor JA, Jakeman AJ, Simpson RW. Modeling distributions of air pollutant concentrations—I. Identification of statistical models. Atmospheric Environment (1967). 1986 Jan 1;20(9):1781-9.
22. Kapadnis N. R. Air Pollution in Nasik: An Industrial City. Geographical Review of India, 64(4). 2002, December. Available from: http:// www.cpcb.nic.in/bulletin/bul.htm
Files | ||
Issue | Vol 9 No 1 (2024): Winter 2024 | |
Section | Original Research | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.18502/japh.v9i1.15077 | |
Keywords | ||
Air Polution; Air quality index (AQI); Seasonal variations; Pollutants; Trends |
Rights and permissions | |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |