Delhi air pollution is caused by local pollutants: UK study

Delhi air pollution is caused by local pollutants: UK study

According to a UK study, Delhi's air pollution is caused by local sources of pollution such as domestic pollution, construction, and traffic.
Delhi pollution: According to a UK study, Delhi's air pollution is caused by local sources of pollution. The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Surrey in the UK.
The study shows that local sources of pollution including construction, traffic, and domestic heating contribute significantly to high concentrations of harmful air pollutants in the National Capital Region.

Researchers noted that efforts to control pollution in the city would need to be made throughout the year, not only in winter, when it reaches its peak, given the dominance of local sources of pollutants.
UK Study on Delhi Pollution: Key Features
• The study states that about 600,000 deaths in India are due to air pollution and Delhi has the highest levels of air pollution in the world.

• The researchers involved in the study mainly analyzed how particulate matter including PM2.5 and PM10 and toxic gases like nitrogen, oxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and ozone are spread in the region in India.
• Researchers found that Delhi has significantly higher levels of air pollutants in the winter months compared to the summer and monsoon months. Ozone levels, however, did not show much change.

• The study attributed high levels of fine particulate matter such as PM2.5 and PM10 in the winter months to smoke from stub burning and increased biomass water for residential heating.
• The study states that weather in winter months with low wind speed and low rainfall can also play an important role in increasing the level of pollutants in the air.
• The research team obtained meteorological data from each station for the duration of the study and examined the wind speed and direction of particulate matter.

The background

The study on Delhi pollution by UK researchers was published in the journal- Sustainable Cities and Society.

The study collected four years of pollution data from 12 sites in Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and then published its findings.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are estimated to be around 4.2 million premature deaths due to air pollution worldwide.