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Sunday, December 27, 2015

Air Pollution in Delhi

Delhi has become one of the most polluted cities of the world. Delhi government has announced odd-even formula for private cars in the city. The question arises why vehicles are being targeted to combat air pollution? The plausible answer is that the major source of air pollution in the city is vehicular emission. PM2.5 is the most important pollutant among others. 
PM2.5 is the respirable fraction of the particulate matter which can reach deeper in our lungs causing irreversible respiratory problems. The winter season is the worst time for air quality due to lower mixing heights and calm conditions of atmosphere. Also presence of fog may result in smog (smoke+fog) in winter months. 
As the air pollution is a three dimensional issue, it is difficult to solve it in the medium when it travels from source (vehicular and industrial emissions) to  receptor(plants, water bodies and human beings). In such cases the best thing to control the pollution is to control it at source itself. Control at source can be done  by using cleaner fuel in industrial processes, by using pollution controlling devices (e.g. Electrostatic Precipitaters  and catalytic converters). At receptor level (for us it it our nose) we have to wear mask. However, it is not a foolproof solution as such masks are costly and its use is impractical and tiring. Green plants can be a great solution for combating air pollution in such cases. But how can we grow plants in urban areas which are full of concrete structures? We can develop vertical greenery systems and urban forests. In case of Varanasi India, some climber plants were used to develop vertical greenery systems (Pandey et al. 2015). However, air quality can only be manages if integrated approach is utilized. The reduction in the emission of pollutants from its source, proper dispersal of pollutants and its reduction or transformation by various processes especially with the help of green plants. 



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