DIGITAL

ASSIGNMENT
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

NAME: Anmol Bhardwaj

REG NO.: 19BCE0675

_______________________________________
1.choose one contemporary environmental issue and prepare a five
page assignment on that
THE GREAT SMOG OF DELHI
AIR POLLUTION IN DELHI
Air pollution is a mixture of solid particles and gases in the air. Car emissions, chemicals from
factories, dust, pollen and mould spores may be suspended as particles. When ozone forms air
pollution, it's also called smog.

Some air pollutants are poisonous. Inhaling them can increase the chance you'll have health
problems. People with heart or lung disease, older adults and children are at greater risk from
air pollution. Air pollution isn't just outside – the air inside buildings can also be polluted and
affect your health.

India's Ministry of Earth Sciences published a research paper in October 2018 attributing almost
41% of PM 2.5 air pollution in Delhi to vehicular emissions, 21.5% to dust and 18% to industries.
Air quality index of Delhi is generally Moderate (101-200) level between January to September,
and then it drastically deteriorates to Very Poor (301-400), Severe (401-500) or Hazardous
(500+) levels in three months between October to December, due to various factors including
stubble burning, road dust, vehicle pollution and cold weather.
In November 2019, in an event known as the Great smog of Delhi, the air pollution spiked far
beyond acceptable levels. Levels of PM2.5 and PM 10 particulate matter hit 999 micrograms
per cubic meter, while the safe limits for those pollutants are 60 and 100 respectively.

The Air Quality Index registered an alarming 708 at 8 am, according to data from the System of
Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) on 3rd November 2019.

Air pollution in Delhi was16 times worse than prescribed limit in November 2019.

ORIGIN
Agricultural stubble burning in nearby states affects Delhi's air quality when crops are being
harvested.

Heavy metal rich fire-crackers.

Improper use of energy sources.

Motor vehicle emissions.

Huge carbon emission from industrial areas near and in New Delhi like The Badarpur Thermal
Power Station, a coal-fired power plant built in 1973.
HARMFUL EFFECTS
Due to air pollution, number of plants are dying due to lack for proper photosynthesis and
sunlight.

Temperature is also increasing during the day and drastically decreasing in the evening

The air quality in Delhi, the capital of India, according to a WHO survey of 1600 world cities, is
the worst of any major city in the world. Air pollution in India is estimated to kill 1.5 million
people every year; it is the fifth largest killer in India. India has the world's highest death rate
from chronic respiratory diseases and asthma, according to the WHO.

In Delhi, poor quality air irreversibly damages the lungs of 2.2 million or 50 percent of all
children.

A lot of flights are getting delayed due to lack of visibility by pilots while flying in NCR Region
(37 diverted and 550-plus delayed)

SOLUTIONS BY ENVIRONMENTALISTS:
Conserve energy - at home, at work, everywhere.

Carpool, use public transportation, bike, or walk whenever possible.

Use environmentally safe paints and cleaning products whenever possible.

Buy a decent air purifier for home as it would be great for adults and most importantly children

Mulch or compost leaves and yard waste.

Consider using gas logs instead of wood.

Put plants like aloe vera, bamboo plant indoors as they are natural air purifiers.

Reduce the number of trips you take in your car.

One should avoid exercising outdoors when pollution levels are high. Avoid going out for a walk
on the roads when the temperature is low.

Take a proper diet and avoid ordering online.

GOVERNMENT POLICIES
Road traffic rationing.

Increasing green cover alongside roads.

Sprinkle water on trees nearby the roads.

Vacuum cleaning of roads.

Promoting Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

Strict instructions to construction companies regarding pollution.

Reducing carbon emissions by focusing on renewable energy generation.

Ban on sale of firecrackers.

Issuing alerts and closing down schools and colleges.

Strengthening public transport system.

ODD EVEN rule in Delhi NCR to reduce carbon emissions from vehicles.

PERSONAL SUGGESTIONS
The condition in New Delhi is quite severe and we know the reasons too about way there
is so much pollution. So our first motive should be to bring it back to a stable position in
which AIR QUALITY INDEX should be around 50-100 and currently it is around 400 as
average.

To reduce it we should start planting trees as nature does their work better than what we
can do but we can definitely help in increasing the rate of recovery by reducing or
consumption of energy and fuel.

We have to stop using personal vehicles and should prefer public transport as it reduces
carbon emission the most, currently the condition of Delhi is quite severe so we should
prevent going outdoors and if we are going then we should wear masks because those
solid particles can be mistakenly inhaled by you and can stick or clog your lungs.
We should stop using conventional fuels which increase CO2 levels in the atmosphere,
instead of that we should use electric stuff are their CO2 emission is way lower than that
of conventional fuels.

REFERENCES
 The Guardian
 The Times Of India
 India Today
 Wikipedia
 YouTube
 The Hindu
 Quora
 Google Images
2. Identify three of your habits which consume lot of energy and natural resources. Which habit would
you like to break and why?

ANS: 3 of my habits which consume a lot of energy and natural resources are:

 Travelling
 Excess use of Air Conditioner
 Watching TV

TRAVELLING:

I love travelling as it calms my mind and is quite fun, I visit new places and meet new kind of people and
it is really fun to explore a new place, but the only problem with it is that it consumes a lot of energy like
fuel in travelling like use of airplanes, cars, bikes etc.,. During hiking, at night we had to burn wood to get
heat which creates pollution and destroys are valuable and natural resources.

EXCESS USE OF AIR CONDITIONER:

My usage of air conditioner is tremendous, I use AC almost daily, the reason for that is that I get some
sort of allergy in hot temperature, the other reason is that I live in AC hostel and my roommates never
switch off the AC, even though I tell them to stop it.

WATCHING TV:

I have a very bad habit of watching TV, once I start watching I show, I just binge watch it and complete it
overnight. TV consumes a lot of energy, about 10% of total household usage.

Habit which I would like to break is watching TV, because it is not helping me in any way,

It consumes a lot of energy.

It does not help me mentally and physically.

It distracts me from doing my homework.

It is also affect my eyesight.

The total cost of maintaining a TV is quite expensive (technician cost, cable cost, electricity usage cost)