Air pollution in India is a serious environmental problem. Of the 30 most polluted cities in the world, 21 were in India by 2019. According to a 2016 data-based study, at least 140 million people in India breathe air 10 times or more above the WHO safe limit and 13 of the world’s 20 cities with the highest annual air pollution rates in India. 51% pollution is caused by industrial pollution, 27% cars, 17% crop burning and 5% in some areas. Air pollution contributes to the premature death of 2 million Indians each year. Contaminants from automobiles and industries, and in rural areas, much of the pollution is caused by the burning of biomass for cooking and heating. In the autumn and spring months, burning of crop residues in agricultural fields – which is a cheaper alternative to mechanical planting – is a major source of pollutants, smoke and particles. India has the lowest emissions per capita in the world but the country is the third largest emitter of gases behind China and the United States. A 2013 study on nonsmokers found that Indians have 30% lower lung function than Europeans.
Air pollution affects a Human health
The most important reason for concern about the growing air pollution in the world is its effect on human health. Prolonged exposure to particles can lead to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases such as asthma, respiratory tract infections, COPD, lung cancer and heart disease. The 2010 Global Burden of Disease Study, published in 2013, found that outdoor air pollution was the fifth largest killer in India and that approximately 620,000 people died prematurely from air-related diseases in 2010. According to a WHO study, 13 of the 20 most polluted cities in the world are India; However, the accuracy and method of the WHO study were questioned by the Government of India. India also has the highest number of COPD patients and the highest death toll from COPD.
More than a million Indians die prematurely each year as a result of air pollution, according to the non-profit organization Health Effects Institute. More than two million children — half of Delhi’s children — have a lung function, according to the Delhi Heart and Lung Institute. Over the past decade air pollution has increased dramatically in India. Asthma is a very common health problem that Indians face and causes more than half of all health problems caused by air pollution.
The 2017 Global Burden of Disease Study reviewed in the Lancet report showed that 76.8% of Indians were exposed to high ambient molecules above 40 μg / m3, far exceeding the national limit recommended by national guidelines on air pollution in the area. The study estimates that in the 480.7 million years of Corrective Life Disability in India 4.4% of it can be attributed to the pollution of the surrounding particles and 15.8 million of it being the result of indoor air pollution. In terms of life expectancy it is suggested that the average life expectancy in India could increase by 1.7 years if exposure is limited to low national recommendations.
The surrounding air pollution in India is estimated to cause 670,00 deaths a year and in particular exacerbates respiratory and cardiovascular conditions including chronic bronchitis, lung cancer and asthma. The surrounding air pollution is associated with an increase in hospital visits, and high levels of external pollution leading to an increase in the number of emergency room visits between 20 and 25% due to the many conditions associated with high exposure to air pollution. About 76% of India’s rural households rely on solid biomass for cooking purposes which contributes significantly to the air pollution burden experienced by the Indian population.
Air pollution damage to agriculture
For more than a century, air pollution has affected agriculture. Burning coals and petroleum produce sulfur oxides. Fluorides come from melting and producing glass and ceramic. Increasing levels of ammonia, chlorine, ethylene, mercaptans, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides are found in the air. Vehicles and a growing population produce photochemical air pollution that affects not only urban areas but also rural areas. A mixture of pollutants from all sources, including agriculture, has released large amounts of pollutants into the air, such as aldehydes, hydrocarbons, organic acids, ozone, peroxyacetyl nitrate, pesticides, and radionuclides. The effects of this pollution on food, music, fodder plants, and forest plants vary, depending on the mind, the environment, and the weather. Yes, damage to crops by air pollution brings economic losses as well.
Air pollutants that come from other sources besides agriculture and that produce crop responses are classified as:
(1) acidic gases; (2) combustible products; (3) air reaction products; and (4) the disposal of the mixture.
Acid gases include fluorides, sulfur dioxide, and chlorine. Hydrogen fluoride is very harmful to plants; some plants have been damaged by contact with less than half a billion. Damage apparently occurs in chlorophyll, producing stained chlorosis and later killing cells. Plants vary in the tolerance level of hydrogen fluoride; plants that easily absorb fluoride are usually the most tolerant. Maize is more susceptible to tomatoes than tomatoes. All plants are at high risk of fluoride damage during rapid growth.
Sulfur dioxide released from burning fat and coal often causes necrosis (death of cells) in the leaf. In some cases, sulfur dioxide will affect the plants when the stomata (minute pores in the leaf epidermis or stem) are open. High light intensity, optimal growth temperatures, high relative humidity, and adequate water availability help to open the stomata. Plants that close their stomata at night can tolerate sulfur dioxide much better during that time. Conifers are easily introduced in spring and early summer, when new needles become longer. The sulfur dioxide absorbed by the leaf cells mixes with water to form toxic sulfite, but this is gradually added to harmless sulfate. Sulfur dioxide poisoning is therefore a function of the rate at which each plant is absorbed; immediate absorption will cause serious damage. Chlorine damage to plants is rare; its common symptoms are blurring and leaf necrosis.
