Air Quality India @oizom - Tumblr Blog

Brown Greenish Taj Mahal: The result of Air Pollution

The instant anyone looks at the TAJ MAHAL, words fail to describe its beauty. The location on the river banks of the Yamuna, its colour, the finest designs of Persian and earlier Mughal architecture, the list would go on and on. What can anyone say- it's a breath-taking view, a wonder worth-visiting again and again.

The combination of the symbol of love and the famous sweet delicacy, Agra ka petha, has lured millions of tourists year after year. But now the ivory-white marble mausoleum which is also famous for its rich heritage and history is in danger of losing its colour.

Taj Mahal was commissioned in 1631 by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan and in 1983 it was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The pristine white colour of the monument was known to turn yellow earlier. It has raised even the concerns of SC with its colour now turning to brown and greenish. SC has questioned whether proper steps are being taken in restoring and maintaining the historical wonder. SC has asked the respective authorities whether even they care or not and has directed a verdict to take the assistance of experts of India and Abroad. Will this be enough to solve the problem?

Are only the authorities to be blamed? What are the reasons of discolouring of the monument? Yes, there are natural reasons. It is known the Marble does not exist in pure form and oxidize over time. Even the deforestation, in and around Agra for “the modern development” is to blame. Agra is a place in the semi-arid zone where the temperature reaches 50-degree Celsius. The hot dusty winds, as a result, is known to have abrasive effects.

At the same time, the major factor is the air pollution. A research to find the causes of colour deterioration was done by Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Wisconsin, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and Archaeological Survey of India. They found 3% of the deposits to be black carbon, around 30% organic carbon (or brown carbon) and most of the rest dust. Professor S.N. Tripathi at the Indian Institute of Technology at Kanpur states the pollutants released from fossil fuels and biomass burning to be the major cause. These are known to release black carbon and organic carbon into the air causing a large scale air pollution.

Knowing the cause and problem is an important step for finding the solution. Aren't any steps being taken? In fact, from 1994 the monument is being given a mud pack treatments using lime-rich Fuller's earth (Multani mitti) to remove the pollution stains. The main problem still remains the ‘air pollution’. The man-made problem can only be decreased by authorities and citizens taking their own responsibility. We all together can curb this menace of air pollution. Let us join hands to preserve this castle in the Air.

“Did you ever build a castle in the Air? Here is one, brought down to earth and fixed for the wonder of ages.” -Bayard Taylor, American novelist (for TAJ MAHAL)

#air pollution #tajmahal #environmental impact

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Rajasthan Deadly Dust storm indicates need for environmental monitoring system

It was just yesterday that we read the news where WHO reported 14 out of 20 most polluted cities are in India. The same day, the whole Rajasthan and UP were shrouded in a deadly dust storm and rains that caused major casualties. The severe dust storm created havoc across the cities of Bharatpur, Alwar and Dholpur districts in Rajasthan. More than 30 were killed and over 100 were injured besides a large scale of destruction.

Pic courtesy: NDTV

The dust storm has disrupted the lives across the districts. The power distribution company had to switch off electricity as to prevent damage as electricity cables were snapped off as trees were uprooted which fell across the cables. Alwar power distribution company executive engineer DP Singh has given a timeframe of at least 2 days to restore the power supply until then the city will be plunging into darkness.

Secretary, Disaster Management and Relief, Hemant Kumar Gera has released the contingency funds across the districts. Declaring 4 lakhs to be given to the family of deceased. Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed the condolences to the saddening event and the major loss of lives.

This makes us wonder, could this loss have been prevented? It is with the heavy heart that we write this, but there is a huge data vacuum in India to predict deadly events like these. The purpose behind the inception of Oizom was to aware citizens of the catastrophes through real-time, continuous environmental data acquisition. Oizom with a partner had recently installed one Polludrone Environmental Monitor at Shahjahanpur Toll Plaza, Neemrana, Alwar. Which is among the affected places in this dust storm which took lives of so many innocent people.

We are sharing the real-time data of the Particulate Matter concentrations which reached ‘Severe’ threshold defined by WHO by multiple percentages.

The Above chart from the Oizom Polludrone at Alwar, Rajasthan shows high PM particle range. The range going above 719 ug/m3 at Indian time 6 pm on 2nd May.

Continuous monitoring system network across the districts will enable the respective authorities to be alert and warn the citizens of such deadly events. The effect isn't necessarily needed to be visualized, remember the scene from the Pacific Rim when sirens would blare across the city about the impending Kaijus attack. The result, simple, people could get across safe zones/places within a small amount of time. In the end, we would like to say all lives are priceless, no price can ever compensate the loss of our loved one’s life. As the old quote says “prevention is better than cure” so is the need for continuous environmental monitoring system network to predict such events.

#air pollution #environmental monitorin #data analytics

Electric Cars & Air Pollution: Towards a greener Environment

The weekend coming up. Remember last weekend on 22nd April, the World Earth Day was celebrated.

We all spend our weekends, partying out with friends or taking the road trip which we spent the entire last week thinking about. Or just inside the cubicle buried under the heavy loads of work. But the most common sight was of cars rushing across the streets and roads. Making the air tainted with the flavour of exhaust smoke.

Smoking causes lung cancer is the evergreen poster. Nearly 80% of lung illness is caused by pollutants released into the air from automobiles and machines burning fossil fuels. So in the future, we shouldn’t be surprised if there are posters saying “Breathing Kills”.

Automobile and machinery are two words of the industrial revolution which changed the history of the world. Now the major cause of environmental pollution.

"Poison cures poison" is a very old saying. We also need technology to cure this menace. Electric cars and clean grid energy are necessary to reduce environmental pollution. It is known from studies and research that pure electric cars do not emit harmful emissions. In fact, they don't even have an exhaust pipe. In simple terms, electric cars are a greener way. There are a plethora of other advantages of having an electric car. Theoretically, lithium, an important component in batteries, is recyclable unlimited number of times. Hence, even the hassle of maintenance is gone (lubrication for the engine). Their engines are known for its silence. This means they contribute to the reduction in noise pollution as well.

There are certain drawbacks too. Electric cars require longer charge time (4-6 hours) and less distance is covered (50-100 miles). Tesla, a pioneer in eco-friendly cars is making these shortcomings as a statement of past. Did you know Tesla was recently fined for nitrogen emissions at its manufacturing plant in Fremont? “ The Bay Area Air Quality Management District announced today that Tesla, Inc., has agreed to pay a $139,500 penalty, and to install a rooftop solar power system at a Boys and Girls Club, to settle air quality violations at its manufacturing plant in Fremont.” This shows whether it’s a huge company like Tesla or others, things are changing.

But the question remains will only electric cars change the environmental scenario? We need to remember that electricity plays an important role in all of this. Hence the source of electricity plays an important factor as well. To be said electric car is a short run plan. A need for clean grid energy has to be emphasised to make a large impact in the long run. Technology has been changing the world and will keep changing it for better or worse. But this is our Earth and our planet — known unique for living life. We all need to preserve it and every small step taken is what it needs to change it.

To change the world, start with one step. However small, the first step is hardest of all.

— Dave Matthews Band

#ElectricCar #AirPollution #CleanEnergyGrid #GreenerWay

Unhealthy Air is Bad News for Offices

It’s 7.30 am on a weekday, you get up and a monotonous day begins. Travelling in the traffic to spend your day at the second home (workplace). We try our best to stay healthy by adopting healthy eating options, regular workouts but then we spend 87% of our time indoors almost inhaling upto 11,000 liters of air per day. Do we know the quality of the air we are breathing? Are we certain it is healthier than the outdoors?

Even the ventilated indoors are affected by major air pollutants like CO2 and Particulate Matter. Particulate Matter are minuscule solid or liquid matter suspended in Earth's atmosphere. They easily enter the human system and cause various health hazards such as Aggravated asthma, Decreased lung function, Increased respiratory morbidity symptoms, such as irritation of the airways, coughing or difficulty in breathing.

What about CO2?

We already know its a major greenhouse gas affecting the global warming on Earth. The question is “How can we know the CO2 levels of our indoor environment?” various parameters are taken into consideration such as:

The time duration the area has been occupied

Ventilation system

Size of the room

Outdoor air quality

“Knowing your enemy is half the battle”

A recent report “Airpocalypse II “ from Greenpeace India reveals that nearly half of the Indian population, almost 550 million, are living in areas which still do not meet India's national air quality standards. The remaining almost 580 million of the population resides in areas where no environmental data is available.

With constant innovation, there have been breakthrough technologies to curb and fight this problem. IoT solutions have been created to identify sources of Air Pollution.

“Knowledge is having the right answer” & “Intelligence is asking the right question.”

Every member of the Oizom family loves to combat environmental issues with zeal and develop numerous solutions. One of which is “Breath-i” is a state of art solution for Air-quality monitoring system for indoor spaces. It is designed to be used in a controlled indoor environment.

Let's start making our homes a safer place to breathe. Rather than the conventional tips today let’s know about a few indoor plants which improves the air quality also makes homes look elegant.

Acera Plant: “The Living Room Plant” It’s a daytime oxygen factory.

Money Plant: “The Specialist Plant” It’s a filter that removes formaldehyde and other volatile organic chemicals from the air.

Hemigraphis alternata: “Purple waffle plant” One of the highest used ornamental plant for indoor.

Hedera Helix: “English ivy” Known as a rampant, clinging evergreen vine.

Let's combine hands to make “Airpocalypse” a term in history.

#Airpocalypse #KnowWhatYouBreathe #AirPollution

Earth Day 2017: How The Earth has changed since the first Earth Day in 1970?

The first Earth Day was celebrated on 22 April 1970 to prioritize environmental reforms. It was an era when Industrialization was at its peak. Awaring people about the importance of efficient and wise use of natural resources was needed to preserve nation’s natural resources.

There has been a significant change in the environment since the first Earth Day. As a result of rapid urbanization and population, Global CO2 emissions have been recorded at 33.6 billion tons which are 2.4 times more than 1970.

Greenhouse gas emissions have warmed the earth beyond favorable limits. World Meteorological Organization had announced 2016 as the hottest year in the recorded history, with 1.1 degree celsius above pre-industrial period. These warm temperatures cause the glaciers to melt faster. Faster melting of glaciers results in rising of sea levels. Rising sea levels causes wetland flooding, aquifer and agriculture soil contamination, coastal erosion and loss of freshwater for inhabitant species.

Looking at the brighter side, many nations have been actively willing to fight these Global problems. In 2016, 175 countries signed the Paris Climate Change Agreement to control and prevent environmental deterioration. This agreement states these countries will work to limit global temperature rise below 2C.

What can you do to fight Climate Change?

Three R’s- Reuse, Reduce (Non-renewable energy consumption), Recycle

Use Public Transport, Carpool

High-efficiency appliances

Tree plantation drives

#earthday IoT saveplanet smartcity #oizom cleantech

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Delhi Pollution: Are we drawing the correct conclusions?

The supreme court, on Friday, imposed a blanket ban on the sale and stocking of all firecrackers in the Delhi-NCR region, and suspended all licenses to do the same. This is quite a laudable, and a side note, courageous move, seeing the religious connection people have made with firecrackers.

On a superficial level, this might be the solution to at least bring the pollution down to a bearable level in the NCR region, but when looked at from an analytic lens, this ban might not quite be as effective as it might appear.

We performed a series of analyses, and came to some rather interesting conclusions. Our methodology included collecting the Air Quality Index (AQI) data in four areas in Delhi in 2016 as well as 2015 and drawing spatial as well as temporal comparisons to give a clear picture of what was happening. We also collected data from 2014 but it was sparse, and yet it supported our findings definitively, if not conclusively. One of the most relevant is the fact that this year was truly anomalous, if only firecrackers are considered major pollutants during and after 30th October. Comparing the AQI this year to that observed in 2015, it was obvious that firecrackers could not have caused the shocking level of pollution seen this year. The findings, in a form of a line chart, have been presented below:

Illustration 1: AQI levels in 2015

Illustration 2: AQI levels in 2016

As it is obvious from the graphs, the most prominent spike in 2016 begun, not during and immediately after Diwali but, five days after Diwali, at which point in 2015, the AQI was beginning to stabilize. While there was a spike on the 17th (six days after Diwali 2015) which stayed till the 21st, it was easily attributable to the sudden 2° C temperature drop from the 22° C on the 16th to 20° C on the 17th and beyond.

However, what was observed in 2016 was way beyond anything that a temperature drop could reasonably explain. Thus began, late on 4th November, and continuing well into the late hours of 6th November, a time period when AQI of 500 was constantly recorded. As an aside, 500 is the maximum value for the AQI. Even if the concentration of individual pollutants exceed the values required to record this value, the value of AQI will remain constant at 500. Another interesting observation that is seen is that the AQI values in 2015 were not close to 500 at any point in time after Diwali.

However, what was more disconcerting were the levels of PM 2.5(a major pollutant whose concentration in PPM tracks the AQI) in 2016. They were following a trend close to that of 2015, until late on the 4th November. At that point they steadily shot up to, and maintained a level higher than those observed during Diwali. This started, according to the devices installed by the CPCB, in places in Haryana near the NCR region, and steadily progressed towards the NCR region. An anomalous rise in the levels of PM2.5 was observed late on 4th November, and it proceeded towards Delhi, and during the early hours of 5th November, the PM2.5 levels in most places in Delhi had begun to reflect this spike. This gradually built up, until the evening of 6th November. This is in stark contrast to the PM2.5 levels in the previous year a week after Diwali. All of this suggests very strongly that the Diwali celebrations might not have been the major contributor to the current menace in Delhi.

So now rises the logical question, what could have possibly been the major source of the pollution level? A hypothesis presented by the data, and supported by a study done by IIT Kanpur strongly suggests that the practice of paddy stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana, possibly combined with the lowering temperatures and the firecracker residue might be to blame for this menace. And while it can be argued that stubble burning happens every year, it would seem that the proximity it had with Diwali, along with the weather conditions, is the anomalous entity that caused this severe buildup of smog.

And this is why, despite the laudable measures taken by the government to ban firecrackers, it is possible that there might not be a major change in the amount of pollution Delhi is facing, for the simple reason that it is not the major contributor to the pollution levels seen this year.

#delhi pollution #smog in delhi #firecrackerban

Why You Should Be Worried About Air Pollution

Air pollution can be defined as the presence of one or more contaminants like dust, mist, smoke and colour in the atmosphere that are injurious human beings, plants and animals.

Rapid industrialization, Fast urbanization, Rapid growth in population, Growth of vehicles on the roads and Activities of human beings have disturbed the natural balance of the atmosphere.

Air pollution is often measured on the values of particulate matter of size less than 2.5 micrometers (PM 2.5) and particulate matter of size less than 10 micrometers (PM10) and hazardous gases.

Here’s why you should worry about Air pollution

#air pollution #global warming #climate change #dust particles #indoor air pollution #smog

Delhi’s Pollution can reduce 6 Years from your Life

Delhi is one of the most polluted cities of the world.

Air pollution is often based on the values of particulate matter of size less than 2.5 micrometers(PM 2.5) and particulate matter of size less than 10 micrometers (PM10).PM 2.5 reduces visibility and cause the air to appear hazy when the levels are elevated. It is the most harmful pollutant to human health which can lead to respiratory diseases, lung cancer and heart attacks.

#Pollution AirPollution #GlobalWarming NewDelhi Delhi Delhipollution #particulatematter

Are you safe from pollution sitting inside the car?

It is a general notion to think that you are exposed to higher levels of air pollution if you cycle or walk than when you’re sitting inside a car. Well, you’re mistaken. Read along to uncover the lesser-known truth about the pollution inside your car.

#car pollution #health effects #air pollution #Oizom #asthma #respiratory disease

Increasing air pollution has led to high demand for air quality control system

As we move to metro cities, the quality of life improves, does it? Well, that could be subjective. But there’s one thing that deteriorates for sure and we have figures to support that. The air quality.

#air quality #Air Qaulity Monitors #air pollution #technology

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Melting of glaciers is increasing and yes it is a matter of concern!

#glaciers #temperature #global warming #climate change #air pollution #Environment

I am the Air you breathe.

Just for once sit back, close your eyes and think about the reason for your existence, the people around you, the animals, the flora and fauna that makes this planet the greenest planet in the solar system.

Everything from water to surface elements and soil is responsible for the reason behind the life on the planet but the most important part is the Atmosphere.

#Air #atmosphere #pollution #global warming #climate change

Rise in Infrastructure could be the Pollution Solution

Will you be willing to spend an entire night in the forest?

Yes, I am serious. One entire night in a tent in the jungle without using any mosquito repellent or a mosquito net and dozens of mosquitoes yet they can’t even touch you.

What if you can keep your doors and windows open of your house amidst a dusty place and still not a single speck of dust enters your home?

#infrastructure #sustainable #development #smog #environment #air pollution #clean technology

We Believe in What We See and Yes We Can See Climate Change Now!

Untimely incidents like Rains in Maharashtra, Snow Warning in Wales, England and Scotland, Heavy Rains in Leigh Valley and an unexpected Earthquake in Indonesia; aren’t they connected to something? Isn’t something very unusual in their weather conditions as per the seasons?

#climate change #pollution #earthquake #london #maharastra #oizom #myairmyway #knowwhatyoubreathe #global warming

10 of the Most Polluted cities in the World

#pollution #urbanization #India #New Delhi #Pakistan #Iran #cities #industrialization #Oizom #MyAirMyWay #KnowWhatYouBreathe

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10 Shocking Facts which you didn’t know about Water Pollution

The growing concern of water pollution is one of the major alarming situations today. It does not just hurt animals and people alike, they also hurt entire community doing major damage that takes years to cleanup and fix.