India has three NO2 emission hotspots: Body

Mumbai: While a World Health Organisation (WHO) study reinforces the need for stronger action for achieving breathable air, another report by the organisation Green-peace has highlighted that India has some of the world’s biggest NO2 emission hotspots, making it one of the most polluted countries in the world.

These hotspots include are Delhi-NCR, Sonbha-dra-Singrauli, Korba-Chhattisgarh and Talcher in Odisha. This indicates a direct link between burning of fossil fuel and air pollution in the power and transport sectors.

According to the World Health Organisation report, one in 10 deaths in children under five years is due to air pollution. However, experts have stated that the NO2 emissions in Mumbai, too, have shown an increasing trend over the past six years as per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data for Mumbai.

“The Greenpeace analysis points out that coal and transport are the two principal sources of emissions. India has three of the world’s 50 pollution hotspots for NO2 according to the Greenpeace analysis and almost all of them are around coal burning regions,” said Sunil Dahiya, air pollution campaigner, Greenpeace India.

“The NO2 emissions in Mumbai are not that high in comparison to the hotspots that the report has specified,”    the air pollution campaigner added.