PUNJAB ENVIS CENTRE

STATUS OF ENVIRONMENT & RELATED ISSUES

 

Quality & Status

• The quality and status of air is determined by the concentration of its constituents and if this concentration exceeds certain threshold limits then it is called pollution.

 

• In order to protect human health, vegetation and other living creature, property, and environment from the adverse affect of air pollution, National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) (Revised) have been set by Central Pollution Control Board.

 

 

 

• The air quality standards are primarily developed on dose effect/ dose response relationships. These standards are integral part of the air quality management, which are required for set long term as well as short-term air quality improvement and formulation of strategies and implementation of various programmes for achieving these goals.

 

• The driving forces, which are affecting the air quality of Punjab, are:

• Industrial growth  

• Urban growth

•  Agricultural practices

 

• The State Government has monitored the air quality of various cities/ towns of the state under NAAQM (National Ambient Air Quality Monitoring) scheme financed by CPCB and AAQM (Ambient Air Quality Monitoring) scheme financed by State Government. Further,  regular monitoring of ambient air quality is being carried out by Punjab Pollution Control Board at twenty locations in the state. Out of these nine are in residential cum commercial areas and eleven locations are in industrial areas.

 

• As per data provided by Punjab Pollution Board for the period 1995 to 2005:

• The 24 hourly and annual averages of SPM/RSPM at residential-cum-commercial monitoring locations  generally exceed the permissible limits for residential areas (24 hourly permissible limits for SPM and RSPM are 200 µg/m3 & 100 µg/m³ respectively and for Annual average permissible limits are 140 µg/m³ & 60 µg/m³) throughout the year and maximum values have been observed in parts of Ludhiana followed by Jalandhar and Amritsar with respect to their permissible limits. However, the annual average of SO₂ and NOx concentrations at all locations remain within permissible limits.

Annual Average SPM/RSPM Concentrations in Ambient Air at Residential-cum-Commercial Monitoring Locations (CLICK HERE)

Annual Average SO₂ Concentrations in Ambient Air at Residential-cum-Commercial Monitoring Locations  (CLICK HERE)

Annual Average NOx Concentrations in Ambient Air at Residential-cum-Commercial Monitoring Locations  (CLICK HERE)

 

• In the Industrial areas, SPM/RSPM levels have been reported to be above permissible limits in Mandi Gobindgarh and in parts of Ludhiana with respect to annual averages. A comparison of SPM/RSPM data with their respective permissible limits indicates that the concentrations of SPM/RSPM are beyond the permissible limits at all the monitoring stations. The concentration of SO₂ and NOx at various industrial locations of the state indicates that the values are well within the permissible limits.

Range and Mean of Annual Averages of SPM  in Ambient Air at various Industrial Monitoring Locations (CLICK HERE)

Annual Average SPM Concentrations in Ambient Air at Industrial Monitoring Locations  (CLICK HERE)

Annual Average SO2 Concentrations at Industrial Monitoring Locations  (CLICK HERE)

Annual Average NOx Concentrations at Industrial Monitoring Locations (CLICK HERE)

References 

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