Out of the 15 most polluted cities with regard to PM2.5 level in the world, 11 cities are in India. Some of these cities mostly along the River Ganga belt are Delhi, Kanpur, Faridabad, Varanasi, Agra, Lucknow, and Patna. Ambient air pollution is widely known to have severe negative impacts on human health. When emitted into the atmosphere, oxides of sulphur (SOx), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), and mercury undergo chemical reactions to form compounds that can travel long distances. These fine particle compounds contribute to death and serious respiratory illnesses (e.g., asthma, chronic bronchitis, and so on). Exposure to particulate matter (PM) leads to various diseases that have short- and long-term health effects. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) reported India’s ambient air pollution-related premature mortality at 0.67 million in 2017. A recent assessment at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) on the health impacts of air pollution reveals that total mortality due to ambient air pollution could be 0.76 million in 2020.
Impact of Power Sector on Air Pollution
In India, of the total environmental pollution in 2016, the power sector reportedly accounted for 51% of SO2, 43% of carbon dioxide (CO2), 20% of NOx, and 7% of PM2.5 emissions.
The coal-fired power generation is considered one of the major sources of environmental pollution in India. Coal-based power plants have dominated the power supply mix since the 1980s. As of March 31, 2020, around 55% of India’s total installed capacity, that is, 370 GW came from coal-based power stations and these accounted for 71% of the total electricity generation during the same financial year. Indian coal has a lower sulphur content (0.3–0.5%) as compared to imported coal (0.6–2%), which is why initially, not many norms were in place for SOx curtailment from thermal power stations (TPSs).
This story is from the January - March 2021 edition of Energy Future.
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This story is from the January - March 2021 edition of Energy Future.
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