atmospheric pollution paper sci & eng.)

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JOURNAL OF ENVIRON. SCIENCE &ENGG. VOL.49, No.I,P. 22 - 27, January 2007

Atmospheric Pollution:ACase Study ofDegrading Urban Air Quality over Punjab, India

PARMJIT SINGH SEHRAThis paper presents the results of a case study of urban air quality over a denselypopulated city Ludhiana situated in Punjab, India, in the form of monthly and annualaverage concentrations of Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM), N02 and S02 for theperiods 1988-1989, 1994-1999 and 2001-2005 which is generally found to be increasingwith time and thus requires immediate corrective measures lest the situation becomestotally uncontrollable. The present situation is as bad as in other metropolitan Indiancities, although it seems to have somewhat improved as indicated by the latest 2001-2005 data in comparison withthe past 1988-1989and 1994-1999 data, but muchmore stillneeds to be done. In addition to the industrial and vehicular pollution, the agriculturalpollution due to the burning of wheat and rice straws by the farmers should also bechecked because it also creates tremendous pollution in the atmosphere.

IntroductionThe city of Ludhiana in Punjab occupies a place of

pride on the industrial map ofIndia and can be rightly calledthe home of small scale and household industries, and isthus popularly known as the "Manchester of India". Therehas been a rapid growth of industries in Ludhiana,especially, after the independence of the country. Thegrowth has further been enhanced due to various facilitiesand incentives provided to the industrial entrepreneurs by

years, an increasing emphasis has been placed on therice husk as an alternate fuel due to its easy availabilesser cost.Since rice husk contains cellulose and re

substances, its burning increases smoke content incausing irritation to the eyes and breathing proParticulate matter from the rice husk burning is eitor carbonaceousmaterial resulting from incomplete bMore than 2000 metric tons of rice husk is burnt ev


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A case study of degradingurban air quality over Punjab, Indiasuspension due to heavy traffic intensity causing poorvisibility, respiratory problems and eye irritation in additionto general nuisance.

Therehasbeena rapid increasein thenumberof vehiclesin thecityoverthe past fewyears. InLudhiana, there are about5.5lakhvehiclesincludingthree-wheelers,scooters,cars,motorcycles, trucks, and buses, etc. Scooters and motor cycles arethemajor transport source in the city. These alongwiththree-wheelersare themajor contributors of carbon monoxide(CO)and hydro-carbons (HC) pollution in Ludhiana. The dieselpowered heavy vehicles add to the air pollution problem byemittingoutjetblacksmoke.Theproblemis furtheraggravatedwhensomevehiclesuseadulteratedpetrolmixedwithkeroseneoil. The emissions from such vehicles are very high inSuspended Particulate Matter (SPM) such as carbon and sootparticles resulting in smoke, and noise pollution.Dispenion conditions inLudhiana

The concentration of air pollutants and their impact onhuman health,-plants, and materials not only depends on theemissions but also on the way the air pollutants after theiremissionintotheatmospherearedispersedand finallyremoved.This period is called the transmission period for which the

'. main climatological factors of importance include wind direction,wind speed, and atmospheric stability. It is thus possible todiscuss in a qualitative way three significantly different periods,

represent background, residential, commercial andindustrial areas have been kept inmind while selecting thelocations ofmonitoring stations. Thus, three stations wereset up at the following locations: (1) Milk Plant representingthe background concentration of the pollutants, (2) RitaSewingMachine representing highly industrialised area ofthe city,and (3) PPCB OfficeBuilding! VishavkarmaChowkin Industrial Area-B of the city.

SPM in the ambient atmosphere in the size range of0.1 to 100 microns (mm) were collected on 8" x 10" glassmicrofibre sheets by means of high volume air samplesandestimatedgravimetrically.OxidesofNitrogen(NO.)weredetermined by bubbling the ambient air samples througha solutionof sodiumarsenite andsodiumhydroxide, and thendetermined spectrophotometrically. Analysis of allthe pollutants such as the SPM, NO., and S02' etc., wasconducted as per the prescribed standard methodsI(Anonymous, 1992).

Regular monitoring was started at all the stations inJune 1988with the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB)Office Building presently located in industrial area-B of thecity having recorded its regular observations theresubsequently. Monitoring was done at all the stations thricea week. SPM was monitored for 24 hours with 8 hoursaveraging, whereasN02 andS02weremonitored for24hourswith 4 hours averaging.


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A easestudy of degradingurban air quality over Punjab, IndiaTable 2 : Monthly average values of the ambient air quality data ofSPM, NOz and SOz for the period 2001 to 2005 at thy .Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug . Sept Oct Nov

Site-1 SPM 128 115 136 172 176 125 76 124 160 171 152NOx 30 31 28 31 31 31 31 31 Zl 32 30S02 11 11 10 12 12 10 12 12 11 10 12

Site-2 SPM ZlO 242 219 236 244 155 103 249 341 324 231D1 NOx 31 31 '29 31 31 31 31 32 30 34 33

S01 11 11 10 12 12 10 11 12 10 11 13Site-3 SPM 217 228 187 232 231 228 289 2JJ7 141 150 163NOx 31 31 '29 31 31 31 31 32 31 36 32

S02 13 11 11 12 12 10 11 12 10 11 13Site-1 SPM 113 128 149 206 20S 20S 192 % 84 158 164

NOx 32 32 31 31 32 '29 31 ZI 25 '29 33S02 13 13 12 12 12 13 11 9 8 9 11

Site-2 .SPM 180 168 190 273 .26S 209 267 163 171 212 310D)Z NOx 32 .32 31 32 32 31 31 33 33 35 J7SO, 13 14 12 12 13 13 11 11 11 11 12

Site-3 SPM 298 325 286 315 248 Zl6 290 240 ZlI 2'29 420


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contd...Table 2P~it SinghSehra

Site - I : Verka Plant (Outskirts of the city),Site -2 ; Rita Sewing Machine (Industrial area), andSite -3 : Office Building / Vishavkarma Chowk (Industrial and residential area)Minimum and Maximum values of the SPM are underlined in this TableSource;- P.P.C.B.

found to be 200%. Since the Verka Milk Plant station islocated in the south-western (SW) outer fringe ofLudhiana,it is not directly affected by industrial and commercialresidual emissions as the main wind direction is north-west(NW) and south-east (SE), this result seems quite plausible.

situation through the role played by the 'PPCB' andawareness.Although the latest data for the period 2001shows soml: improvement in air quality as compare

Year Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct NovSite-1 SPM 163 159 155 281 219 zn 185 145 167 m 295

NOx 26 28 31 33 31 32 31 32 36 46S02 14 15 19 19 18 10 10 10 21 26 26

Site-2 SPM 219 230 195 339 Z79 300 264 230 217 274 3202005 NOx 33 33 39 36 35 37 40 33 42 43 47

802 19 17 10 24 10 10 10 21 23 13 26Site-3 SPM 166 122 154 213 320 313 235 199 185 213 341NOx 35 32 49 52 48 41 42 48 47 46802 14 18 22 21 22 21 10 23 24 26 26


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A case study of degrading urban air quality over Punjab, Indiacan stop burning wheat stubble and rice straw,and use it formakingmanurefor their fields.

The dependence on the relevant factors of influenceis absolutely necessary. Monitoring of the prevailing airpollution bas thus to be intensified by adding more stationsand expanding to other components, particularly, carbonmonoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons (HC), etc. Knowledge ofthe chemical composition of the Suspended ParticulateMatter is necessary to assess its possible health impacts.Air quality modelling by use of a dispersion model basedon an emission inventory would be a vital prerequisite tooptimise a sound monitoring programme for understandingthe cycle of relevant air pollutants in a better way and toplan necessary measures to control air pollution inLudhiana.Acknowledgements

The author is grateful to the Punjab Pollution ControlBoard (PPCB), VatavaranBhawan, NabhaRoad, Patiala-14700 I, Punjab, India, for providing all the required informationfor the present study.

ReferenceS1. Anonymous, A Report on Status of Ambie

Quality of Ludhiana City, SAAQRlPPCB/1IPunjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), Pa147001,Punjab, India (1992).Sebra,P.S.,HazardousPollutionProblemoverLuPunjab, India. Third InternationalConferenceonAir Quality and Fifth Saturn Workshop,MeasurModelling and Management 19-23 March 200Poseidon Hotel Resort, Loutraki,Greece.Organthe Environmental Physics Group of the InstiPhysics, London, the Environmental ResLaboratory INTRP, NCSR "Demokritos", aUniversity of Hertfordshire, Hatfield ALl09Acollaboration with SATURN, TRAPOS and C()SU.K, Supported by AWMA, IUAPPA and EURPaper No. UAP.Pl.18, Extended Abstracts CD-Institute of Physics, 76 Portland Place, London3DH,UK.

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