NIEHS Global Environmental Health Program Monday, September 30, 2019

Paul Wilkinson, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Urban Sustainability and Health: Smart Solutions for

Smart Cities in India

Annual average PM2.5 vs per capita GDP

Amritsar

Bhopal

Varanasi

Asuncion

Kabul

Dakar

Yaounde

Dhaka

Amravati

Lahore

Hyderabad

Karabuk

Langfang

Delhi

San Salvador

Ibarra

Ulaanbaatar

Punta Arenas

Rio de Janeiro

San Jose

Baghdad

Curitiba

Wuhan

Lima

Tehran

Ankara

Santiago

Tianjin

Hangzhou

Istanbul

Foshan

Mexico City

Beijing

Nantes

Changzhou

Nanjing

Guangzhou

Shenzhen

Baotou

Rome

Bucharest

Stockholm

Moscow

Hong Kong

Portland

Dammam

Chicago

Singapore

Abu Dhabi

London

San Francisco

Paris

San Jose

Doha

WHO guideline: annual average PM2.5

020

4060

8010

012

0[P

M2.

5] u

g.m

-3

0 50000 100000 150000per capita GDP (US$)Source: SHUE database

Pune

Kabul

Visakhapatnam

DhakaHyderabad

Xianyang

Delhi

Ulaanbaatar

Suzhou

Curitiba

Wuhan Hangzhou

Shenyang

Oulu

Bangkok

Shanghai

Changzhou

Saint John

SeoulBucharest

Buenos Aires

Helsinki

Hong Kong

OsloNew York City

PerthLondon Paris Macau

WHO guideline: annual average PM2.5

025

5075

100

Pred

icted

ann

ual a

vera

ge P

M2.

5 (u

g.m

-3)

0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000per capita GDP (US$)

Thought experiment: change, PM2.5 from halving surrounding emissions + develop to ‘$40k’

Source: SHUE database

Wuhan

Doha

Amritsar

Bhopal

DammamDelhi

BaghdadKarachi

025

5075

100

125

Annu

al m

ean

PM2.

5 co

ncen

tratio

n ug

.m-3

10 20 30 40 50Mean temperature (deg C) of hottest month, 2100

Local and global environmental threats…

WHO PM2.5 guideline concentration

Source: SHUE database

Savda Ghevra, Delhi

Typology Hazard

Damp Heat Toilets Mosquitoes Infestations

Katcha x x x x x

Semi-Pucca x x x x x

Pucca 1.5 x x x

Pucca 2 x x x

Priorities

20

30

40

50

Dai

ly m

ax te

mpe

ratu

re (°

C)

0 100 200 300 400day of the year

Heat threshold 29 ⁰C for mortality risk

Measurements of indoor temperature: Savda dwelling

0

200

400

600

800

Dai

ly m

ean

PM2.

5 (µ

g/m

3)

0 100 200 300 400days of the year

Indoor air pollution (daily mean): Savda dwelling

WHO guideline25 µg/m3 (for 24h outdoor mean)

Insulated roof with reflective paint

Chimney or vent for through flow

of air and escape of PM

Septic tank, lined

‘Green walls/roof’ for

temperature control

Raised floor for protection against water

ingress +/- vectors

‘Fly ash’ blocks for walls

Cover for open drain

Comment

• Multiple environment and health challenges for Indian cities, as elsewhere

• Action on environmental sustainability can help reduce the risks of current and future risks to population health

• Important targets for action include housing, transport, energy systems, waste…