ANSWER: 2
Explanation:
Only 2 of 10 most polluted cities are covered by government's real time air quality monitoring system.
Delhi and Faridabad are covered by the system.
More than one billion are unprepared for toxic episodes.
The country's air is now deadlier than China. Lack of real time monitoring ensures that current pollution levels cannot be checked.
Moreover, the government is unable to issue public warnings.
Around 88 million Indians or 7 percent of the population live in 33 cities that have online air pollution monitoring in real time.
Less than 10 percent of India's 380 urban agglomerations are covered.
The GoI runs monitoring networks covering more than 200 cities and towns. Measurements are not taken more than twice in a week and not available in real time.
Manual monitoring system means samples should be first sent to the lab to be assessed.
Government in China has built a particle pollution monitoring network covering 400 cities and including 1,500 monitoring stations, all posting data online in real time.
All of the Indian cities in the top 10 are experiencing levels of the particulate PM10 three-and-a-half times the annual legal limit.
It is also 10 times above international guidelines,.
4 of the top 10 most polluted cities are found in Jharkhand where there are coal mines.
Not a single city in northern India met international safety guidelines for particle pollution in 2015.
Less than 10% cities met India's national air quality standards, which are 3 times as high as the WHO safety guideline.
Moreover, coal consumption almost doubled and oil consumption increased 60 per cent from 2005 to 2015.
Emissions from coal-based power plants were the largest source of increase in SO2 and NOx emissions in the country.
These are two key pollutants contributing to India's particle pollution levels.
TERI and CSE have started calling for a national action plan on air pollution to expand measures to reduce emissions from key polluting sectors–power plants, industry, agriculture and transport– beyond individual cities.
National crisis has caused new emission standards and the launch of the National Air Quality Index.
National Air Quality Index: Know More - Air Quality Index (AQI) gives air quality information to people.
- There are six AQI categories, namely Good, Satisfactory, Moderately polluted, Poor, Very Poor, and Severe.
- The proposed AQI will consider eight pollutants (PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2, CO, O3, NH3, and Pb.
- For this short-term (up to 24-hourly averaging period) National Ambient Air Quality Standards are prescribed.
- Based on the measured ambient concentrations, corresponding standards and likely health impact, a sub-index is calculated for each of these pollutants.
- The worst sub-index reflects overall AQI.
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