Air quality in Jind

How polluted is Jind now?

Jind is one of the largest and oldest cities in the Indian state of Haryana. Rani Talab is the main destination for tourists. In 2011 the estimated population was just over 167,000 inhabitants.

At the start of the second quarter, the air quality in Jind was classified as being “Unhealthy for sensitive groups” with a US AQI reading of 112. This is in accordance with the classifications suggested by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The concentration levels of the two main pollutants were: PM2.5 - 39.9 µg/m³ and sulphur dioxide (SO₂) - 4 µg/m³. When the level of pollution is as high as this, it is recommended to close doors and windows to prevent the ingress of dirty air into the rooms. Those of a sensitive disposition are advised to stay inside and not venture outdoors until the air quality has improved. Outdoor exercise should be avoided by everyone because even healthy people are susceptible to poor air quality. Good quality masks should be worn by everybody if they need to go outside. If remaining indoors, running an air purifier is beneficial if one is available.

Is the air quality in Jind consistent throughout the year?

Looking at the figures recorded during 2020 on the IQAir website, it can be seen that the air quality is consistently “Unhealthy” for most of the year. The figures read between 55.5 and 150.4 µg/m³ for every month except August when the quality was slightly better at 49.9 µg/m³.

When compared to previous years the air quality is improving albeit gradually. In 2017 the recorded annual average was 128.5 µg/m³, the following year returned a figure of 91.6 µg/m³.

2019 saw a slight improvement with 85.4 µg/m³ followed by the 2020 average of 81.6 µg/m³.

Where does most of Jind’s polluted air come from?

Once again Jind has become one of the most polluted cities in the world. According to the World Air Quality Report, Jind is the 17^th most polluted city worldwide in the year 2019. The previous time was the 20^th. Thousands of vehicles are using the city roads every day. One of the major causes of pollution in the city is the construction work from several projects simultaneously. Most of the roads and streets of the city have been dug up to lay new pipelines and sewers.

Pipes are being laid for drainage of rainwater under the Amarut scheme in the city. For which a total of 27 kilometres of roads were dug up. Due to the non-construction of the road again, dust is now blowing. At the same time, vehicles also travel very slowly due to the deterioration of these routes. Which, in turn, adds to the pollution.

Other sources of air pollution are from the city council who dumps the city's garbage on 12 acres of vacant land on Old Hansi Road. The garbage tip is often on fire and clouds of smoke spew over the surrounding areas. Poisonous smoke is produced by the burning of polythene and plastic waste concealed within the garbage.

There are about two and a half thousand auto-rickshaws operating in the city. From the railway terminus to the bus station, there is an auto line throughout the day. The smoke from these vehicles produces toxins in the air. Jind should have electric and CNG autos. But it is not happening quickly.

Authorities have given instructions that the unpaved roads under construction should be sprayed with water to quell the dust, but it not always being done as often as it should be. Open rail carriages that carry construction materials such as lime, mud and cement powder have been instructed to sheet the open tops with tarpaulins to prevent the wind from disturbing them once the train starts moving.

Can the air quality in Jind be improved?

Each year, given the environment and health conditions in winter, the Indo-Gangetic plains map is coloured red due to the fact that air pollution in the winter season reaches dangerous levels.

The fog that swept in early winter in November 2019 accurately reflects the rapid rise in pollution levels and changes in its status in the Indus-Gangetic plains. When the outbreak of fog spread in North India it also rapidly engulfed large and small cities and rural areas as it moved towards the east. There were several reasons for this trend such as the onset of winter, decreased airflow, increased local pollution from various sources and special events such as the burning of stubble in Punjab and Haryana and firecrackers on Diwali night.

Policies and programs are being formulated with a view to solving the problem of air pollution at the city level in India. But air pollution does not accept any limits. Defying local efforts to control it, it enters and exits urban centres at will. The solution is to create a regulatory framework for the regional approach to air quality management.

The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) officials have said that urban forests will be developed in the Aravalli region of Sikanderpur and Chakarpur. Fencing is to be done for the proposed project on 100 hectares (250 acres) of forest land. Officials said that the characteristics of the urban forest would be environmentally friendly - such as various types of plants including flowers, shady trees, vines and medicinal plants would be planted, walkways and cycle tracks would be constructed, drinking water facilities will also be provided.

The creation of these urban forests is to improve the air quality in the surrounding area. Trees and other areas of greenery are known to absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen into the atmosphere.

How do Indian cities rank when compared to world cities?

22 of the world's 30 most polluted cities are in India. Not only this, Delhi is at the top of the list of most polluted capital cities of the world. This has been said in the 'World Air Quality Report, 2020' prepared and released by the Swiss organisation 'IQAir'. The report, however, also states that Delhi's air quality has improved in 2020 compared to 2019. But despite the improvement, Delhi is at number 10 amongst the most polluted cities in the world.

But talking about the capital cities, Delhi is the most polluted city in the world.

The main factors of pollution in India are transportation, burning fuel for cooking (often dried animal dung), power generation, industry, manufacturing work, burning of waste and burning of stubble from time to time. According to the report, ' the transport sector is the biggest source of PM2.5 pollutants in India's cities.