Air quality in Fatehabad

How polluted is the air in Fatehabad?

Fatehabad is a town and a municipal committee in the Fatehabad district in the state of Haryana, India. It is towards the northern boundary and is located in the south-western part of Haryana.

A 2001 census recorded the population of Fatehabad as being 59,863.

In the second quarter of 2021, Fatehabad was going through a period of “Moderate” quality air with a US AQI reading of 88. This classification is in line with recommendations from the World Health Organisation (WHO). The concentration level for the pollutant PM2.5 was 30 µg/m³. PM10 was recorded as being 60 µg/m³ and ozone (O₃) was the third recording at 11 µg/m³. All readings are measured in microns per cubic metre.

Does the level of air pollution change during the year in Fatehabad?

The levels of air pollution can change very quickly depending on the weather and other local factors so they constantly change throughout the year.

Looking at the recently published figures from 2020, it can be seen that November was the most polluted month with a high reading of 152.5 µg/m³ which is classified as being very “Unhealthy”. This is probably due to the burning of straw in the surrounding countryside and the setting off of fireworks at the Diwali festival which occurs at that time of year. A further 7 months of the year saw figures in the “Unhealthy” bracket with readings between 55.5 and 150.4 µg/m³. These months were spread throughout the year with no particular pattern. The 4 remaining months of January, March, April and August returned readings from the “Unhealthy or sensitive groups” category with readings between 35.5 and 55.4 µg/m³. Looking at the overall picture for 2020, the annual mean figure was 78.5 µg/m³ or “Unhealthy”. Unfortunately, there were no records kept of the data before 2020 so there is nothing to compare it with, as yet.

What is the source of air pollution in Fatehabad?

In November 2020, which, according to the IQAir figures was the most polluted month of the year, Fatehabad was the only city in the state to have an air quality index of over 400. Apart from this, the air quality index has crossed 300 at 11 places. It was recorded at being 321 in the city of Hisar.

The burning of the straw in the surrounding countryside in the autumn and the display of fireworks around Diwali act as a catalyst for air pollution. 24-hour average levels of pollution immediately rise to emergency levels.

As with many other large cities throughout the world, the emissions from vehicles make a huge contribution to air pollution due to their sheer numbers. Emissions from industrial processes and from coal-powered electricity generators also contribute a considerable amount.

In the rural areas, many households use traditional fuels to both cook with and provide warmth in the winter months. This fuel ranges from poor quality coal, organic matter such as leaves, twigs, mosses etc. and from dried animal dung. The latter being particularly bad because of the fumes given off as it is burnt. Very often these stoves are in unventilated rooms and mum is often joined by her curious children who are more susceptible to poor air quality.

What can be done to reduce air pollution in Fatehabad?

When the debate on pollution started, it was said that the stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana is contributing to the air pollution in the surrounding areas. Air pollution that reaches peak levels during winter can be prevented by controlling the burning of crop residue. Instead of burning the straw, briquettes of crop residue can be made. In thermal power plants, they can be burned up to 10-20 per cent in place of coal. If the government announces now that the briquettes will be bought by the government during the next four years, then the market forces will distribute them. Private investors will set up small brick making plants at the village level and will also provide an attractive price for the straw to the farmers. This will provide some additional income to the farmers. Currently, thermal plants are using imported coal and if they use briquettes instead of imported coal, there will be no additional cost. In this way, the problem of burning straw is also solved.

Another positive development is that BS6 standard fuel will soon be available nationwide. Automobile companies will be selling vehicles with BS6 standard technology. This is the current European standard and air pollution from automobiles is no longer a serious issue in Europe.

However, the benefits from cleaner fuel will be visible over the next several years, as older vehicles will continue to be used. Old commercial vehicles; Trucks, buses, tricycles and taxis cause far more pollution than private vehicles. Those who want to replace their old vehicle should be given attractive incentives to buy a new vehicle and scrap the old one.

The majority of families in rural India depend on wood, coal and cow dung for cooking. Smoke resulting from the burning of such fuels causes hazardous domestic pollution and adversely affects the health of women and children. Under the Ujjwala program to tackle this problem, LPG cylinders and connections are being provided in all houses. It aims to increase the supply of gas in cities and the use of LPG cylinders in all rural households. If everyone in the country uses clean energy for cooking such as gas or electricity, then about one-fourth of the air pollution will be reduced.

What are the consequences of breathing in polluted air?

Air pollution has a bad effect on physical and psychological health. Many parts of the body are damaged due to pollution. Before knowing how to avoid it, it is necessary to know what its effect is.

It causes respiratory diseases such as COPD. Due to air pollution, bronchial asthma takes extreme form. Apart from this, it causes fatigue, headache and anxiety, irritation to the eyes, nose, throat, damage to the nervous system and has a bad effect on the cardiovascular system.

According to a report from the World Health Organisation, every year 70 million people die due to polluted air. Winter season is coming again and the humidity in the air will decrease and straw will be burnt in the fields. Because of all this, air pollution in winter reaches its highest level. In the last 30 years, many fatal effects on health have been found due to air pollution. These include respiratory diseases such as asthma and lung problems, cardiovascular diseases and bad results in pregnancy such as premature delivery and even death.