An episode of transboundary air pollution in the central Himalayas during agricultural residue burning season in North India

Khanal, Santosh; Pokhrel, Rudra; Pokharel, Binod; Becker, Stefan; Giri, Basant; Adhikari, Loknath; LaPlante, Matthew D.

doi:10.1016/j.apr.2021.101270

Cited by 15 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…The trajectory heights were set to 500 m, 1000 m and 1500 m AGL, because the winds at these heights can effectively reduce the influence of ground surface friction and more accurately reflect the characteristic of the mean flow field in the atmospheric boundary layer according to previous studies [ 23 , [30] , [31] , [32] ]. Two other mainoptions applied in this paper are Vertical Motion/Model vertical velocity and Plot projection/Lambert.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Formation of an unprecedented yellow snow episode in Xinjiang on December 1, 2018

Huang,

Wan

2023

Heliyon

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Formation of an unprecedented yellow snow episode in Xinjiang on December 1, 2018

Huang,

Wan

2023

Heliyon

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“…The best example is Kolkata, where the primary source of air pollution is road dust (61%) and vehicles (21%), but dust can also be accompanied by construction activities or dusty weather/climate (Gurjar et al, 2016). In addition to transportation, household and commercial burning of fuels like wood, coal, and kerosene for cooking, heating, and lighting, and the burning of crop residue af-ter the harvest season are also significant contributors to air pollution in countries located in the Ganges Plain (Chawala, Sandhu, 2020;Saxena et al, 2021;Khanal et al, 2022). This is especially pronounced during October and November after harvest residue burning in Punjab and Haryana, leading to extremely hazardous air pollution (Khanal et al, 2022).…”

Section: Polluted Air: a Threat To Health And Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to transportation, household and commercial burning of fuels like wood, coal, and kerosene for cooking, heating, and lighting, and the burning of crop residue af-ter the harvest season are also significant contributors to air pollution in countries located in the Ganges Plain (Chawala, Sandhu, 2020;Saxena et al, 2021;Khanal et al, 2022). This is especially pronounced during October and November after harvest residue burning in Punjab and Haryana, leading to extremely hazardous air pollution (Khanal et al, 2022). Khanal et al (2022) found that pollutants can even be transported to Kathmandu and higher elevations, primarily through the river valleys, during particular wind conditions.…”

Section: Polluted Air: a Threat To Health And Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental challenges of the Northern Indian plains and their implications

Bjelajac¹,

Bubalo-Živković²,

Lukić³

2022

Zb Depart geogr, turizam i hotel

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The Northern Indian Plains are facing severe environmental challenges that threaten the health and well-being of millions of people in the region. Deforestation, soil degradation, water pollution and scarcity, and poor air quality are some of the major environmental issues that require urgent attention. Deforestation in the region has resulted in the loss of biodiversity, soil erosion, and reduced water availability. Soil degradation is another major issue in the region, resulting from unsustainable agricultural practices, overuse of chemical fertilizers, and erosion caused by deforestation. It has also reduced soil fertility, resulting in lower crop yields and reduced agricultural productivity. Using chemical fertilizers and pesticides has also led to water pollution, affecting the health of people and animals who rely on these water sources. Water scarcity and pollution are major challenges in the region, with many people having limited access to clean and safe drinking water. The pollution of water sources due to industrial and agricultural activities has further compounded the problem, leading to waterborne diseases and various health issues. Finally, air pollution is a major environmental challenge in the Northern Indian Plains, with high levels of particulate matter and other pollutants affecting people's health in the region. Burning crops, vehicular emissions, and industrial activities contribute to poor air quality, leading to respiratory illnesses, cardiovascular disease, and other health issues. This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the mentioned environmental challenges in the Northern India Plains by utilizing contemporary literature and evidence-based research to establish its findings.

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“…More than 120 of Nepal's approximately 1700 brick kilns operate in the valley and employ more than 30,000 workers annually [1][2][3]. Most of the brick manufacturing process in the Kathmandu Valley occurs outdoors where workers are exposed to high levels of ambient fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) that originates from fugitive dust, vehicle exhaust, burning of biomass, trash and coal, and regional pollutant transport (Figure 1) [4][5][6][7]. Studies also provide evidence that there may be a potentially significant occupational component to brick workers' daily PM 2.5 exposures [8,9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Personal Exposure to Fine Particulate Air Pollution among Brick Workers in Nepal

Johnston,

Collingwood,

LeCheminant

et al. 2023

Atmosphere

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Prior studies suggest brick workers in Nepal may be chronically exposed to hazardous levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from ambient, occupational, and household sources. However, findings from these studies were based on stationary monitoring data, and thus may not reflect a worker’s individual exposures. In this study, we used RTI International’s MicroPEMs to collect 24 h PM2.5 personal breathing zone (PBZ) samples among brick workers (n = 48) to estimate daily exposures from ambient, occupational, and household air pollution sources. Participants were sampled from five job categories at one kiln. The geometric mean (GM) PM2.5 exposure across all participants was 116 µg/m3 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 94.03, 143.42). Job category was significantly (p < 0.001) associated with PBZ PM2.5 concentrations. There were significant pairwise differences in geometric mean (GM) PBZ PM2.5 concentrations among workers in administration (GM: 47.92, 95% CI: 29.81, 77.03 µg/m3) vs. firemen (GM: 163.46, 95 CI: 108.36, 246.58 µg/m3, p = 0.003), administration vs. green brick hand molder (GM: 163.35, 95% CI: 122.15, 218.46 µg/m3, p < 0.001), administration vs. top loader (GM: 158.94, 95% CI: 102.42, 246.66 µg/m3, p = 0.005), firemen vs. green brick machine molder (GM: 73.18, 95% CI: 51.54, 103.90 µg/m3, p = 0.03), and green brick hand molder vs. green brick machine molder (p = 0.008). Temporal exposure trends suggested workers had chronic exposure to hazardous levels of PM2.5 with little to no recovery period during non-working hours. Multi-faceted interventions should focus on the control of ambient and household air pollution and tailored job-specific exposure controls.

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An episode of transboundary air pollution in the central Himalayas during agricultural residue burning season in North India

Cited by 15 publications

References 62 publications

Formation of an unprecedented yellow snow episode in Xinjiang on December 1, 2018

Formation of an unprecedented yellow snow episode in Xinjiang on December 1, 2018

Environmental challenges of the Northern Indian plains and their implications

Personal Exposure to Fine Particulate Air Pollution among Brick Workers in Nepal

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