Punjab may witness 20% rise in aerosol pollution in ’23: Study

Chandigarh: In 2023, aerosol pollution in Punjab is anticipated to rise by 20% and continue to remain in the “highly vulnerable” red zone for aerosol pollution.
Among major aerosol pollution sources for Punjab from 2005 to 2009, the study found that vehicular emissions were the highest, followed by solid fuel burning and thermal power plant (TPP) emissions. However, between 2010 and 2014, crop residue burning became the second biggest source of aerosol pollution.

In the follow up years from 2015 and 2019, crop residue burning became the biggest source contribution to aerosol pollution around (34-35%) emissions followed by TPPs (20-25%) and vehicular emissions (17-18%).
High aerosol amounts include particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) among other pollutants as well as sea salt, dust, black and organic carbon. If inhaled they can be harmful to people’s health. Aerosol optical depth (AOD) is the quantitative estimate of the aerosol present in the atmosphere and it can be used as a proxy measurement of PM2.5.
The study ‘A deep insight into state-level aerosol pollution in India’ by researchers Dr Abhijit Chatterjee Associate Professor and his PhD scholar Monami Dutta from Bose Institute, Kolkata, provides a national scenario of aerosol pollution with the long-term (2005–2019) trend.
Punjab currently falls under the red category which is the highly vulnerable zone with AOD over 0.5. Aerosol pollution is likely to rise by 20% further pushing the AOD higher within the vulnerable (red) zone in 2023.