Hands on Training in Appropriate Instrumentation and Techniques for Ambient Air Quality Monitoring

Presentation on

Managing Urban Air Quality

by

Dr. Dilip B. Boralkar Former Member Secretary, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board www.boralkar.com

Organised by

M/s Envirotech Instruments Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi

March 17, 2012

Questions for Policy Appraisal

Asking the Right Questions

Questions posed can channel policy in a specific direction:
By limiting options for consideration from the outset By implicitly assuming a policy response as being the best Examples: What is the contribution of geological matter to SPM?
Control of road dust

What are the surest technical options for minimizing particulate emissions from heavy duty diesels?
Advanced exhaust control or alternative fuels

Question 1: Is Outdoor Air Pollution Important?

Is the impact of outdoor air pollution on public health and lost productivity considerable compared to other threats:
Lack of access to safe drinking water Lack of adequate primary health care Malnutrition Extensive use of dirty fuels in households

Yes: pursue mitigation policies in urban air pollution No: look for incremental policy opportunities in individual sectors

Incremental Opportunities
If damage from other sources (lack of clean water, etc.) far exceeds damage from urban air pollution, then: It is not cost-effective to mount large and expensive government programs to combat urban air pollution But there are many cases where, at small incremental cost, extending sector policies can improve urban air quality Example: road widening in Hyderabad where the entire road width is paved (no unpaved shoulders)

Question 2:
Which Pollutants Should We Care About?
Pollutants should be ranked according to toxicity, ambient concentrations and exposure. Fine particulate matter is the pollutant of concern in India. A common mistake is to rank on the basis of emissions in weight based on an emissions inventory.
Emission factors are uncertain or not available. Toxicity is not taken into account. Emissions in weight are not directly proportional to ambient concentrations or exposure.

Misuse of Emissions Inventory

CO dominates total emissions in weight. CO is primarily from gasoline vehicles, and transport is identified as the culprit. Once transport is identified as the main contributor, the focus shifts to black smoke. Diesel vehicles are targeted as the highest polluter, although the technical basis was CO from gasoline vehicles.

Question 3: What Is Causing Air Pollution?

Need to identify sources contributing the most to the general populations exposure to fine particulate air pollution.
Large industrial plants. Small and medium size industries, diesel generators. Household consumption of solid fuels (biomass). Vehicular emissions. Leaf and informal refuse burning. Re-suspension of road-dust. Background and migration from other areas.

How Much Do We Know About Sources of Particulate Pollution?

Little information on background particulate concentrations if background level is high, controlling human activities will be less effective. Measured data have large uncertainties difficult to draw conclusions (e.g., correlation between NO2 and PM10 to judge traffic contribution). Essentially no carbon analysis of particles. Very few quantitative source apportionment studies.

Not much is known about relative importance of

different sources.

Observations From Other Countries

Mexico city: three-fold PM10 variations, with fugitive dust accounting for the differences. 50% of PM10, but only 15% of PM2.5, is geological. UK: road traffic contributes 25% of primary PM10 emissions, but 60% of PM0.1. Good correlation between NOx and PM10. USA: even in California, gasoline cars can emit as much as 1.5 g pm/km. A study in Colorado found that gasoline PM emissions were grossly underestimated.

Lessons for India

Size of particles measured and examined drives policy.
If PM10, difficult to lower if geological contribution is substantial. If sub-micron, efficient combustion processes such as motor exhaust will increase in importance.

Re-examine emission factors. Poor correlation between NO2 and PM10 in Delhi in one study, but confirm data quality. Need to quantify contributions from less studied sources.
Chemical (especially carbon) analysis and finger-printing. Generating emission factors more suitable to India.

Question 4:
What Activities Do the Most Damage?
For the sources identified as significant contributors to the populations exposure to small particles, which activities do the most damage?
Examples: Which vehicle and fuel combination in the transport sector? Which fuel and process combination in cottage industries?

Question 5:
What Policy Instruments Should Be Used?
Guiding principles. Recognize economic and financial constraints and incentives, and work with, rather than against, economic incentives as much as possible. Better to have lax standards that are strictly enforced, than strict standards that are not enforced for the most part. Different sectors have objectives that are not necessarily compatiblerecognize that there are trade-offs.

Considerations for Ranking Priorities

Compatibility with other sector objectives
Do they go against, or reinforce, other sector objectives?

Cost of implementation
Which measures would be the most cost-effective (Rs / population exposure reduced)?

Ease of enforcement
How difficult would it be to carry out the proposed measures or to enforce them?

Political feasibility
Are there strong vested interest groups that would oppose the proposed measures vigorously?

Policy Options
Economic: (differentiated) taxes, subsidies, pricing (congestion, parking) Administrative: emission, energy efficiency and fuel quality standards, restrictions on operation (factories, vehicles, parking), protection of non-polluting activities (NMT) Technological: fuel or technology mandates, traffic management

Linkages With Other Sectors

Transport: urban transport policy Municipal government: municipal solid waste management, policy towards slums Welfare: employment opportunities for the urban poor Urban planning: zoning, densification Fiscal: tax policy Energy: supply and demand of oil and gas, power

Is the impact of outdoor air pollution serious compared to the impacts from other sources? Yes No: Look for incremental opportunities
in individual sector policy

Which Pollutants Cause the Most Damage? Fine PM Does sector X contribute significantly to fine PM? Yes No: Look for incremental opportunities

Which activities contribute significantly to fine PM?

Which policy instruments will minimize distortions and achieve results cost-effectively?