Problems
Gwalior is a city with polluted air
The Central Pollution Control Board’s data, which puts Gwalior at the very top of India’s eleven most polluted cities in terms of particulate matter. According to the pollution control board (CPCB), the particulate matter in Gwalior stands at 329 micrograms per cubic metre, which is over five times the permissible limit of 60 micrograms. PM2.5 readings as high as 188 μg/m³ were recorded during late January of 2021, a reading that is rarely seen throughout the world and represents a significant hazard to the health of those exposed. This number would put Gwalior on that particular day into the ‘very unhealthy’ rating bracket, which requires a PM2.5 reading of anywhere between 150.5 to 250.4 μg/m³ to be classified as such. Whilst there were days that came in with lower (albeit still high and dangerous) readings such as 51.3 μg/m³, it still stands that on average pollution readings were coming in regularly at 100 μg/m³ or above, making Gwalior a city that is indeed subject to some dangerous levels of pollution.
What are the main causes of pollution in Gwalior?
Cars and motorbikes would be a consistent producer of chemical pollutants, as well as fine particulate matter such as black carbon. So, the vehicle industry and its related emissions would be one component making up the vast wall of pollution found in Gwalior, with other sources such as coal burning in factories being a major contributor. Thousands of industrial areas continue to crop up around the city, varying in size and material production but all being major contributors to pollution. Besides the burning of coal, the use of diesel and other fuels to power their heavy machinery, these factories or industrial sites can also release their own unique type of industrial effluence depending on what is being produced, leading to a myriad of chemicals and particulate matter entering the atmosphere.
Health effects of air pollution in Gwalior
Severe consequences to those exposed, both on a long term and short term basis. Short term issues would be ones such as dry coughs, chest infections, aggravation of preexisting skin or respiratory conditions as well as irritation to the mucous membranes, with the eyes, ears, mouth and nose all being extra sensitive to chemical irritants. More severe long-term consequences would be ones such as massively elevated risks of cancer, particularly regarding the lungs and throat, as well as other chronic respiratory conditions such as pneumonia, emphysema, bronchitis, and asthma. Fine particulate matter released from a number of sources can make its way into the bloodstream via the lungs and cause widespread damage to the whole body, with the liver, kidneys, and even reproductive health being affected.
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Timelines
2022
Air pollution in major cities has sharply gone up as soon as rainfall activity slowed down. The air quality index increased to double in Gwalior just in a month. The AQI of Gwalior was 123 on Tuesday while the AQI a month earlier on September 4 was 54. Officials said, dust gets heavy in rain and does not fly in the air. The vehicular pollution also reduces as wet tyres and roads do not allow flying of pollutants and dust in air, as it settles down on the ground. It is the reason why pollution levels come down during rain. But damaged roads, flying dust from vehicles and increase in construction activities after showers leads to increase in the pollution levels. Air quality is measured taking into account the levels of sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxide (Nox), RSPM10 and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the air. While the rise in sulphur dioxide is due to vehicle emissions, the increase in nitrogen oxide is due to human activity, including vehicles and sewage, among others. PM 10 is due to dust, and construction, including the building of roads while PM2.5 is due to dust, human activity, and climatic conditions. Of the four, officials said, PM2.5 is the most harmful to health since it causes severe lung diseases. During the corona restrictions too, the AQI of major MP cities was around 50.
2021
Observing the levels of air pollution present in the early months of 2021, a less positivity story starts to emerge, with some dangerously high readings of PM2.5 present in the air. PM2.5 stands for particulate matter that is 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter, and due to this size represents a significant danger to human health, as well as being one of the major components used in the calculation of the overall air quality. With readings that go up into the ‘very unhealthy’ bracket, particularly during the earlier months of the year (which, as it must be mentioned, is when many cities across India see some of their worst pollution readings, as well as the later months of the year), as the name indicates, there would be far reaching.
2015
Environmental expert Dr Alok Sharma, who teaches environment planning at the Madhav Institute of Technology and Science-Gwalior, said that both historic and contemporary factors contribute to the pollution levels in Gwalior. "Historically, people lived in congested areas of this city due to security concerns. Because of this, there is very less greenery here. Also, unmonitored public transport and lack of supporting road networks put pressure on some road stretches, causing traffic jams and increasing pollution levels," he said. Gwalior-based chest specialist Dr Narendra Singh told HT that his experience of treating respiratory ailments over the years has clearly indicated that there is a high concentration of particulate matter in the air. "Respiratory ailments like cough, throat irritation, asthma and other lung diseases are on the rise here. But more studies are needed to ascertain the level of this trend," he said.