PRESS RELEASE
 
 
CSE presents agenda for action to fight air pollution and
protect the health of ‘Aam Aadmi’
 
 
 
 
 
New Delhi, February 20, 2015: Shunned as one of the world’s most polluted cities, Delhi is literally gasping for breath, with air pollution levels that seem to be skyrocketing without any restraint. And the ‘aam aadmi’ – common man – is the one facing the music: a latest analysis by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) indicates exactly what kind of pollution levels is a common citizen exposed to while travelling in mass modes such as buses, the metro, autos or while walking.
 
Releasing the results of the analysis at a press conference here today, CSE director general Sunita Narain said: “As the overall air quality of Delhi worsens, our exposure to toxic air increases several-fold. The winter season is drawing to a close – but we must understand that Delhi cannot afford to face another severely polluted winter such as this one. The new Aam Aadmi Party government has taken on the reigns in Delhi; we expect it to now lay down the priority action to control air pollution and protect public health in the city.”
 
The study and its results
In February 2015, CSE monitored air pollution levels in buses, autos, the metro, and while walking -- mainly to assess the amount of pollution that average citizens are exposed to on a daily basis while travelling in the city. Anumita Roychowdhury, CSE’s executive director-research and advocacy and head of its Right to Clean Air campaign, said: “This helped us understand how much pollution people breathe on a daily basis in Delhi while travelling. Our data is quite shocking – we have found that daily personal exposure to toxic air is significantly higher than the background ambient air pollution that is monitored by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC). This is a serious risk to public health.”
 
The dust track aerosol monitor used by CSE measures both mass and size fraction of particulate matter. A real time monitoring was carried out in different modes of mass transportation during morning and evening traffic peak hours in the first two weeks of February. Their average exposure was compared with the background ambient levels monitored by the DPCC at the nearest official monitoring station.
 
Says Roychowdhury: “It is ironical that our public transport users, the majority in the city, who are part of the solution to the dangerous air pollution problem, themselves are vulnerable and victims of this highly toxic risk. This risk can be reduced only if a stringent clean air action plan is implemented in a time-bound manner.”
 
  The CSE analysis shows:
 
Delhi cannot face another winter as severely polluted as this…
CSE applied the National Air Quality Index announced by the ministry of environment and forests to the PM2.5 levels this winter – October 2014-February 2015. The results showed:
 
So what should the new AAP government focus on?
CSE released a priority action plan that includes pollution emergency action for smog episodes, and short- and medium-term measures for more lasting and durable change to meet clean air standards in a time-bound manner:
 
For any queries, please contact Sheeba Madan – sheeba@cseindia.org, 8860659190