ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION AND HUMAN HEALTH (APHH): INDO-UK PROGRAM FOR INDIAN MEGA CITY

Abstract

Majority of mega cities in India are reeling under air quality crisis in terms of health impacts and compliance with regulatory standards, particularly, the WHO guidelines which are usually more stringent. Atmospheric Pollution and Human Health in an Indian Megacity (APHH) is a research programme jointly launched by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES, India), Department of Biotechnology (DBT, India), Natural Environment Research Council (NERC, UK), Medical Research Council (MRC, UK), and Newton-Bhabha Fund. This programme, which has been organised into four interrelated themes, will support research on the sources and emissions of urban air pollution in New Delhi, India, the processes underlying and impacting on these, and how air pollution then impacts on health. Existing and new findings will be combined to understand the cost-effectiveness of potential interventions and thus identify appropriate solutions for the benefit of the economy and population. These APHH themes are highly interrelated and, therefore, there is considerable benefit in the projects working together and integrating activities. The present paper will focus on new results emerging from 4 SAFAR cities of India to contrast the scientific challenges which are not only driven by different emission contributions but also by differences in the prevailing meteorology, orography and air quality management capacity. The major air quality issue in Urban India is largely PM2.5. The ultra high-resolution emission inventory for some India mega cities (400m resolution) and its implication in terms of improving forecasting capability and policy framing will be disused. SAFAR-WRF-Chem model results will be focussed on extreme pollution events whose intensity and longevity has increased in recent time and likely to be related to climate change and erratic weather.