Air pollution and viable solutions

Air pollution is mix gases and harmful particles that are very harmful for human as well as for other living things when they mix with air.

Air pollution and viable solutionsMostly these gases and particles are carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide and these are very harmful and can kill living things. There are many diseases caused by Air pollution like sneezing and coughing, eye irritation, headaches, and dizziness.

Environmental Impacts

According to National Geographic report, the Carbon dioxide gas is widely considered to be a pollutant when associated with cars, planes, power plants, and other human activities that involve the burning of fossil fuels such as gasoline and natural gas.

That’s because carbon dioxide is the most common of the greenhouse gases, which trap heat in the atmosphere and contribute to climate change. Humans have pumped enough carbon dioxide into the atmosphere over the past 150 years to raise its levels higher than they have been for hundreds of thousands of years.

Other greenhouse gases include methane which comes from such sources as landfills, the natural gas industry, and gas emitted by livestock and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which were used in refrigerants and aerosol propellants until they were banned in the late 1980s because of their deteriorating effect on Earth’s ozone layer.

Another pollutant associated with climate change is sulfur dioxide, a component of smog. Sulfur dioxide and closely related chemicals are known primarily as a cause of acid rain. But they also reflect light when released in the atmosphere, which keeps sunlight out and creates a cooling effect.

Volcanic eruption can spew massive amounts of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, sometimes causing cooling that lasts for years. In fact, volcanoes used to be the main source of atmospheric sulfur dioxide; today, people are.

Airborne particles, depending on their chemical makeup, can also have direct effects divide from climate change. They can change or deplete nutrients in soil and waterways, harm forests and crops, and damage cultural icons such as monuments and statues.

Countries around the world are tackling various forms of air pollution. China, for example, is making strides in cleaning up smog-choked skies from years of rapid industrial expansion, partly by closing or canceling coal-fired power plants. In the U.S., in setting emissions standards aimed at improving air quality, especially in places like famously hazy Los Angeles.

And a variety of efforts aim to bring cleaner cooking options to places where hazardous cooks are prevalent. But they do not have real time data to understand the situation. In the same way Pakistan is struggling to collect the accurate data of pollution & pollutant.

The question is that if we do not have accurate data then how can we able to take correct decisions to mitigate this risk? Pakistan is most pollutant country. This figure indicates that we must put some efforts to mitigate this dangerous situation.

Pakistan’s urban air pollution situation is causing more than 20,000 premature deaths among adults each year. Pakistan is among top 10 most polluted cities in the World. Health impact as defined by the U.S EPA . The EPA Pakistan recommended 15pg/m2 as the safe level of yearly exposure after that serious health effects occurs.

While the WHO recommended 10pg/m2 as safe level. According to Daily report March 26,2018, The air of Lahore, Quetta and Peshawar cities is polluted to a level where you no longer can stay a healthy life there.

The smoke from factories and vehicles and refineries is one of the main reason of this pollution. The dust storms and other natural activates are another cause. But the actual problem is that we do not have accurate data.

Pak-EPA’s Air & Water Quality Monitoring Capability!

Current Environmental Monitoring system in Pakistan is working on a machine called Horiba. Japan’s donated 15 Horiba Machines for monitoring whole country’s air quality. Horiba Provides Data Logging of environmental attributes in a certain area ranges.

In Karachi there are 4 Horiba machines among those 2 are fixed, one is mobile monitoring station and one that carry stack mobile vans.. and same for Lahore too. While Islamabad , Peshawar and Quetta has only two machines for each city. They collect sample based data.

Sample based monitoring, could not give clear picture of the country because it covers hardly 4 kilometers sample or air that only average values are being calculated & sent no identification & calculation of Individual pollutants industry. Manual evaluation and compliance decrease the efficiency of regularity authorities.

The question arises that What to PROTECT!? if there is no any clear visibility of polluters!

We found that categorical Compliance cannot be fully covered within limited staff of Environmental protect authority of Pakistan. There are so many chances of Data manipulation. In Pakistan these 15 fixed and monitoring machines are not capable to cover the whole country’s environment. And the data gathering process is very slow for Policy enforcement.

Only 260+ Ground Monitoring Stations couldn’t give worldwide clear picture, main problem is inaccuracy, incompleteness and time taking process of manual evaluation that leads delays and inefficiencies for policy making and implementation.

According to EPA review may 3, 2016, to determine whether U.S EPA management controls reasonably assure the agency conducts compliance assurance activities for major clean Air Act (CAA) facilities in accordance with the compliance monitoring strategy (CMS).

They found that the data were inaccurate and that most facilities in their review had received an FCE or were no longer a major facility. The review shows the limited data quality makes EPA unable to detect the errors.
Even the data is not proper visible.

So how can policy are made if the data is not clear and reliable? How World’s EPA will fight against the Global warming and pollution without knowing actual defaulters? What can we do?

Smart Environmental Protection Solution

DigNous is obtainable to initiate a Smart Environmental Protection Solution (SEPS). SEPS can identify and calculates the Individual pollutants industry on real time. Through this solution the authorities can be able to monitoring on real time bases. There is no need of sample based monitoring of air. We will provide Automatic evaluation and compliance system.

Automatic evaluation and compliance will increase the efficiency of regularity authorities. The data can be extracted, collected, visible and accessible anytime from anywhere. Through SEPS we can help the world with real time accurate data of actual polluters. Authorities can able to manage the real time data on centralized bases.

SEPS can help to protect our country as well as world to maintain the environment neat and clean. Support international Environmental Protection Agencies to solve global warming issues smartly. Pakistan can sale Products and Services to other countries and our local manufacturing will create new jobs, skills and boost economy as well.

SEPS can create thousands of new jobs for equipment manufacturing, operations and functions. So SEPS is not only the solution of environment but it also helps us to improve our economical condition.

To control global warming, a variety of measures need to be taken and for that SEMS can help to collect the measurement smartly. On a larger scale, if we know the air pollution then governments at all levels are making commitments to limit emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in their region.

By Sajid Bhutto

More than 15 years of experience in Data Science, Commerce, e-commerce, economics, teaching of commerce / economics / career counseling, Business Development.