90% breathe toxic air globally, Kanpur, Delhi among most polluted; updates

The World Health Organization (WHO) in its pollution report on Wednesday ranked 14 Indian cities among world’s 15 most polluted cities in the world with Kanpur being the most affected based on PM2.5 levels in 2016. While Gwalior stood second in the chart, other cities like Delhi, Varanasi Kanpur, Faridabad, Gaya, Patna, Agra, Muzaffarpur, Srinagar, Gurgaon, Jaipur, Patiala and Jodhpur also featured in the list. The study ranked 4,300 cities in 108 countries across the world.

On the basis of PM10 levels, 13 cities in India figured among the 20 most-polluted cities of the world in 2016.

The WHO data also said that nine out of 10 people or 90 per cent of people in the world breathe air containing high levels of pollutants. The estimations revealed an alarming death toll of 7 million people every year caused by ambient (outdoor) and household air pollution.

More than 90 per cent of air pollution-related deaths occur in countries with low-and-middle income, added the report, mainly in Asia and Africa, according to media reports.

Germany may start free public transport as pollution exceeds EU limits

The German government has made a proposal to introduce free public transportation as a radical measure to lower nitrogen oxide pollution in cities.

At least 20 major German cities continue to record nitrogen oxide pollution levels that exceed the EU limits and would be unable to correct the circumstance before 2020 according to a new report, Xinhua news agency said.

With the announcement on Tuesday, Berlin attempted to prevent any legal action against it by the European Commission for continually failing to comply with European Union (EU) urban air quality regulations.

Several courts in Germany were also independently mulling imposing a driving ban on diesel vehicles in the worst-affected cities.

8 of every 10 cities breathe toxic air, 53% of Indians at risk: Greenpeace

People living in eight of every 10 Indian cities breathe toxic dust particles, PM 10, at levels exceeding national safety limits, according to a recent report.

National capital Delhi has the worst air in the country, said the report, Airpocalypse, released by Greenpeace India, an advocacy. At a time when India is already slipping to meet the renewable targets the budget 2018 overall allocations to the ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) has declined by 326 crore or 6% from last year’s Rs 5473 crore.

Of India’s 280 cities/towns where air quality is monitored, none met the World Health Organization’s (WHO) safe levels of PM 10–20 μg/m³–the report said.

The Indian annual safe level for PM 10–airborne particles seven times finer than a human hair that can sicken or kill people by entering their lungs–is three times more lenient at 60 μg/m³.

ArcelorMittal denies French pollution charge, says 97% residue recycled

Facing allegations of pollution, steel giant ArcelorMittal has said 97 per cent of residues from the Florange site in France are recycled or recovered and its internal probe has concluded that there is no wrong-doing.

The statement comes amid reports by French newspaper The Repulicain Lorrain that the public prosecutor's office in Thionville has opened an investigation into the alleged acid pollution of ArcelorMittal's crassier in Florange of France.

"ArcelorMittal and all of Florange's staff work are in full compliance with our authorisations to operate and store our residues. For the past 10 years, the Florange site has considerably reduced the volume of residues deposited in the storage area and today, 97 per cent of the residues from the site are recycled or recovered," said Eric Niedziela, CEO of ArcelorMittal Atlantique and Lorraine, in a statement.

"Our internal investigation concludes that there is neither fraud nor pollution," Niedziela said.

Announcing the conclusion of the internal investigation, Niedziela stressed: "We take our responsibilities very seriously and continue to work intensively to improve treatment and recovery of our residues to reduce our environmental footprint."

The steelmaker said: "No dumping of pure acid has been done... The acid used for the pickling process is systematically regenerated and reused."

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