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Time of India
5 hours ago
- Health
- Time of India
Punjab's air pollution crisis deepens beyond stubble burning
1 2 Chandigarh: Punjab is grappling with a persistent air pollution crisis that extends far beyond seasonal events like stubble burning . Industrial hubs such as Mandi Gobindgarh and Ludhiana, along with the holy city of Amritsar, are facing consistently poor air quality. An analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) has revealed worrying for the first half of 2025. From Jan to June, concentrations of both PM2.5 and PM10 in all eight monitored cities across the state consistently exceeded national safety thresholds, posing significant health risks to residents. Air quality trends of eight cities in Punjab were analysed using data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). These cities include Mandi Gobindgarh, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Patiala, Ropar, Bathinda, and Khanna. Mandi Gobindgarh recorded the highest average PM2.5 concentration at 62 µg/m³, well above the safe limit. Ludhiana wasn't far behind at 53 µg/m³, followed by Patiala at 46 µg/m³. Other cities like Khanna (45 µg/m³), Amritsar (44 µg/m³), and Jalandhar (42 µg/m³) also showed concerningly high pollution levels. Even cities with relatively lower readings, such as Ropar and Bathinda (both at 41 µg/m³), remained above the safe limits. Ludhiana's six-month average PM2.5 of 53 µg/m³ is significantly higher than the safe limit of 40 µg/m³, indicating potential severe health impacts for its residents. Experts stress that the composition of PM2.5 is considerably more dangerous to human health than PM10 due to its smaller size, allowing it to penetrate deeper into the lungs. PM10 levels across Punjab cities during the first half of 2025 remained consistently high. Mandi Gobindgarh once again topped the list with an average of 116 µg/m³. Ludhiana registered 104 µg/m³, while Rupnagar (99 µg/m³), Jalandhar (98 µg/m³), and Patiala (96 µg/m³) reported similarly elevated levels. Amritsar (90 µg/m³), Bathinda (87 µg/m³), and Khanna (85 µg/m³) also remained well above the national annual standard of 60 µg/m³. In Ludhiana, PM10 levels were above National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for 100 out of 181 monitored days. Mandi Gobindgarh, once called the 'Steel Town of India', is now confronting environmental consequences. The very factory chimneys that were once symbols of prosperity are now emitting vast quantities of fine particulate matter, effectively turning industrial growth into a significant pollution problem for the region. Similarly, Ludhiana, the state's largest industrial hub, is experiencing a significant air quality problem. Its economic activity generates substantial industrial emissions, and this, combined with pollution from vehicles and waste burning, is leading to a noticeable decline in air quality. "High pollution levels were recorded even before the usual stubble burning season. This shows that the bad air quality is a continuous and worsening problem, not just something that happens at certain times of the year," said Gurpreet Kaur, state lead of 'Clean Air Punjab'. "This data is a stark reminder that air pollution in Punjab is not just a stubble-burning issue — it's a year-round public health emergency. We urgently need to invest in clean industries, clean transport, and stronger local action plans tailored to each city's realities. The health impacts of long-term exposure to high levels of PM2.5, which penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream, are well-established," she added. AIR QUALITY FIGURES (JAN-JUN 2025) Mandi Gobindgarh: PM2.5: 62 µg/m³ (Highest) PM10: 116 µg/m³ (Highest) Ludhiana: PM2.5: 53 µg/m³ PM10: 104 µg/m³ Patiala: PM2.5: 46 µg/m³ PM10: 96 µg/m³ Khanna: PM2.5: 45 µg/m³ PM10: 85 µg/m³ Amritsar: PM2.5: 44 µg/m³ PM10: 90 µg/m³ Jalandhar: PM2.5: 42 µg/m³ PM10: 98 µg/m³ Ropar: PM2.5: 41 µg/m³ PM10: 99 µg/m³ Bathinda: PM2.5: 41 µg/m³ PM10: 87 µg/m³
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Health
- Indian Express
Why govt has exempted 78% of coal-based thermal plants from installing anti-pollution devices
The Environment Ministry on July 11 exempted the majority of India's coal-based thermal plants from installing systems that are designed to remove sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions, a key contributor to air pollution. Known as flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) devices, these systems cut SO2 from flue gas, which is a residue from thermal plants. Of the remaining plants, those around Delhi-NCR have to comply with a December 2027 deadline, and the rest will be asked to fit the devices on a case-to-case basis. Originally, these plants had to install FGD devices by 2017. However, over the years, they have received several extensions to comply. What is the reason behind the Centre's move? What do the revised rules exactly say? And why have some experts criticised the decision? Once released into the atmosphere, SO2 usually reacts with ammonia (NH3) to produce ammonium sulfate, which is responsible for roughly one-third of India's fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution, according to recent research by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). PM2.5 is injurious to human health as it can lead to chronic diseases such as asthma, heart attack, bronchitis, and other respiratory problems. Direct exposure to high levels of SO2 can irritate the eyes, throat, and lungs. Long-term exposure can result in increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, and premature death, according to CREA. SO2 also affects the environment as it contributes to the formation of acid rain, which can damage ecosystems. One of the biggest sources of SO2 emissions in India is the power sector, especially the coal-based thermal plants. The CREA research found the SO2 levels were higher in 2023 compared to 2019, with a notable increase in regions dominated by coal-based thermal plants. This highlighted 'the influence of power plant emissions on air quality', the research said. In 2015, the Environment Ministry notified the first-ever emission norms for control of SO2 and other harmful substances from coal-based thermal plants. These were required to install FGD devices by December 2017. However, this did not happen as the deadline was extended four times at the request of thermal plants. They argued that the installation of FGD devices was costly, and could cause several issues such as disruption of power supply due to shutdown for installation, and an increase in electricity bills. To address these concerns, the Centre amended the emission norms in 2021. It put 596 coal-based thermal plant units (one thermal plant can have multiple units) in three categories. Category A: Plants located within a 10 km radius of the National Capital Region (NCR) or cities having a million-plus population. Their deadline for compliance was 2022. Category B: Plants located within a 10 km radius of critically polluted areas or non-attainment cities. Their deadline was 2023. Category C: Remaining plants whose deadline was 2024. Note that nearly 78% of the plants were put in Category C. About 11% were in Category A, and the rest were in Category B. The latest change in the norms has exempted Category C plants from installing FGD devices. Category A plants, which are in operation and under construction, have to comply by the end of 2027. The Centre will decide compliance for Category B plants on a case-by-case basis. The Environment Ministry has also said that plants which are supposed to retire before December 2030 will not be required to meet the SO2 emission norms, provided they submit an undertaking for exemption. According to the Centre, the change in the norms is based on three studies, which suggest FGD devices are not necessary for coal-based thermal plants. These studies have been carried out by the Indian Institute of Technology–Delhi, the National Institute of Advanced Sciences (NIAS), and the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI). The studies have argued against the installation of FGD devices, saying that SO2 levels around the plants are well within the norms prescribed under the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. They have also suggested that the government needs to focus on curbing not just SO2 emissions but rather the overall particulate matter pollution around the plants. The IIT-D and NIAS studies have said that while reducing SO2 emissions, the operation of FGD devices has increased carbon dioxide and PM pollution. All three studies were commissioned by the government or its agencies. For example, the NEERI research was commissioned by NITI Aayog. Experts have said that the claim made by the studies that SO2 levels around plants are low is misleading. For instance, CREA in a statement said, 'The air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS) don't capture the real impact of power plant pollution because they don't track whether emissions drift upwind or downwind, and they certainly don't account for chemical reactions that convert SO₂ into other pollutants like PM2.5.' A 2021 analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) also contested this claim. It said that plumes from power stations travel long distances of 300 km, and during this time, they get converted to secondary pollutants. The analysis also found that the atmospheric lifetime of SO2 was about 10 days.
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First Post
3 days ago
- Business
- First Post
Nato chief targets India for buying Russian oil, but the money Europe wires to Putin exceeds Ukraine aid
Even as Nato chief Mark Rutte has warned India, China, and Brazil about the purchase of Russian oil, the fact remains that European nations —29 of 32 Nato members are from Europe— have given more money for energy imports than they have given Ukraine in aid. read more Nato chief Mark Rutte has warned India about purchasing Russian oil, but the fact remains that European nations has given more money to Russia for energy imports than they have given to Ukraine in aid. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, India has been ramped up the purchase of discounted Russian oil. As Russian energy exports are central to the country's economy, and President Vladimir Putin's war-waging capabilities, many Western leaders and commentators have frequently criticised India. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Rutte said, 'My encouragement to these three countries, particularly is, if you live now in Beijing, or in Delhi, or you are the president of Brazil, you might want to take a look into this, because this might hit you very hard. So please make the phone call to Vladimir Putin and tell him that he has to get serious about peace talks, because otherwise this will slam back on Brazil, on India and on China in a massive way.' The fact, however, is that European and Nato members continue to large buyers of Russian energy exports even as Rutte singled out in India and China. For example, since 2022, the EU has been the largest buyer of Russian liquified natural gas (51 per cent) and pipeline gas (37 per cent) and Turkey —a Nato member— has been the largest buyer of Russian oil products (26 per cent), according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). EU has given Russia more money than Ukraine Even as Western officials and commentators have singled out India over Russian energy imports, the fact remains that Europe has given more money to Russia for energy imports than it has given to Ukraine to in aid. In 2024, EU members bought €21.9 billion ($25.4 billion) of Russian oil and gas compared to €18.7 billion ($21.69 billion) that they allocated in aid for Ukraine, according to estimates from the CREA. Vaibhav Raghunandan, an analyst at CREA, told Guardian, 'Purchasing Russian fossil fuels is, quite plainly, akin to sending financial aid to the Kremlin and enabling its invasion. [It's] a practice that must stop immediately to secure not just Ukraine's future, but also Europe's energy security.' Since 2022, estimates have said that the EU members have paid $215–235 billion to Russian for oil, gas, and coal, compared to $200 billion that they have allocated and pledged for aid to Ukraine. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Europe's dependence on Russian oil and gas is not going to end anytime soon despite cuts in imports since 2022. The EU has proposed to end Russian oil imports by the end of 2027 and gas by January 2028.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Canada's June housing numbers reveal a market that remains 'stagnant,' say economists
Canada's housing market perked up again in June, with sales rising from May after declining at the end of last year through to April, but economists don't think the market is out of the woods just yet. National home sales rose 2.8 per cent in June from May, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) on Tuesday, after rising 3.6 per cent in May from April. CREA said sales have 'rebounded' 17.3 per cent since April. Prices, however, were essentially flat in June from May and down 1.3 per cent from a year ago and listings at the end of June were up 11.4 per cent from a year ago. Here's where economists think the Canadian housing market is headed for the rest of the year. 'Canada's housing market remains stagnant,' Robert Kavcic, a senior economist at BMO Capital Markets, said in a note, basing his opinion on 'subdued sales activity, solid new listings flow and falling prices.' He said the improvement in sales was because sellers backed down on seeking prices reminiscent of the hot housing days of 2022. But he thinks there are three things holding back the housing market from fully rebounding, including ongoing uncertainty from the trade war, mortgage rates of approximately four per cent 'are not low enough to improve the affordability calculus in a demand-sparking way' and 'market psychology appears bearish,' meaning buyers, who are expecting prices to fall, are holding back from purchasing. Southern Ontario, including cities such as Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo and Barrie, was a 'weak spot,' with a condo glut pushing prices down and single-detached prices falling as well. Sales in Calgary fell 18 per cent, a major turnaround from a few years ago when that market was overheated. 'The resale housing market took another small positive step in June, but it will likely return to the doldrums if a trade deal isn't reached by the new Aug. 1 deadline when the U.S. threatens to hike tariffs on Canada to 35 per cent,' Tony Stillo, director of Canada Economics at Oxford Economics Ltd., said in a note. Despite three months of gains in home sales, he said the market has a hill to climb, with activity still 14 per cent below the five-year average. Furthermore, the multiple listings service (MLS) benchmark home price was down in June for the seventh straight month and the benchmark price has shrunk almost 18 per cent from its high in February 2022. 'Unless a deal is reached to immediately reduce U.S. tariffs, Canada's resale housing downturn could extend into 2026,' Stillo said. Oxford forecasted that a recession brought on by a trade war could result in 140,000 layoffs, more distressed selling of homes and reduced demand, which could push home prices lower. Canada's housing market has 'reversed' the gains in sales and prices made after the Bank of Canada started cutting interest rates in June 2024, Daren King, an economist at National Bank of Canada Financial Markets, said in a note. Sales increased in six of the 10 provinces in June, with activity up seven per cent in Prince Edward Island, 5.8 per cent in British Columbia, 5.3 per cent in Ontario, 3.5 per cent in Nova Scotia, 2.7 per cent in Saskatchewan and 2.3 per cent in Quebec. Sales fell 6.4 per cent in New Brunswick, 4.5 per cent in Newfoundland, 2.1 per cent in Manitoba and 1.7 per cent in Alberta. King said it looks like a cooling in trade tensions, which appears to have since evaporated, opened the door for some buyers to purchase a home. Canada's home sales rise for second month, but market 'not out of the woods yet': CREA 'From bad to terrible': Toronto's market for new condos has fallen off a cliff 'It is still too early to say whether this is the beginning of a sustained upward trend for the Canadian real estate market,' he said. For the first half of the year, total home sales shrank 4.6 per cent from the same period in 2024 and 'were at their lowest level since 2020,' he said. • Email: gmvsuhanic@
CTV News
4 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
CREA cuts 2025 forecast again but says home sales are rebounding from ‘chaotic start'
A person walks past multiple for-sale and sold real estate signs in Mississauga, Ont., on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette For the second time this year, the Canadian Real Estate Association has downgraded its forecast for home sales in 2025, even as it says a turnaround could be looming following increased activity in June. The association reported that the number of homes changing hands across the country in June rose 3.5 per cent compared with a year ago. Canadian home sales last month also increased 2.8 per cent compared with May on a seasonally adjusted basis. In its outlook released Tuesday, CREA said it now expects a total of 469,503 residential properties to be sold this year, a three per cent decline from 2024. In April, the association forecast the number of home sales for 2025 to remain essentially unchanged from last year, which itself marked a steep cut from its January forecast of an 8.6 per cent year-over-year increase. The national average home price is forecast to fall 1.7 per cent on an annual basis to $677,368 in 2025, which would be around $10,000 lower than predicted in April. CREA senior economist Shaun Cathcart said that despite a 'chaotic start to the year,' the latest data suggests the housing market rebound originally forecast for this year — before it was upended by the Canada-U.S. trade war — may have 'only been delayed by a few months.' 'At the national level, June was pretty close to a carbon copy of May,' said Cathcart in a press release, cautioning 'we're not out of the woods yet' given U.S. President Donald Trump's latest 35 per cent tariff threat. The association said the tariff-related uncertainty that drove so many buyers back to the sidelines earlier this year ended up taking a larger bite out of activity in B.C., Alberta and Ontario than was expected three months ago, but 'the good news is markets appear to be entering their long-expected recovery phase, fuelled by pent-up demand, lower interest rates, and an economy that is expected to avoid worst-case tariff scenarios.' 'Most housing markets continued to turn a corner in June, although market conditions still vary considerably depending on where you are in Canada,' said CREA chair Valérie Paquin. 'If the spring market was mostly held back by economic uncertainty, barring any further big shocks, that delayed activity could very likely surface this summer and into the fall.' CREA said it now forecasts national home sales in 2026 to improve by 6.3 per cent to 499,081. That would put activity back on track with what was expected in its April forecast, when it predicted a 2.9 per cent gain in sales next year. The national average home price is expected to increase three per cent from 2025 to $697,929 next year. Meanwhile, the national average sale price fell 1.3 per cent in June compared with a year earlier to $691,643. There were 47,871 home sales recorded last month, up from 46,237 in June 2024. The association said the recovery in sales activity over the past two months was led overwhelmingly by the Greater Toronto Area. Still, activity remains slower than usual, said Cameron Forbes, a Toronto-area broker and general manager at Re/Max Realtron Realty Inc. 'The uncertainty of the Trump tariffs and the impact on, certainly in Ontario, the manufacturing context and everything, still has a lot of buyers on the sidelines that probably shouldn't be,' said Forbes in an interview. 'It's still a market where I think buyers are unfortunately a bit uncertain. Many of them who have jobs, who have security of those jobs, who have equity in homes, that would be a great time for them to make a trade to a preferred location or a larger home for their family, but they are looking at the headlines and seeing the uncertainty related to tariffs.' The number of newly listed properties throughout the country was down 2.9 per cent month-over-month from May. A total of 206,435 properties were listed for sale by the end of the month, up 11.4 per cent from a year earlier and just one per cent below the long-term average for this time of the year. 'June's sales performance came in broadly as expected, with Canadian transactions continuing their gradual recovery from their early-year depths,' said TD economist Marc Ercolao in a note. 'We expect home sales will continue to rise in the second half of the year as pent-up demand continues to trickle into the market. That said, the sales level should remain subdued as economic uncertainty remains elevated, especially with Canada facing new tariff threats.' BMO senior economist Robert Kavcic said there are three major factors still holding back the housing market, including a 'sluggish' job market being aggravated by the trade war. With the Bank of Canada holding its key policy rate steady, he said mortgage rates of around four per cent are also 'not low enough to improve the affordability calculus in a demand-sparking way.' 'And, market psychology now appears bearish,' said Kavcic in a note. 'Just as expectations of higher prices drove accelerating gains on the way up, the understanding that prices are falling is holding back buyers on the way down in some locations.' Forbes added that much is riding on the outcome of ongoing trade negotiations between Canada and the U.S., which currently hold an Aug. 1 deadline. Reaching a compromise could prompt buyers to return, leading to a more 'healthy market,' he said. But failing to reach an agreement on time would mean further uncertainty in the housing market, he said. 'If that's the case, then we'll continue to have fewer sales for at least the next three or four months until the impacts of whatever comes to fruition are better known.' --- Sammy Hudes, The Canadian Press This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 15, 2025.
