ES ASSIGNMENT 2

Submitted to-

Prof Virendra Sethi

Dept of CESE,

IIT Bombay

Submitted by-

Aleno Ringa

175320003

MSc App Geophysics

 Proposal for air quality management in

Kohima

Kohima is my hometown. It is the hilly capital city of Nagaland lying at an altitude

of 1444m above sea level. Kohima is one of the cities where pollution level has
drastically worsened since the last report in 2014, the WHO report indicated. In
2014 database, Kohima’s PM10 level was at 64 but it rose to 82 in 2016. Most
alarmingly, the PM2.5 particles, which carries the most health risk has nearly dou-
bled in the intervening period – increasing from 28 (2014) to 44 (2016).

The quality of air in Kohima does not meet the national air quality standards, and is
rapidly deteriorating. Air pollution due to dust particles has become a major threat
for public health and environment in Nagaland, especially in Dimapur and Kohima.

Annual average concentration of RSPM in Kohima (µg/m³) is 115µg/m³.

This write-up has been divided into 6 sections according to the Flowchart given for
Air Quality Management-

1. Already present method to control Air Pollution

2. CPCB norms

3. Topography and Meteorology of Kohima

4. Sources of Air pollution

5. Action for mitigation

6. Check for probable future new source

1. Already present method to control air pollution

These are some of the existing action plan on Air Quality in Kohima-

Sl Subject Suggested Action Responsible

no Agency(ies)
1 Drive against polluting a) Commercial diesel vehicles plying for more - Transport
vehicles for ensuring than 12 years should be off-limits within the Department

strict compliance of Municipal areas of Kohima and Dimapur and - Traffic Police
emission norms for personalised vehicles the life span
should be 15 years

b) Vehicles plying in the city without PUC and

fitness certificates should be off-road.

c) Phased out diesel vehicles from other states

which have crossed the life span of 10 years
should not be registered

d) Vehicle emitting thick smoke or generating

loud noise should be held and emission
should be checked for necessary actions.

e) Inspection and Certification centre should

be easily available
 2 Launch public a) Induction of Public transportation like City - Transport
awareness campaign buses an local taxis in addition to Autos and Department

for air pollution rickshaws in Dimapur

- KMC & DMC

control, vehicle b) Extensive drive to create awareness among - Nagaland Pollution

maintenance, the general masses to be initiated Control Board
minimising use of
personal vehicles, lane
discipline, etc
3 Check fuel a) The Government should notify about the - Department of Legal
adulteration and responsibilities of Dept of Legal Metrology & Metrology &
random monitoring of Consumer Protection for checking the fuel Consumer Protection

fuel quality data and adulteration

- Oil Companies

awareness b) The Nagaland Pollution Control Board - NPCB

laboratory should be equipped for fuel
adulteration testing since there is no testing
centre in the state to check fuel adulteration
at present
4 Creation of green a) The Department of environment, Forests - Dept of Environment,
buffers along the and Climate Change to carry out a Forest and Climate
traffic corridors plantation drive in Kohima and Dimapur
Change

b) Awareness should be created before any - KMC & DMC

cleanliness drive to avoid chopping of any
tree saplings and better coordination
between various departments and colony
councils to ensure to maintain the saplings
planted
5 Drive against open a) Mass awareness drive be initiated to - NPCB

burning of bio-mass, educate the general public about the ill- - KMC & DMC
crop residue, garbage, effects caused by burning of waste
leaves, etc

6 Regular check and The ULB’s to notify ban on burning of wastes - KMC & DMC
control of burning of within the town areas
municipal solid waste

7 Burning of garden Proper collection of horticulture waste (bio- - KMC & DMC
waste mass) and its disposal following composting-
cum-gardening approach

8 Identification of brick Carry out inspections and enforce the existing - Dept of Industries &
Kilns and other emission norms and advise for better Commerce

polluting industries technologies where feasible including use of - NPCB

designated fuel
9 Action against non- Carry out inspection and non-complying - Dept of Industries &
complying industrial industries to be closed as per rules Commerce

units - NPCB

- KMC & DMC

10 Public Complaints Set up helpline for complaints against reported - NPCB

non-compliance of rules - Dept of Industries &

Commerce

- ULB’s ie KMC &

DMC
2.The CPCB norms for NAAQ-
The CPCB norms for National Ambient Air Quality Standards is given in the table-

3. Topography and Meteorology of my region ie Kohima

Kohima is located at 25º40'N 94º07'E 25.67ºN 94.12ºE with an elevation of 1444m

above sea level. It covers an area of 1,463 sq. km

Kohima experiences subtropical highland climate. The weather is pleasant all

throughout the year. The city experiences an annual rainfall of 72.10inches.

The coldest months are from December to February, when frost occurs and in the
higher altitudes snowfall occurs occasionally. During the height of summers, from
June–August, temperature ranges an average of 27–32 °C (80–90 °F).

4. Sources of Air Pollution

The Air Quality in Kohima is increasing drastically. In 2014 database, Kohima’s

PM10 level was at 64 but it rose to 82 in 2016.

The main cause of Air Pollution in Kohima is bad and dusty roads. There are two
stations to monitor the air quality in Kohima, one in a commercial area and the
other in a residential area. Four air pollutants are monitored and analysed ie, Sul-
phur Dioxide (SO2), Oxides of Nitrogen (NO2), Respirable Suspended Particulate
Matter (RSPM/PM10) and Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5). The monitoring of pollu-
tants is carried out for 24 hours and 8 hourly sampling for particulate matter
(RSPM) and 4 hourly sampling for gaseous pollutants (NO2 & SO2)  twice in a week.
The NPCB monitoring data showed that in all the four monitoring stations, the
RSPM level shot-up drastically during dry seasons.

Other suspected sources include vehicular emissions, brick kiln & wood based in-
dustries, burning of waste and lack of proper drainage system. In the rural areas of
Kohima, burning of forest for Jhum cultivation also contributes to the air pollution
as Forest fires increase carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, contributing to the
greenhouse effect and climate change
5. Action for mitigation

The major source of air pollution in Kohima has been discussed in Section 4.
Some suggestions to manage the air quality are listed below-

Sl no Action points

1 Air Quality Index to be calculated periodically and create awareness to the

people through the NPCB website, Local Newspaper or other social media
(facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram)
2 Ensure that construction materials are carried or kept in closed/covered
vessels. Also, regular check against burning of garbage, plastic and other
waste
3 Strict enforcement of Construction & Demolition rules

4 Encourage public to switch to LPG/PNG for domestic purposes instead of

the burning of firewood or biomass

5 Propose planting trees and plants for green buffers along traffic corridors,
at open areas, schools and community places. This can be enforced by
asking schools and colleges to organise a monthly drive in a roster basis in
different parts of the city.

6 Filling up the many potholes in the roads. This, in a way would allow free
flow of traffic and also decrease dust particles in the atmosphere.

7 Prepare an action plan to check fuel adulteration and random monitoring of

fuel data quality
8 Propose ban on cars that are either too old or produce too much exhaust
gas (Carbon monoxide) and noise.
9 Check the activity of selling old cars from a different city to Kohima. This is
a major factor, as with urbanisation ,a lot of people are buying second hand
vehicles without understanding its consequences to the environment.

10 Strict laws against unnecessary hill cuttings for road widening. This causes
a lot of dust particles and also more potholes to the already existing road
due to the rocks and stones that come loose from the hill cutting

11 Prepare plan for construction and improvement of road infrastructure.

12 Propose proper drainage system. This is not just a concern of air pollution
but also of water pollution

 6. Check for probable future new sources.

Kohima is a small city. There are small cottage industries but not major industries
so air pollution in terms of industries is decent for now. But urbanisation and in-
dustrialisation in the future can be a major source of air pollution.
For now, as discussed earlier, dust particles from roads are the major source of air
pollution. If this is not settled properly and soon, it could deteriorate the at-
mosphere drastically