SMOG ITS CAUSES A CASE STUDY OF DELHI STATISTICS ITS EFFECT ON HEALTH MEASURES TAKEN BY GOVT. ADVISORY FOR PUBLIC

1. Smog

2. Kendriya Vidyalaya Azamgarh
Biology
Investigatory
Project
PRESENTED BY :- SUBMITTED TO:-
Shubhangi Mr. R.R.Gaur
XII Science PGT Biology

3. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my special
thanks of gratitude to my teacher Mr
R.R.Gaur who gave me the golden
opportunity to do this wonderful
project on the topic (Smog) which also
helped me in doing a lot of research
and I came to know about many new
things . I am really thankful to him.
Secondly I would like to thank my
parents and friends who helped me a
lot in finalising this project within the
limited time frame .

4. CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the project
entitled ‘SMOG’ submitted by
‘SHUBHANGI’ was done under my
supervision as her investigatory project
of Biology of class 12th
. This project is
bonafide effort of the candidate
herself.
Date : Mr. R.R.Gaur
PGT Biology

5. PREFACE
Investigatory project is a very effective method of
learning by doing. It differs from routine lab
experiment where procedures , experiments and
results are fixed . during the execution of project I had
used research method to collect material from
different sources to present it in a interesting manner .
Making an investigatory project helps the student to
develop a scientific look and make them think
analytically and logically. It make them more creative
and curious about different things .
At last I would like to convey my heartfelt
thanks to my subject teacher Mr. R.R.Gaurwho
inspired me and guided me to make this project
successful .

6. SMOG
INTRODUCTION
Smog is a type of air pollution. This kind of visible air
pollution is composed of nitrogen oxides, sulphur
oxides, ozone, smoke or dirt particles and also less
visible particles such as CFC's. Human-made smog is
derived from coal emissions, vehicular emissions,
industrial emissions, forest and agricultural fires and
photochemical reactions of these emissions.
Smog is a new threat to world . It is dangerous
consequence of human deeds . It is not only harming
the environment but also to its creators i.e. human
beings . Delhi NCR and some other big cities of India
are badly affected by smog . Not only indian many
major countries get covered by smog. Starting from
new York London ,California,los angeles , Beijing ,
mexico city Santiago Tehran ulaanbatar Lahore all get
covered by a thick blanket of smog . many people all
over the world lose their lives due to smog . it is
estimated that in delhi alone 10500 people die every
year due to air pollution.

7. A scientific look towards smog-
There are two types of smog summer smog and winter
smog but we will mainly discuss winter smog.
Coinage of the term "smog" is generally attributed to
Dr. Henry Antoine Des Voeux in his 1905 paper, "Fog
and Smoke".Smog is a yellowish or blackish fog formed
mainly by a mixture of pollutants in the atmosphere
which consists of fine particles and ground level ozone.
Smog which occurs mainly because of air pollution, can
also be defined as a mixture of various gases with dust
and water vapor. Smog also refers to hazy air that
makes breathing difficult. Ground level ozone and fine
particles are released in the air due to complex
photochemical reactions between volatile organic
compounds (VOC), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen
oxides (NOx). These VOC, SO2 and NOx are called
precursors.

8. Causes of smog
(I)Coal :- Coal fires, used to heat individual buildings or
in a power-producing plant, can emit significant clouds
of smoke that contributes to smog. Air pollution from
this source has been reported in England since the
Middle Ages.
(II)Transportation emissions :- Traffic emissions – such
as from trucks, buses, and automobiles – also
contribute. Airborne by-products from vehicle exhaust
systems cause air pollution and are a major ingredient
in the creation of smog in some large cities.
The major culprits from transportation sources are
carbon monoxide (CO),nitrogen oxides (NO and NOx),
volatile organic compounds, sulfur dioxide, and
hydrocarbons. (Hydrocarbons are the main
components of petroleum fuels such as gasoline and
diesel fuel.) These molecules react with sunlight, heat,
ammonia, moisture, and other compounds to form the
noxious vapors, ground level ozone, and particles that
comprise smog.
(III)Photochemical smog:-Photochemical smog is the
chemical reaction of sunlight, nitrogen oxides and
volatile organic compounds in the atmosphere, which
leaves airborne particles and ground-level ozone. This

9. noxious mixture of air pollutants may include the
following:
# Aldehydes
# Nitrogen oxides, particularly nitric oxide and nitrogen
dioxide
# Peroxyacyl nitrates
# Tropospheric ozone
# Volatile organic compounds
(IV) Natural causes :- An erupting volcano can also emit
high levels of sulfur dioxide along with a large quantity
of particulate matter; two key components to the
creation of smog. However, the smog created as a
result of a volcanic eruption is often known as vog to
distinguish it as a natural occurrence.

10. Effects of smog on health :-
(i) Ground-level ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen
dioxide and carbon monoxide are especially
harmful for senior citizens, children, and
people with heart and lung conditions such as
emphysema, bronchitis, and asthma.
(ii) It can inflame breathing passages, decrease
the lungs' working capacity, cause shortness
of breath, pain when inhaling deeply,
wheezing, and coughing.
(iii) It can cause eye and nose irritation and it dries
out the protective membranes of the nose
and throat and interferes with the body's
ability to fight infection, increasing
susceptibility to illness.
(iv) In 2016, the Ontario Medical Association
announced that smog is responsible for an
estimated 9,500 premature deaths in the
province each year.
(v) Tiny magnetic particles from air pollution have
for the first time been discovered to be lodged
in human brains– and researchers think they
could be a possible cause of Alzheimer’s
disease.

11. (vi) Birth defect :-two types of neural tube
defects: spina bifida (a condition involving,
among other manifestations, certain
malformations of the spinal column), and
anencephaly (the underdevelopment or
absence of part or all of the brain, which if not
fatal usually results in profound impairment).
(vii) The highly affected people include old people,
kids and those with cardiac and respiratory
complications as they have easy tendency to
be at disadvantage of asthma.
(viii) Illnesses such as cold and pneumonia are also
related to smog.

12. A CASE STUDY 0F DELHI
Delhi , the national capital of India is among the top
five most air polluted cities in the world .Delhi is
nowadays at the top leaving behind Beijing (China),

13. Cairo (Egypt) , Santiago (Chile) , Mexico city
(Mexico).The threat of smog is increasing day by day .
According to the World Health
Organization (WHO) Delhi was the most polluted city in
the world in 2014. In 2016 WHO downgraded Delhi to
eleventh-worst in the urban air quality database.
According to one estimate, air pollution causes the
death of about 10,500 people in Delhi every year.
During 2013–14, peak levels of fine particulate matter
(PM) in Delhi increased by about 44%, primarily due to
high vehicular and industrial emissions, construction
work and crop burning in adjoining states. It has the
highest level of the airborne particulate matter, PM2.5
considered most harmful to health, with 153
micrograms. Rising air pollution level has significantly
increased lung-related ailments (especially asthmaand
lung cancer) among Delhi's children and women. The
dense smog in Delhi during winter season results in
major air and rail traffic disruptions every year.
According to Indian meteorologists, the average
maximum temperature in Delhi during winters has
declined notably since 1998 due to rising air pollution.
Delhi is the mostdensely populated
region with an area of 1484 sq. km and population of

14. 18.98 million . So the population level is always found
high .
Causes of smog in delhi :-
(i) National capital shares its border with the
states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. One of
the main reasons of increasing air pollution
levels in Delhi is crop burning by the farmers
in these states. Farmers burn rice stubbles in
Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. It is
estimated that approximately 35 million
tonnes of crop are set afire by these states.
The wind carries all the pollutants and dust
particles, which have got locked in the air.
(ii) Pollution caused by the traffic menace in Delhi
is another reason contributing to this air
pollution and smog. The air quality index has
reached 'severe' levels. Vehicular emissionis
increasing the hazardous effects of air
pollution and smog. The Central Pollution
Control Board (CPCB) and the National
Environmental Engineering Research Institute
(NEERI) have declared vehicular emission as a

15. major contributor to Delhi's increasing air
pollution.
(iii) As the winter season sets in, dust particles
and pollutants in the air become unable to
move. Due to stagnant winds, these pollutants
get locked in the air and affect weather
conditions, resulting in smog.
(iv) Another reason of air-pollution is over-
population in the capital. Over-population
only adds up to the various types of pollution,
whether it is air pollution or noise pollution.
(v) Investing less on public infrastructure is
another reason of air pollution. In India,
investment in public transport and
infrastructure is low which leads to congested
roads, and hence air pollution.
(vi) Large scale construction in Delhi-NCR is
another culprit that is increasing dust and
pollution in the air. Considering the dipping air
quality, a number of construction sites have
stalled work, as directed by the Delhi
Government.
(vii) Industrial pollution and garbage dumps are
also increasing air pollution and building-up
smog in the air.

16. (viii) Despite the ban on cracker sales, firecrackers
were a common sight this Diwali. It may not
be the top reason for this smog, but it
definitely contributed to its build up.
As the winter sets in dust particles and
pollutants in the air become unable to move .

17. due to stagnant winds these pollutant get
locked in the air and affect weather conditions
resulting in smog .
The three regions most prone to smog in Delhi
are :-
(i) Anand Vihar
(ii) RKPuram
(iii) Punjabi bagh
In Anand Vihar the pm10 and pm2.5 levels are
generally higher .

19. The concentration of gases like NO2 also
remains very high . The main reasons behind
the pollution in anand vihar is
(i) 1 lakh vehicles use the main stretch
everyday.
(ii) 2000 buses operate from anand vihar
to ISBT everyday .
(iii) Heavy trans border traffic between
Delhi and uttar Pradesh .
(iv) Industrial cluster in the vicinity .
Things have been changing after
railway station foreast bound trains and
a metro station came up in Anand Vihar
. A data of PM 2.5 levels in Delhi in 0ct
2016.

20. DATE LEVELS OF 2.5 REMARKS
01/10/2016 95 Moderate
02/10/2016 68 Moderate
03/10/2016 104 Unhealthy
04/10/2016 76 Moderate
05/10/2016 99 Moderate
06/10/2016 74 Moderate
07/10/2016 122 Unhealthy
08/10/2016 89 Moderate
09/10/2016 123 Unhealthy
10/10/2016 97 Moderate
11/10/2016 72 Moderate
12/10/2016 67 Moderate
13/10/2016 56 Moderate
14/10/2016 114 Unhealthy
15/10/2016 121 Unhealthy
16/10/2016 101 Unhealthy
17/10/2016 141 Unhealthy
18/10/2016 111 Unhealthy
19/10/2016 124 Unhealthy
20/10/2016 98 Moderate
21/10/2016 116 Unhealthy
22/10/2016 108 Unhealthy
23/10/2016 121 Unhealthy
24/10/2016 107 Unhealthy
25/10/2016 73 Moderate
26/10/2016 108 Unhealthy
27/10/2016 143 Unhealthy
28/10/2016 129 Unhealthy

21. This table shows that with onset of winter the levels of
pm2.5 increases tremendously .
The following graph shows levels of pm 2.5 on
07 November 2017.
29/10/2016 174 Very unhealthy
30/10/2016 758 Hazardous
31/10/2016 480 Hazardous

22. Measures taken by Delhi government to control smog:-
The Chief Minister of Delhi at that time, Arvind
Kejriwal, came out with the following proposed action
items to attempt to reduce the air pollution.
(i) Odd Even scheme
(ii) All Delhi schools will remain shut for the next three
days.
(iii) For the next five days, no construction and
demolition work will take place in Delhi.
(iii) All diesel generator sets have been banned for the
next ten days, except at hospitals and in emergencies.
(iv) The Delhi government will supply power to
unauthorized colonies which use diesel generators.
(v) The coal-based Badarpur power plant will be shut
down for ten days. There will be no fly ash
transportation from the power plant.
(vi) The Environment Department will launch an app to
monitor the burning of leaves.
(vii)Vacuum cleaning of roads will start on November
10.
(viii) Water sprinkling will start on all roads from the
next following days.

23. (ix) People should stay at home as much as they can
and they should try working from home.
(x) It has been under public debate how much, if any,
of the above steps actually help curtail pollution.
Various bodies blamed various sources for the smog.
Longer term measures
(i) On November 25, 2017, the Supreme Court of India
banned the sale of firecrackers in Delhi to alleviate
pollution.
(ii) In another measure, the Badarpur power plant will
remain shut until at least January 31, 2018.This power
plant is very old and polluting, and even before the
Great Smog, environmentalists had advocated for its
permanent shutdown.
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has
issued some guidelines to protect yourself againstthe
hazardous impacts of smog and pollution:
(i) Don't step out or indulge in outdoor activities during
early morning and evening hours due to "severe" levels
of air pollution in the city.

24. (ii) Try to stay indoors. Go out when it's bright and
sunny.
(iii) Avoid stepping out if you have breathing difficulty.
(iv) Keep children indoors as much as possible.
(v) Avoid smoking. Do not burn garbage.
(vi) Drink adequate amount of water as it helps in
flushing toxins from the body.
(vii) Avoid strenuous activity, as they may lead to
inhalation of minute pollutants.
(viii) Eat fruits that are loaded with vitamin C,
magnesium and omega fatty acids. These fruits are rich
in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds and
helps in boosting immunity.