Urban Air Quality Management in Asia

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Urban Air Quality Management in Asia
Glynda Bathan Clean Air Initiative for Asian
Cities
13 September 2006 Karachi, Pakistan
Sustainable Urban Mobility in Asia A CAI-Asia
Program
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Status of Air Quality in Asia

• Ambient air quality in Asia is generally
  improving despite increase in motorization and
  energy use
• Average ambient TSP, PM10 and SO2 trends are
  improving
• Average ambient TSP and PM10, however, continue
  to exceed WHO guidelines
• Average ambient SO2 is in compliance with WHO
  guideline
• NO2 close to guidelines
• Insufficient information on O3 for reliable
  trend analysis
• It is uncertain whether the observed improvements
  in air quality will be sustained

Aggregated Annual Ambient AQ Trends, mg/m3 (1993
to 2005)
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Benchmarking Air Quality Management Capabilities
in Asia

• The Benchmarking study involved 20 cities in Asia
  representing various economic levels and
  geographic coverage.
• The cities were categorized according to four AQM
  capability indices 1) AQ measurement 2) data
  availability and assessment 3) emission
  estimates and 4) AQ management enabling
  capacity.
• Cities with high levels of economic development
  tend to have well-developed AQM systems
• Benchmarking of AQM capability can assist cities
  in setting priorities and developing strategies
  for strengthening their AQM capability

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Benchmarking UAQM Capability of Asian Cities
Benchmarking Study Approach
City Profiles and AQ Data
AQM Capability Questionnaire
Compilation of information on current policy and
practice for key components of AQM
Questionnaire to assess AQM capability sent to
city authorities

• In collaboration with Stockholm Environment
  Institute in their Air Pollution in the
  Megacities of Asia Project and the CAI-Asia
  Network

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Air Quality Management Capabilities

• Air Quality Measurement Index
• Assesses the ambient air monitoring taking place
  in a city and the accuracy and precision and
  representativeness of the data collected
• Air Quality Data Assessment and Availability
  Index
• Assesses how air data is processed to value and
  provide information in a decision-relevant
  format. It also assesses the extent to which
  there is access to air quality information and
  data through different media
• Emissions Estimate Index
• Assesses emission inventories undertaken to
  determine the extent to which decision-relevant
  information is available about source pollution
  in the city
• Air Quality Management Index
• Asseses the administrative and legislative
  framework through which emission control
  strategies are introduced to manage air quality

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Air Quality Measurement Index

• Six cities measure the acute and chronic health
  effects for all criteria compounds (NO2, SO2, PM,
  CO, Pb, O3)
• Nine cities measure trends in pollutant
  concentrations for all criteria compounds
• Five cities measure the spatial distriubution for
  all compounds
• 11 cities have the capacity to measure kerbside
  criteria for all compounds
• Rigorous QA/QC criteria are applied in eight
  cities

Minimal ? Limited ?? Moderate ???
Good ???? Excellent ?????
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Air Quality Assessment and Availability Index

• 11 cities undertake prediction modelling for
  pollutants monitored
• 11 cities have undertaken epidemiological studies
• 10 cities issue air quality alerts
• 9 cities undertake spatial mapping of pollutants
• 11 cities formally publish AQ data

Minimal ? Limited ?? Moderate ???
Good ???? Excellent ?????
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Online Ambient Air Quality Data of Selected
Asian Cities
Online AQ Information
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Emission Estimates Index

• 14 cities have emission estimates for major
  source categories (industrial, mobile and
  domestic/commercial)
• 15 cities have emission estimates for all
  criteria pollutants (PM, CO, SO2, NO2 and HC)
• 8 cities have estimates of emissions based on
  actual measurements
• 6 cities cross check estimates

Minimal ? Limited ?? Moderate ???
Good ???? Excellent ?????
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Air Quality Management Index

• 11 cities have AQ standards for all criteria
  pollutants
• 17 cities have emission limits and controls on
  stationary and mobile sources
• 13 cities impose penalties for the exceedance of
  both stationary and mobile emissions

Minimal ? Limited ?? Moderate ???
Good ???? Excellent ?????
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Ambient Air Quality Standards in Asia

• Most countries have more lenient standards than
  those prescribed by WHO and USEPA
• Standards for PM10 have been largely based on
  USEPA limits
• There is a need to review current PM standards
  Europe has moved PM10 limit to 50µg/m3 limit for
  24-hour averages and 40 µg/m3 for annual averages
• In some cases, AQ monitoring plans/ systems, are
  inconsistent with the established standards

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Comparison of PM Standards in Asia, Europe and US
Source Urban Air Pollution in Asian Cities
(2006) - for publication
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Vehicle Emission Standards
Note For light-duty vehicles Source CAI-Asia,
2006
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Public Transport Trends in Asia - BRT

• TransJakarta, the 1st closed BRT system in Asia,
  will open 4 new corridors by December or a total
  of 7 busway corridors by the end of the year
• Growing interest on BRT systems
• PRC Kunming, Chongqing, Beijing
• S. Korea (by 2012) Seoul, Inchon
• PHI Metro Manila, Cebu
• IND New Delhi (target 300km), Bangalore, Chennai

Above TransJakarta Below Beijing BRT. Photo
credits ITDP
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Stationary Sources

• Generally, countries in Asia have Industrial
  Emission Standards in place however strengthened
  implementation and monitoring is needed
• Efforts to reduce industrial pollution in Asia
  often focus on developing environmental
  institutions and legal frameworks either through
  command-and-control regulations or through
  economic instruments
• Reduction of air pollution from stationary
  sources in Asia are still mostly "end-of-pipe"
  treatments, while economic incentives are not
  optimized
• Most Asian countries have adopted cleaner
  production strategies calling for substituting
  cleaner fuel sources and using fuels more
  efficiently

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Conclusions

• The identification of the stage of development in
  terms of AQM capability can assist cities in
  setting priorities and developing strategies to
  strengthen their AQM capability.
• Cities with a relative low AQM capability need to
  focus on establishing or strengthening continuous
  air quality monitoring system and implementing
  basic control strategies.
• All cities will need to first ensure that their
  AQM systems manage the traditional criteria
  pollutants such as CO, NOx, SO2, O3, TSP, and
  PM10 and then also PM2.5.
• In addition, all countries should review their
  air quality standards in view of the new EU limit
  values and the new WHO guideline values

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Conclusions (2)
Contact Glynda Bathan, gbathan_at_adb.org Cornie
Huizenga, chuizenga_at_adb.org www.cleanairnet.org/ca
iasia