Air Quality Management and Health in Asian Cities

1
Air Quality Management and Health in Asian Cities

• Dr Gary Haq and Dr Dieter Schwela
• Stockholm Environment Institute
• University of York
• York

2
Presentation Overview

• The problem of air pollution
• Air pollution and development
• Impact of air pollution on health
• Air quality management
• Strategic approach

3
Impact of Pollutant Air Emissions
Carbon emissions
Waste Burning
Forest Fires Acidification
Traffic
Open Cooking
Household
Urban
Peri-urban
Regional
Global
4
The Problem
Urbanization Motorization Energy
Consumption Different pollutant sources Lack of a
Strategic Approach to AQM
5
AIR POLLUTION IN ASIA
6
Poverty Air Pollution Health inequalities
7
Development path of air pollution in cities
8
Air of Injustice
Air pollution puts the lives of millions at risk
in Asian cities
An estimated 487,000 premature deaths in Asia
occur each year due to outdoor air
pollution (WHO, 2002)
A total of 3,547 persons were killed in
international terrorist attacks in 2001 (USDoS,
2002)
9
Impact of Air Pollution on Health Premature
Deaths
Air pollution puts the lives of millions at risk
in Asian cities
(WHO, 2002)
10
Impact on Air Pollution on Health
PM - premature mortality, lung, potential effects
on heart SO2 - respiratory, possibly mortality
effects CO - circulatory system, Heart O3 -
respiratory system, lung NOx - respiratory,
precursor of O3 Pb - nervous system, brain
Source World Bank, Indonesia Environment Monitor
11
Aggregated Annual Ambient Air Quality Monitoring
Data for 20 Cities in Asia
Slow improvement in in air quality, especially
TSP and SO2 PM10 limited decline PM10 average
concentrations still far exceed WHO Guideline
annual average of 20 ug/m3
12
Annual Average Ambient Concentrations of PM10 in
selected Asian Cities (2005)
None of the large Asian cities meets the WHO
guideline for PM10 Average concentration of PM10
is approx. 80 ug/m3 has changed little since 1995
13
Health Impacts Links to Respiratory Outpatients

• PM10 levels normally peak during the months of
  November until February.
• The number of respiratory outpatients also peak
  during the same period.

Source Pollution Control Department and Bangkok
Metropolitan Administration, 2002
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Impact of PM on Health

• 3 of adult cardiopulmonary disease mortality
• 5 of trachea, bronchus and lung cancer mortality
• 1 of mortality in children from acute
  respiratory
• Infection in urban areas worldwide. This amounts
  to about 0.80 million
• (1.2) premature deaths and 6.4 million (0.5)
  lost life years
• (Cohen, 2005)

15
Impacts - Health

• Fine Particulate Matter causes respiratory and
  heart diseases as well as lung cancer.
• Analysis indicates that health costs of PM10 is
  equivalent to 1 to 1.6 of the GDP.

Health costs of PM10 for Six Major Cities in
Thailand from 1996-1999
Note Calculated based on DECRG Model
DIESEL Program (2004)
16
Managing air quality
Emission Inventory
Air Pollution Modelling
Air Quality Monitoring
Control Measures
Emissions
Dispersion
Effects
Air Quality
17
Classification of AQM Capabilities
New Capability Scoring New Capability Classification Cities
91-100 Excellent I Hong Kong, Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo
81-90 Excellent II Bangkok, Seoul, Shanghai
71-80 Good I Beijing, Busan
61-70 Good II New Delhi
51-60 Moderate I Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Kolkata, Metro Manila, Mumbai
41-50 Moderate II Colombo
31-40 Limited I Hanoi, Surabaya
21-30 Limited II Dhaka, Kathmandu
0-20 Minimal -
Schwela, D., Haq, G., Huizenga, C., Han, W.,
Fabian, H., Ajero, M. (2006) Urban Air Pollution
in Asian Cities Status, Challenges and
Management, Earthscan, London
18
Development path of air pollution in cities
Colombo Ho Chi Minh Jakarta Kolkata Metro
Manila Mumbai
Dhaka Hanoi Kathmandu Surabaya
Bangkok Hong Kong Seoul Shanghai Taipei Tokyo
Beijing Busan New Delhi
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• CHALLENGES IN ASIAN CITIES Policies
• Lack or shortcomings of
• Political will
• Integrated environmental
• planning
• Legislation
• Clean air implementation
• plans
• Air quality standards
• Emission standards
• Cost-benefit analysis
• Market mechanisms

20

• CHALLENGES IN ASIAN CITIES Governance
• Conflicts through
• duplicated
• responsibilities
• Coordination amongst the
• various stakeholders
• Capacity and skills
• Public awareness
• Risk perception and risk
• communication
• Resources
• Enforcement

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CHALLENGES IN ASIAN CITIES Implementation of AQM
Need for

• Emissions inventories
• Source apportionment
• Quality-assured input data
• for dispersion models
• Harmonization of monitoring
• methodologies
• Capacity enhancement
• Centres of excellence
• Long-term studies of health
• Environmental and economic impacts

22
Acting sooner rather than later
(Shah, 2006)
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NEED FOR A STRATEGIC APPROACH TO AQM

• Flexible and adaptable to the needs of different
  countries and cities
• Highlights components of a
• rational and systematic AQM system
• General and detailed recommendations on means and
  instruments to solve air pollution problems in
  urban areas
• Harmonised approach on national and local levels.