The Indian Timelines

Delhi vs Sikkim

“Always First”
Report on Sikkim’s Air Quality
- Akul Goel

Sikkim is a small Indian State known for its clean

and green image. The State enjoys a good air and
water environment and hosts more than 25% of the
country's biodiversity. Amidst several economic
and infrastructural developments taking place in
the State, Sikkim has amicably sustained its natural
resources with hosts of environment amelioration
initiatives.

But, while AQI for majority of the

towns are under 'Good' category,
three major towns in East Sikkim
namely Rangpo, Singtam and
Deorali (Gangtok) have fallen
under 'Satisfactory' category
which may be attributed to the
fact that these towns are located
in proximity to the National
Highway NH10 which is subjected
to heavy movement to vehicles.
Air pollution is a global public
health emergency. Currently
610,577 people in Sikkim are
breathing toxic air that does not meet WHO's clean air guidelines.

Air Quality Monitoring in Sikkim:

Air quality monitoring is the measurement of various pollutants to study the pattern and
movement of air masses and deterioration of air quality.

Oxides of Sulphur - Eight hourly Sulphur dioxide concentration of the sample shows that the
Bazar area with 22.3 μg/m3 has highest concentration on yearly average while minimum
concentration with 10.2 μg/m3.
• Oxides of Nitrogen - The Eight hourly averages of Nitrogen oxides samples
were collected and further analyzed in the lab. The highest concentration of
oxides of Nitrogen as NO2 was recorded from Indira Bye-pass with 22.6
μg/m3 and lowest was recorded from zero point with 12.3 μg/m3. All the
values are however, within Indian standards.

• Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) - The yearly average of suspended

particulate of the sample shows that the highest concentration of SPM is
recorded to be 145μg/m3 while zero point with 98 μg/m3 shows minimum
concentration of SPM. The highest value is mainly due to heavy vehicular
movement.

• VEHICULAR POLLUTION - Altogether 84.7% of the driven vehicles were

meeting the specified standards and 15.3% of the driven vehicles were not
meeting the stipulated standards.
Steps taken to control air pollution:

The Government of Sikkim has imposed a ban on use of

firecrackers, prohibited burning of agricultural waste,
banned the use of styrofoam products, banned burning
of tyres, banned use of polythene carry bags and
chemical fertilizers. Sikkim has hosts of flagship
programmes like State Green Mission, Ten Minutes to
Earth programmes which have greatly mobilised the
entire state's populace in plantation and cleanliness
activities throughout the State.

To prevent, control and abate air pollution, the Government of India enacted Central legislation
called the Air Act,1981(Prevention & Control of
Pollution). According to this act, Every polluting
industry must obtain a consent from the State
Pollution Control Board for the discharge of air
pollut-ants in any form through chimneys or
otherwise. The State Board may lay down
suitable conditions while giving consent to
discharge air pollutants in the light of emis-sion
standards developed by the Central Board,
subsequently notified through the rules framed
under the Environment (protection) Act,1986
Rules

These preventive measures have made Sikkim one the

cleanest State of the country and boasts of Gangtok, its
capital town being declared as the Cleanest Hill Station
and Cleanest Town of the country. For the clean and
green image, Sikkim has also been rated as amongst the
Top Tourist destinations of the World.
 Comparision
-Abhishil Prasad
Finally, we conclude that the air quality of Delhi is far worse than the air quality of
Sikkim. The government needs to take serious measures to control the air
pollution like:

• Stubble burning in northern states should be regulated as although they are

a short-term measure to increase the fertility of the soil but in the long-term
they have detrimental impacts on land.
• Various government policies like odd-even rule of vehicles, promotion of
electric cars can help in the betterment of the air quality.

Whereas the air quality of Sikkim is decent with clean and fresh air. There are
some areas which can be improved like stoppage of shifting cultivation or slash
and burn farming but altogether the people of this state have managed to
maintain a sustained quality of life with co-existence of flora, fauna and natural
resources.
Delhi’s poor water quality
- Akshat Singh
A new study has now shown that the Delhi’s tap water is the most unsafe among
21 State capitals. The national capital is at the very bottom of the list, in a ranking
based on tap water quality released by the Bureau of Indian Standards.

The Delhi Jal Board has constituted a quality control wing and established nine
plant laboratories and eight zonal laboratories for this purpose. Despite these
efforts, there are concerns over the quality because of the following reasons:
• The decline in quality of raw water sources are a major reason. In the case of
surface sources (such as rivers and canals), many industrial units in Haryana
have been found releasing untreated effluents in the river Yamuna. Such
violations are a worry for the Delhi government as the same water then flows
to Delhi. In Delhi, too, several drains discharge untreated sewage in the
Yamuna
• The dumping of garbage in the river, a common practice by households in
slums and unauthorised colonies situated along the river course, also has
numerous adverse impacts on the quality of raw water.
• With regard to groundwater sources, it is noted that groundwater salinity is
increasing, and the fluoride, nitrate and arsenic levels are found to be higher
than the limits prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards.
 Effects of poor water quality
• It has tremendously-adverse effect on the health of any and every life form
living in the vicinity of the polluted water body or using water that has been
polluted to some extent.
• Polluted water can be detrimental to crops and reduce the fertility of soil
thus harming the overall agricultural sector and the country as well.
• The most fundamental effect of water pollution is however on the quality of
the water, consuming which can lead to several ailments.

Solution:
• Cleaning up waterways and beaches.
• Avoiding the usage of non-biodegradable material like plastic.
• Being more involved in various measures pertaining to preventing water
pollution.
 Water Quality of Sikkim
- Akshay Pandey
Abstract
Sikkim is known for its substantial water resources. However, due to rapid growth
in population and industry, water scarcity is increasing day by day adding stress
on these resources, both quantitatively and qualitatively. A comparative field
study performed during January 2011, of available water in Namchi, Gangtok and
Singtam areas of Sikkim is presented here. The study illustrates the quality and
quantity of water, and their time-dependent variations during the year. Data on
pH and coliform were used to assess quality, whereas questionnaire modules
were used to find out the abundance of water for domestic use on various scales.
The findings regarding water management on the local scale reveal the degree of
awareness and the measures taken for water conservation, health and safety. The
survey also focuses on the large number of hydel power projects commissioned
in the state.
This project presents an overview of the water resources in these mountains and
their management in the East and South districts of Sikkim (Figure 2). The
geographical location of Sikkim has been shown in the map of India (Figure 1).
The study performed in January 2011 reveals the quality and quantity of water
resources, their management on a local scale, the hydel power projects and the
perspectives of the people.

Fig 1. Map of India showing Sikkim Fig 2. Map of Sikkim

Methodology
Thirty water samples collected from various regions were stored in airtight
containers (Figure 3). The pH values were measured immediately after collecting
the samples using a portable pH pocket-sized pH meter (Hanna Instruments) with
an accuracy of ± 0.1. The existence of coliforms was tested by monitoring their
growth in laboratory. The presence of these coliforms is an indication that the
water has been in contact with the surface and may contain disease-causing
organisms. Using the conventional most probable number (MPN) test, the
presence or absence of microorganisms was confirmed. The samples were
inoculated with lactose broth (peptone 5.0 g, meat (beef) extract 3.0 g and lactose
5.0 g in 1 litre of distilled water) at 37°C for 48 h. The presence of gas bubbles
was indicative of the presence of microbes.

Fig 3. Samples of Water collected for Quality Test

A total of 570 household surveys were carried out in Namchi (250 surveys),
Gangtok (250 surveys) and Sing-tam (70 surveys) including their neighbourhoods,
and the results were analysed
Comparison

In Sikkim, especially in the rural areas where there is no supply of treated water for
drinking and other domestic uses, natural surface water is the only source for the
common people. The objective was to assess the water quality of natural sources
of water in the rural areas of East Sikkim using a water quality index (WQI) for
different seasons. A total of 225 samples, that is, 75 samples in winter, 75 samples
in summer, and 75 samples in monsoon were collected from different sources for
physicochemical analysis, and a WQI was calculated. The water quality values
ranged from 32.01(Good water quality) to 96.71(Very Poor water quality).
However, in most of the region of whole Sikkim, WQI ranges from 52.5 to 70.0
which means, Sikkim has poor water quality.

In Delhi, the results showed that most of the water samples were in poor condition
(85.3%) and very few of them were in good condition (2.6%). The water quality of
the natural sources indicated that the water is poor-quality and not totally safe for
human consumption, and that it needs treatment before consumption.
Yamuna, the main source of water for Delhi, is one of the most polluted rivers in
the country. Nineteen drains in the capital flow into the Yamuna River contributing
96 per cent on the total pollutants in Yamuna. Just five per cent of the sewage that
is discharged into the river is treated, posing a serious health hazard. In Delhi,
WQI ranges from 100.0 to 120.0 which means, Delhi has extremely poor water
quality and is unsuitable for drinking purpose.