Significant reduction in Pune air pollution on Pedestrian Day : reveals study 

A study done by a Pune NGO called Parisar has shown that the air pollution in Pune had significantly reduced on Pedestrian Day held on 11 December 2023 as against the next few days i.e. 12 to 15 December 2023. 

Speaking to Pune Pulse, Shweta Vernekar, Associate, Parisar, said “People tend to say that air pollution, noise pollution etc will get reduced due to the Pedestrian Day. So, some evidence had to be there for this. Hence,
several monitors had been placed on the streets of Laxmi Road on Pedestrian Day after Pedestrian Day to monitor air pollution. So, after comparing the outcomes on & after Pedestrian Day, it was found that the 4
pollutants namely PM10, PM2.5, Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) & Carbon Monoxide (CO) had significantly reduced on Pedestrian Day.”

As per further information from the report of Parisar called Pedestrian Day: AQ Monitoring, The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has been celebrating Pedestrian Day on 11th of December every year, since 2021. This year’s event took place on Laxmi Road, spanning from Nagarkar Talim Chowk to Garud Ganpati.

To assess the air quality and understand the impact of pedestrian day, PMC along with World Resources Institute (WRI), India conducted air quality monitoring along the stretch. As part of WRI India’s Accelerator for Clean Air
Actions (ACAAS) program, a low-cost sensor was deployed on Laxmi Road for air quality assessment from 9 to 15 December 2023. Air pollutants typically contributed by vehicular exhaust, namely particulate matter (PM10

and PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and carbon monoxide (CO) were monitored during the time frame.

The results revealed a notable reduction in pollutant concentrations on the pedestrianized street during the Pedestrian Day (11th December). Specifically, there was a 31% decrease in PM2.5 and a 27% reduction in PM10
concentrations between 11 am to 7 pm, compared to the average weekday concentrations (12 to 15 December 2023). Additionally, gaseous pollutants exhibited reductions, with a 15% decrease in NO2 and a significant 41% reduction in CO during the same timeframe.

Shreyas Vange