SO2 emission: Visakhapatnam among world’s worst emitters of Sulphur Dioxide

Visakhapatnam is among the world’s hotspots for sulphur dioxide emission, the annual report by Greenpeace India and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) revealed. The report ranked the world’s biggest emitters of sulphur dioxide- a colourless poisonous gas that increases the risk of stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and premature death.

The report further showed that India continued to occupy the slot for the world’s biggest emitter of sulphur dioxide, for the fifth consecutive year. “In 2019, India emitted 21% of global anthropogenic (human-made) SO2 emissions, nearly double that of the second-ranked global emitter, Russia. China occupies the third position,” a press release by Greenpeace India said.

As per the data, the biggest sulphur dioxide emission hotspots in India are thermal power stations (or clusters of power stations) at Singrauli, Neyveli, Sipat, Mundra, Korba, Bonda, Tamnar, Talcher, Jharsuguda, Kutch, Surat, Chennai, Ramagundam, Chandrapur, Visakhapatnam and Koradi.

Causing worry, Andhra Pradesh‘s Visakhapatnam was ranked 11th among top 50 global sulphur dioxide hotspots that use coal combustion as the major energy source. In Visakhapatnam, 172 kilotonnes of sulphur dioxide were emitted in 2019, marking a rise of 10.8% from 2018. Telangana’s Ramagundam, with an emission of 102 kilotonnes of SO2, was ranked 31.

To the brighter side though, the country recorded a dip of approximately 6% in sulphur dioxide emissions in 2019 as compared to 2018. “We are seeing a reduction in SO2 emissions in the top three emitter countries. In India, we’re getting a glimpse of how the reduction in coal usage can impact air quality and health. In 2019, renewable energy capacity expanded, coal dependency decreased and we saw a corresponding improvement in air quality. But our air is still far from safe. We must speed up the energy transition away from coal and towards renewables, for our health and economy. While ensuring just transition of energy, with the help of decentralized renewable sources, we need to prioritize access to electricity for the poor,” said Avinash Chanchal, Climate Campaigner, Greenpeace India