INDIA'S SULPHUR DIOXIDE EMISSION AMONG HIGHEST IN WORLD

India's emission of the air pollutant sulphur dioxide increased by 50 per cent since 2007, while China's fell by 75 per cent,claims a study which found that India is yet to implement emission controls like its neighbor. The study led by researchers at University of Maryland in the US suggested that India is becoming, if it is not already, the word's top sulphur dioxide emitter.

Sulphur dioxide is an air pollutant that causes acid rain, haze and many health related problems. It is produced predominantly when coal is burned to generate electricity. "The rapid decrease of sulphur dioxide emission in China far exceeds expectations and projection", said Can Li, an associate research scientist at University of Maryland.

"This suggests that China is implementing sulphur dioxide controls beyond what climate modellers  have taken into account," said Li,first author of the study published in the journal Scientific Reports. China and India are the world's top consumers of coal, which typically contains up to three per cent sulphur, researchers said.

Most of the two countries sulphur dioxide emissions come from coal fired power plants and coal burning factories.

In particular, Beijing suffers from server haze problems beacouse of the many coal-burning factories and power plants located nearby and upwind.

Starting in the early 2000s, China began implementing policies such as fining polluters, setting emission reduction goals and lowering emissions limits. According to the result of the current study,these effort are playing off.

"Sulphur dioxide levels in China declined dramatically even though coal usage increased by approximately 50 per cent and electricity generation grew by over 100 per cent," said Li, who is also a research associate at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center."This suggests that much of the reduction is coming from controlling emission," said Li.

Despite China's 75 per cent drop in sulphur dioxide emissions, recent work by other scientist has show that the country's air quality remains poor and continues to cause significant health problems. This may be because sulphur dioxide contributes that cause haze,according to Li.