For the western Indian states of Maharashtra and Gujarat, the winter of 2022-23 had been the most polluted in the last four years – says a new analysis by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) of the region’s winter air quality (PM2.5) trends.
The analysis, done for the period October 1, 2022 to February 28, 2023, has been carried out by CSE’s Urban Lab. In these states, winter pollution typically sets in during late November and early December, when the cooler and calmer conditions trap local pollution.
“The fact that the big cities as well as smaller towns have experienced the rise in winter PM2.5 levels points to the rapid spread of the air pollution problem in this region. This is evident in both the seasonal average and the peaks,” says Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research an advocacy, CSE.
“While local pollution is increasing in these rapidly motorising and developing cities, the regional influence is further aggravating the challenge. This is overpowering the advantage of natural ventilation of the coastal climate. This demands immediate roadmap to control pollution from the key sources across the region,” she added.
“While in absolute terms Gujarat has a higher pollution level, it is rising faster in Maharashtra. Most polluted locations in the region are located in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. Vapi and Surat are among the most polluted locations in Gujarat. Nagpur registered the highest increase in pollution with a 105 per cent rise compared to the previous winter,” says Avikal Somvanshi, senior programme manager, Urban Lab, CSE.
This analysis is part of the third edition of Urban Lab’s Air Quality Tracker Initiative which was started in the winter of 2020-21. This analysis is based on the real time data available from the current working air quality monitoring stations in these two states.
A huge volume of data points have been cleaned and data gaps have been addressed, based on USEPA methods, for this analysis. Winter here is defined as the period between October 1, 2022 and February 28, 2023. Winter average is based on the mean of daily averages where continuous data is available since 2019.
India’s e-commerce logistics space to exceed 10 billion parcels by FY28
According to a report by Redseer Strategy Consultants, India’s e-commerce logistics market would surpass 10 billion parcels by FY28 as it grows in Tier 2 plus cities, new categories, and direct-to-consumer (D2C) companies. In FY23, e-commerce logistics’ total shipments (forward and reverse) increased to 4 billion. (excluding hyperlocal shipments). In this pie, the shares of in-house logistics and third parties were about equal.
According to the Redseer research, “Over the course of the year, the industry witnessed intensifying competitive trends from smaller incumbents with yields also being challenged.”
The whole e-commerce logistics opportunity is expected to increase at a minimum CAGR of 20% to comfortably reach 10 billion parcels by FY28 on the back of continuous e-commerce development, according to the report. Despite this, the market is still a compelling long-term investment.
D2C has become a rapidly expanding area of e-commerce. According to Redseer, D2C companies will have a 35% increase in overall GMV (gross merchandise value) over the next several years, with brand.com contributing significantly to this rise. By CY27, D2C brands are anticipated to produce a combined US$ 33 billion in GMV over all channels.
According to Redseer, logistics providers with pertinent and tailored offerings for direct-to-consumer (D2C) firms are well-positioned to gain market share in this rapidly expanding industry. In the future, they are anticipated to have a greater yield profile.
