The emission of the nitrogen dioxide pollutant has gone up significantly in the South Asia region, including India, during the 2005-2014 period, severely affecting air quality in the process, NASA satellite maps show. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a yellow-brown gas that is a common emission from cars, power plants and industrial activity. The US and Europe are among the largest emitters of nitrogen dioxide but both regions also showed the most dramatic reductions between 2005 and 2014, the maps showed. ?The main story in South Asia is increasing NO2 levels from 2005 to 2014 associated with booming economies and ambitious infrastructure development, such as new coal?burning power plants in the Chhattisgarh region of India,? NASA said in a statement. ?One of the largest increases occurred over Jamnagar (India), the site of the largest petrochemical complex in the world,? it added. ?Dhaka (Bangladesh) had the largest increase (79 per cent) of any world city,? the statement noted. Read More at www.m.thehindu.com