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Breathing polluted air

Kashmir Times. Dated: 2/19/2017 11:16:56 PM

Indian rulers need to shift gear for controlling air pollution levels if health of the common masses tops priority concerns

Indian government's initiatives on reducing pollution levels in the air in most of the urban areas appear to have failed as the number of people dyeing due to environmental bad air, people breathe in, increasing on annual basis. The recent report that pointed out that almost 1.1 million people die of bad air breathing annual should act as an eye-opener for the governments of the day at the centre and other states of the country. The number of people affected by polluted air is on the increase as per the details listed in the report in the recent past and there is a need for urgent steps to contain air pollution to save the common masses. This is happening contrary to the number of people dying on annual basis in China, which has been facing this problem for the last almost two decades. In fact, China has brought down the air pollution levels despite claims that some of the cities in China particularly Beijing are adversely affected by smog caused by pollutant emission from the coal based thermal power plants. The number of such thermal plants in India is very low compared to China but the pollution levels have shown an upward increase over the past one decade or so. Despite phasing out of diesel vehicles from the roads in and around National Capital Region (NCR) of New Delhi, the air pollution has stood at 500 points compared to the acceptable levels of 74 in 2011. The drastic measures initiated by the government in Delhi and its surrounding areas do not appear to have had a desirable impact. The Supreme Court, which acted in a hurry to seek government's cooperation in bringing down the pollution levels also did not have the desired effect. The number of vehicles has been on the increase and public transport system found lagging in tackling the commuting needs of the people in NCR. There has to be a people's initiative and movement for cleaner air in NCR and other metropolitan cities of the country. The commoners have to learn from the Paris residents in France, who called for immediate measures to control pollution once the pollution in air levels reached 100 points. The residents in Paris voluntarily stopped all sorts of diesel vehicles in the French capital and called for riding bicycles till the pollution levels are controlled.
Similar initiatives are needed from the people in all major towns of India, which have been affected adversely due to air pollution. The smaller and developing towns all across the country also need to brace up for meeting the challenges of the future if the health of the people tops the concerns of the rulers. The rise in average annual population-weighted PM2.5 levels indicates that the Centre's initiatives to help States reduce the burning of agricultural biomass and coal in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi have failed. The directions of the National Green Tribunal to Delhi, which were reviewed last year, could not end open burning of garbage and straw, or curb the urban use of diesel-powered vehicles. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that the weighted national PM2.5 level estimated in the international report rose from 60 micrograms per cubic metre in 1990 (the acceptable limit) to 74 in 2015, with a steady rise since 2011. Weak policy on pollution is leading to the premature death of an estimated 1.1 million Indians annually, and the number is growing, in contrast to China's record of reducing such mortality. In a country which is producing about 500 million tonnes of crop residues annually, the issue needs to be addressed in mission mode. Easy access to cheap solar cookers and biogas plants will also cut open burning, and help the rural economy. Yet, there is no reliable distribution mechanism for them. On the health front, it is a matter of concern that in the most polluted cities, even moderate physical activity could prove harmful, rather than be beneficial, as new research indicates. India's clean-up priorities need to shift gear urgently, covering both farm and city so that health of the people can be taken care of.