Open Forum
New
Delhi, 2 March 2017
Global
Air Report
GOVT
CAN’T TURN BLIND EYE
By Dhurjati
Mukherjee
The publication of ‘State of Global
Report 2017’ designed by Health Effects Institute in cooperation with the
Institute Health Metrics & Evaluation (IHME) at the Universities of
Washington and British Columbia created a
flutter at least in India.
It found that globally there was a 60 per cent rise in deaths attributed to
ozone with a striking 67 per cent of this increase occurring in India alone. In
fact, air pollution kills 52 per cent people in India
and its neighbour China.
As per the report, while 1.08 lakh
deaths were attributed to PM 2.5 exposure in China, increasing from 9.45 lakh
in 1990 in 2015, in India it was 10.90, a phenomenal increase from 7.37 lakh in
1990. As is well known, ozone is a gas generated when oxides of nitrogen and
volatile organic compounds from vehicular and industrial emissions interact in
the presence of sunlight. It was found that Bangladesh
and India
experienced the steepest rise in air pollution levels since 2010 and now have
the highest PM2.5 concentrations among the nations.
Another recent report titled ‘The
Lancet Countdown of Tracking Progress on Health & Climate Change’ found
Delhi and Patna among the most polluted cities, having an annual PM 2.5
concentrations of metre than 120 micrograms per cubic metres – about 12 times
the WHO guidelines. It made the startling revelation that an estimated 18,000
people die every day from exposure to ambient and household air pollution,
making it the single environmental health risk. Around 80 per cent are affected
in cities while the number goes up to 98 per cent in the low income and middle
income countries.
The Union Environment Ministry
reacted sharply to the Global Report and refused to accept the foreign
estimates associated with air pollution in the country and asserted that
research institutions in the country would examine and generate their own data.
Environment Minister Anil Dave is reported to have stated that 10.90 lakh
premature deaths in 2015 are based on “extrapolation without scientific
evidence”. He stated that the Ministry
is working with the health ministry in assessing the impact of air pollution
and a report was awaited.
It needs to be mentioned here that India does not
have the scope of denying air pollution-linked health hazards. The available
report on the issue relates to an epidemiological study on ambient air quality
and its impact on children in Delhi
prepared by the Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute, Kolkata way back in
2010. However, the report did not speak about specific number of deaths in the
country. In August 2015, the Environment Ministry informed Parliament that more
than 35,000 people had died due to acute respiratory infections across India in over
nine years from January 2006 to mid-2015.
Whatever the Government may say,
there is no reason whatsoever to challenge the authenticity of the global
report as well-known international institutions have been involved in collating
it. The research base of these institutions would be difficult to challenge by
Indian organisation like say the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). In
fact, apart from Delhi
and a few metros, the CPCB shockingly does not have the basic infrastructure to
carry out such an in-depth study.
The Government reviewing at least
the international findings is welcome, but at the same time it must
simultaneously outline steps to control air pollution, specially in the metros.
Heavy vehicles including trucks as well as auto rickshaws in metros are prime
sources of air pollution and this has gone unchecked. Add to this is industrial
pollutants, which are regularly being discharged into the major rivers of the
country such as the Ganga and Yamuna.
Recently, the Supreme Court directed
all State Pollution Control Boards to inspect all industrial units discharging
effluents and check if each unit had a functional ETP (effluent treatment
plant), giving a time limit of three months. The bench, headed by Chief Justice
J S Khehar, directed that power supply to errant units should be discontinued
if ETPs were inoperative or not functioning at the desired level required to
treat effluents before discharge into rivers and water bodies.
It cannot be denied that the
situation is quite grim in the country as recent reports of Delhi,
Kolkata and Patna
have pointed out. A study by scientists from the University
of California, Berkeley
found people’s exposure to vehicle exhaust in Kolkata three-four times higher
than the world average and highest among Indian metros followed by Delhi. According to the
Centre for Science & Environment (CSE), Kolkata has to reduce its annual
average pollution levels by 44 per cent to be able to meet the clean air
standards against 36 per cent by Hyderabad
and 33 per cent by Mumbai. Delhi
has the toughest task of reducing by 72 per cent followed by Bengaluru 54 per
cent.
The most alarming part is
that the increase in such air pollution affects the poorer sections that live
in pavements, slums and squatter settlements are exposed more to such
pollution, causing various types of diseases. Obviously, the treatment they
get, in most cases, is negligible, resulting in deaths.
With disease burden increasing in
the country, there is need for enforcement of stringent regulations that could
check air pollution and keep the temperature in the cities under control. There
is world-wide cry to bring down emissions but the concerns of most State
Governments are not matched with definite actions. Meanwhile, the temperature
of the cities is destined to reach 470 C+ in most cities while in
some it may reach 500C this year. However, the Central Government is
trying to counter international findings without any judicious logic with
formulating any action plan.
The future is no doubt quite grim as
no solution appears to be in sight. The Government has to take note of this
grim scenario and immediately come out with a strategic plan to tackle the
problem so that the poor are not overburdened with diseases and spared the
burden of extra expenditure for no fault of theirs. Also, industrial houses
that are responsible for increasing emissions have to be compelled to take
action as per the laws of the land and violations severely dealt with.
Scientists and environmentalists must
study the global reports and not allow the Ministry to juggle around with
reasoning. At the same time, they must join hands to pressurise the Government
to take prompt action and not play around with people’s lives. The Government
would do well to remember the adage: A stitch in time saves nine. ---INFA
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
|