DELHI AIR POLLUTION
DELHI AIR QUALITY
The results are catastrophic when one tampers with nature and systems built over centuries of traditional wisdom. During the last few years, pollution in Delhi and north India has caused the most alarming public health crisis impacting over 30 crore Indians.
India is one of the most polluted countries in the world and among the capital cities, Delhi is probably one of the most polluted cities. Indian cities feature largely in the top 50 polluted cities of the world according to many parameters.
The problem, however, is particularly severe in the capital Delhi and its adjoining areas, commonly called Delhi – NCR.
The Environment Performance Index 2020 gives India a global ranking of 169.
Air pollution (both indoors and outdoors) is the second-most serious risk factor for public health in the country (the first being malnutrition) and it contributes to an estimated 2.5 million deaths annually.
Causes of Air Pollution in Delhi
Air pollution is the introduction into the atmosphere of chemicals, particulates, or biological materials that cause discomfort, disease, or death to humans, damage other living organisms, damage the natural and the built environment.
The most important causes of air pollution in Delhi and adjoining areas are as follows:
1. Increasing population and related developmental activities at the cost of environmental damage.
2. The development of the region has largely been unplanned and often, industrial units that spew harmful chemicals into the atmosphere are located in residential and commercial areas and not designated areas.
3. Increased vehicular traffic (which has not come down despite the Delhi metro) and the consequent rise in air and noise pollution.
4. Almost 8,000 m tonnes of solid waste is being generated in Delhi (National Environmental Engineering Research Institute) every day, however, the authorities manage to clear only about 5000 – 5500 m tonnes of waste daily. This adds to the garbage piling up. This is not counting the hazardous and non-hazardous waste from industries.
Problems Caused by Air Pollution
Air pollution severely affects human health. It is found to cause low birth weight in children, tuberculosis, asthma, ischemic heart disease, nasopharyngeal and laryngeal cancers, cataracts, etc.
According to some research, air pollution can also impair cognitive development.
Air pollution is associated with infections & diseases that kill around 600,000 children under five years of age every year.
Several studies reveal a higher prevalence of symptoms of chronic bronchitis in areas with higher particulate air pollution.
Nearly 2.5 million people die worldwide each year from the effects of outdoor or indoor air pollution. (National Geographic)
Steps Taken to Control Delhi’s Air Pollution
Various steps have been taken by the government (central and state governments) to tackle the menace of air pollution in Delhi-NCR. Some of the measures are given below.
• In October 2020, the Supreme Court-appointed a one-man committee, Justice Lokur Committee, to monitor and curb the occurrences of stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Read more about this committee in CNA dated Oct 17, 2020.
• Construction & demolition (C&D) waste management rules have been notified which mandate the segregation of C&D waste into various categories for safe disposal and further processing.
• Red Light On, Gaadi Off campaign was an initiative by the Delhi Government that ran in Oct-Nov 2020 under which commuters driving vehicles were urged to switch off their vehicle engines while waiting for the green light at traffic lights.
• The Odd-even rule was introduced by the Delhi Government according to which vehicles with odd and even registration numbers would ply on the road on alternate days. This was particularly aimed at reducing smog in the region.
• The state government of Delhi also introduced a policy to preserve and plant trees in a bid to increase the green cover and have carbon sinks.
• Anti-smog guns and smog towers are installed and used in the city.
• Prevention of stubble burning is a key component of reducing air pollution in the Delhi NCR area.
• The subsidy is provided to the farmers for procuring the Turbo Happy Seeder, which is a machine fitted on tractors that can cut and uproot stubble and eliminates the need to burn stubble.
• The ICAR has also come up with the PUSA Decomposer, which is a capsule that can be used to make a spray which when sprayed on crop residue hastens its decomposition.
• Mass Rapid Transport System (MRTS) is being built as a means to provide citizens with non-polluting alternative sources of transportation.
• The adoption of the Bharat Stage VI norms and the big push being given to electric vehicles steps in the right direction in curbing vehicular pollution.
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