According to the 2022 Air Quality Report, 39 of India’s metropolises are included in the list of the 50 most polluted cities due to emissions from the transportation sector, industries, coal plants, and biomass burning, even though the country has dropped three spots to rank eighth among the most polluted nations. Not only that.
The research, which gathered information from 131 countries, has shown that India’s PM2.5 concentration, at 53.3 micrograms per cubic metre, is ten times the safe level advised by the WHO.
It is also clear that the challenge has many facets. N’Djamena, the capital of Chad, has surpassed New Delhi as the most polluted capital in the world; places in the National Capital Area have also seen a decline in pollution levels. Yet in other cities, things are getting worse. Calcutta has the second-worst air pollution, and air quality has declined in Hyderabad and Bengaluru as well.
Source: EPIC – India
Its unequal progress renders a centralised strategy useless. A case-centric strategy must be used to win the conflict. Given India’s deteriorating federal connections, this suggests increasing cooperation between the Central and the states, something that is uncommon.
It is evident that air pollution has a negative impact on public health because it is thought to be the cause of six million annual deaths. Although though the cost of bad air is estimated to be more than 6.1% of the annual global GDP, it frequently escapes public awareness. The crisis has worsened as a result of a number of related issues. The Pollution Control Boards and other primary Indian authorities have been proven to be ineffective at carrying out their duties. The public’s interest in upholding environmental standards is lukewarm.
Source: CNBC- TV 18
What else might account for the popular enthusiasm for firecrackers in violation of legal prohibitions or the obstinate insistence on destroying crops? It’s also likely that the national trend towards religious conservatism, which the ruling regime has encouraged, is weakening civic virtue. This is concerning since pollution is causing newer inequities; for instance, air purifiers are still generally out of the reach of the nation’s poor. The government and the populace must work together to fight for clean air.
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