Introduction:

Air pollution is a silent killer in India, especially in the country’s northern belt. 18% of the world’s population lives in India, but the country bears 26% of the global disease burden due to air pollution. According to estimates of the India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative — published last year in Lancet Planetary Health — over half the 12.4 lakh deaths in India attributed to air pollution in 2017 were of individuals under the age of 70. The average life expectancy in the country could be 1.7 years higher, if air pollution is contained at a level at which human health isn’t harmed.

Body:

The pollution problem is not merely a technological issue, but also a social concern because:

• Like all inequity, the weakest and the most disenfranchised suffer the worst health effects of toxic air first.
• It is caused by human behaviours and because it not only has a negative effect on the planet but also on people and society.
• Poverty exposes people to various stressors, such as polluted air, that increase pollution susceptibility.
• Some political particles have painted air pollution as an elite problem. It’s the opposite. The rich have easy access to masks, purifiers and filters to protect themselves.
• The increasing use of gadgets like air purifiers by a certain section of people becomes problematic. These devices require constant maintenance and constitute a lopsided and expensive answer to the air pollution problem.
• It is the poor, homeless, those working outdoors who are most affected. They include ragpickers, safai karamcharis, auto-rickshaw drivers, traffic policemen, small farmers, daily-wage labourers (especially in the construction and mining sectors).
• Besides emphasising on clean energy devices, energy efficiency technologies, dust control mechanisms and clean transport facilities, the government must be alive to the concerns of the people whose livelihoods are affected when polluting industries are banned.
• The improvement in the quality of lives of the rich and middle classes should not be at the cost of the poor. This perspective now informs the air pollution management programmes of several countries.
• Some states of the US, Singapore and China, for instance, have come out with citizen-friendly remedies that emphasise dust management, soil conservation and ecological restoration.
• Air pollution is not a local issue that can be resolved by using household gadgets or placing devices at a few places.
• It is a nationwide concern that requires systemic measures, long-term planning, stringent action against those violating emission laws and standards.
• Ecologically, air pollution can cause serious environmental damages to the groundwater, soil, and air. It is also a serious threat to the diversity of life. Studies on the relationship between air pollution and reducing species diversity clearly show the detrimental effects of environmental contaminants on the extinction of animals and plants species

The Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago has devised a new metric called the ‘air quality life index’. It allows us to measure the systemic impact of air pollution in India relative to other countries. It has calculated that Indians lose 4.3 years of their lives on average simply because they live in India. Delhi’s residents lose a full 10 years because they live in Delhi.

Conclusion:

India requires inter-departmental coordination, continuous monitoring, appropriate warning systems and adequate protocols for assessment of air quality. There is a need for auditors who can enforce these standards. Long-term solutions to address air pollution require political will. The private sector should also start looking at social investments beyond statutory requirements.