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Several global reports expressed concerns and presented a grim picture of India’s alarming level of pollution, which is especially seen in Delhi and the larger national capital region (NCR) that, like every year, is already experiencing thick haze and poisonous smog.
According to a new study by the World Health Organization (WHO), over one lakh children younger than five years old died in India in 2016 due to exposure to toxic air. On an international level, the report noted that about 98 per cent of children in the same age group in low and middle-income countries were exposed to air pollution.
The report titled ‘Air Pollution and Child Health: Prescribing Clean Air’ attributed deaths of about 6 lakh children under 15 years of age in 2016 to the joint effects of ambient and household air pollution.
The study said a total of 101,788 deaths under the age of five — 54,893 were girls and 46,895 were boys — were reported due to joint effects of exposure of children to ambient and household PM 2.5 and burden of disease by the country in 2016.
Out of the over 1 lakh deaths in the country in 2016, 60,987 were due to ambient air pollution (32,889 were girls and 28,097 boys), it said.
Another report by the NGO Greenpeace stated that three of the world’s largest nitrogen oxide (NO2) air pollution emission hotspots, which contribute to the formation of PM2.5 and ozone, were in India, with one in Delhi-NCR region.
Delhi-NCR, Sonbhadra in Uttar Pradesh and Singrauli in Madhya Pradesh and Talcher-Angul in Odisha were the hotspots identified. Sonbhadra and Singrauli – which border each other – had one hotspot.
POLLUTION IN DELHI
Meanwhile, heavy stubble burning and calm winds kept the pollution level of Delhi in the very poor category as ten areas in the national capital recorded severe pollution levels.
The Air Quality Index in Delhi was measured at 367, i.e. ‘very poor’.
Air quality levels of Delhi’s Lodhi Road area on Tuesday.
In another setback, Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan on Monday said that even though less-polluting “green crackers” have been devised and the technology will be shared with the industry soon, they will not be available this Diwali.
Also, on Monday, the Supreme Court termed the prevailing pollution situation in Delhi-NCR as “very critical” and “horrible”, and prohibited the plying of 15-year-old petrol and 10-year-old diesel vehicles in the national capital region.
The Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) agreed to the recommendations made by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for the first ten days of November when the air quality is likely to deteriorate further due to festival season and stubble burning in neighbouring states.
The recommendations included the closure of all construction activities that generate dust pollution between November 1 and 10.
The CPCB-led task force also recommended shutting down of coal and biombad-based industries, excluding thermal and waste-to-energy plants, from November 4 to 10, intensification of efforts by Transport Department to check polluting vehicles and controlling traffic congestion in Delhi-NCR between November 1 and 10.
Authorities asked 113 industries to shut down for not converting to Piped Natural Gas (PNG). Of the total units, 67 are located in Bawana and Narela industrial areas, an official statement said Monday.
In a meeting chaired by Lt Governor Anil Baijal, officials said 1,368 show cause notices and 417 closure directions were issued against polluting units by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC).
With inputs from PTI
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