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Swachh air mission takes flight

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New Delhi: In an effort to tackle the menace of air pollution, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched the first national air quality index in ten cities across the country.

Speaking at the event, he claimed that India’s contribution to the pollution level in the world is one of the lowest.

“We have given a perception to rest of the world as if we are not bothered about climate and environment. The world is tackling with the challenge of Global Warming, but they still haven’t been able to find a way. No one can question India’s sensitivity towards nature protection,” he said.

Modi also asked Indians to practice conservation of energy. “We all should pledge that once a week we will not use any kind of products that use any kind of energy. We must think of developing ways in our lifestyle with which energy can be conserved,” he said.

Delhi’s air pollution has been in focus in recent months, surpassing Beijing as the most polluted city in the world, with particulate matter 2.5 times the levels considered acceptable by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The index will also inform the public about the level of pollution in the air on a daily basis in real-time. The AQI is a global standard used to understand air quality.

It takes various parameters available in our national air quality standard and presents it as a cumulative on a 6 colour coded scale. Dark green denotes the cleanest and maroon denotes the most polluted.

A World Health Organization study shows that 13 Indian cities figure among the 20 most polluted cities of the world.

India disputed the WHO’s assertion, but has conceded that air pollution in the capital is comparable with that of Beijing.

Modi used Monday’s conference to defend India’s record on pollution, saying his country had a strong tradition of protecting the environment.

The government said the new index would initially cover 10 cities — Delhi, Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, Varanasi, Faridabad, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad — each of which would have monitoring stations with Air Quality Index display boards.

The aim is to eventually cover 66 cities.

The project’s aim is also to enhance public awareness and involvement in efforts to improve air quality.

The first day of the conference on Monday had two sessions, on “Waste to Wealth” and “Ease of doing business and TSR report”. There were be three break-out sessions on issues related to forest wildlife, pollution, bio-diversity and climate change.

After the conference, the Environment Ministry will finalise its recommendations, prepare the Cabinet note and bring it before the Union Cabinet so that the bills as amended can be brought in the second. half of the Parliament’s Budget Session, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said.

Meanwhile, there are also reports that the air quality of Delhi and Mumbai will be “very poor” in the next few days, particularly on Tuesday and Wednesday, due to a dust storm which originated in the Gulf region last week.

The dust storm that originated in the Gulf region on April 1 crossed the Arabian Sea on Sunday which has disturbed the air quality in Delhi, which was categorised as “good” by System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) last week.

The United States Embassy and Consulates’ Air Quality Monitor ranked Mumbai city under the ‘very unhealthy’ Air quality Index (AQI) on Saturday. AQI for particulate matter (PM 2.5) in Bandra area was calculated to be 218, which indicates, ‘significant increase in respiratory effects in general population.’

In Kolkata, the skies are polluted as well as the poisoned air is sending the city hurtling towards a health disaster. Experts fear that the number of cancer patients and neurological ailments will double in five years unless harmful emissions like sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides and respirable dust particles are checked immediately.

Though the government has yet to announce any major moves to tackle air pollution, policymakers have suggested restrictions on private vehicles, higher pollution-related taxes and stricter enforcement of urban planning laws.

 

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