Air Pollution Kills Nearly 1.2 Million

With frightening rates at which air pollution is increasing in Indian Cities, lives claimed by it are also increasing.  As many as 1.2 Million deaths take place every year says a Greenpeace India report says.

Information obtained through online reports and Right to Information applications from State Pollution Control Boards across India and assessments of air quality performed in 168 Cities across 24 states and Union Territories claims that none of them comply with basic air quality standards, let alone those prescribed by World Health Organization (WHO).

Greenpeace India has developed a detailed report titled ‘Airpocalypse’ summing up their above mentioned details and other statistical data on Air Pollution.

As per the report, “Deaths due to air pollution are only a fraction less than the number of deaths caused by tobacco usage.”

The three major contributors considered during the study conducted by Greenpeace India are: Sulphur Dioxide , Nitrogen Dioxide and Particulate Matter size equal to or less than 10 micron mainly produced as by-products from the use of fossil fuels.

In event of this alarming events, Greenpeace India drew up an action plan : National Clean Air Plan for India.

This action plan mainly suggests policies demanding:

•  Set a deadline for meeting the national air quality standards, and set e.g. 5-year interim targets for reducing pollution levels in each state and city that doesn’t currently comply.
• Create a regional action plan covering the extremely highly polluted areas from Punjab to West Bengal, addressing all major air pollution emitting sectors.
• Set targets for reducing interstate pollution, including compliance plan for meeting the thermal power plant emission standards as soon as possible.
• Set up continuous air pollution monitoring in all major urban centers, at least those with 5 lakh people or more, and especially in the extremely highly polluted IGP region.

Reference Links :-

[1] Greenpeace India’s Airpocalypse Report Link- http://bit.ly/2j6A87e

[2] PM10 & Pm2.5 Facts: Visible smoke is comprised of particles of PM10 size or larger. The particles with the greatest health effects are those within the “respirable range”, that is between PM10 and PM0.1. The respirable range contains particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs and deposit there; particles smaller than PM0.1 are usually exhaled. Fine and ultra fine particles (PM2.5 and PM 0.1) are not visible to the eye (2.5 microns is approximately 1/30th the size of a human hair). For further details refer to: http://www.unep.org/tnt-unep/toolkit/pollutants/facts.html

[3] World Bank Report- http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/220721468268504319/pdf/700040v10ESW0P0box0374379B00PUBLIC0.pdf

[4] 1.6 Million more people die due to air pollution in India and China; Greenpeace India:  http://bit.ly/2ggfzAv