Everyday, we hear about the problems of air pollution in India. Though we all know India’s air pollution is getting worst day by day, we still don’t start doing something with a commitment which will help reduce air pollution.
India As One of The Most Polluted Countries in the World
Knowing the facts and situation, we are still ignoring the situation which will affect and harm the country’s environment badly in near future. Among the top most polluted cities around the world, the majorities of the cities are from India. The country’s air quality becomes more toxic and harmful. According to the report 2017, there was 1.2 Millions deaths in India due to air pollution related diseases. Air pollution in India seems no improvement since many years.
Top 10 World Most Air Polluted Cities 2018
| Rank | City | Avg. PM2.5 |
| 1 | Gurgaon, India | 135.8 |
| 2 | Ghaziabad, India | 135.2 |
| 3 | Faisalabad, Pakistan | 130.4 |
| 4 | Faridabad, India | 129.1 |
| 5 | Bhiwadi, India | 125.4 |
| 6 | Noida, India | 123.6 |
| 7 | Patna, India | 119.7 |
| 8 | Hotan, China | 116 |
| 9 | Lucknow, India | 115.7 |
| 10 | Lahore, Pakistan | 114.9 |
How Other Countries Are Fighting For Air Pollution?
Countries around the world are also facing the same problem of air pollution. But some countries have already started initiating to reduce air pollution.
1. Paris, France
In Paris, there was a campaign called “Paris Breathes”. The campaign was launched in May 2016 in order to reverse the air pollution caused by high volume cars by instituting one CAR-FREE day every month in many neighborhoods. 40% of nitrogen dioxide level dropped in some parts of Paris on other day of the campaign. It went successfully and helped improve poor air quality in the city.
2. Washington, D.C.
It became the first U.S. city to join the BreatheLife movement in 2017. It is planning to cut vehicle emissions by 80 per cent before 2050.
3. Vancouver, Canada
It became the first Canadian city to joined BreatheLife in 2018. It has also entered the race to become world’s “greenest city.”
4. London, United Kingdom
London, as one of the most polluted cities in Europe, has imposed a “toxic charge” of 10 pounds daily to drivers to enter central London since 2003, except the electric and low-emissions vehicles.
5. China
By enacting a Clean Air Action Plan in China, the PM2.5 level has been managed to reduce. In 2013, the people of China urged the government to declare war on pollution. At the end of 2017, the Chinese government developed a “Three-year Action Plan for Winning the Blue Sky War”. The plan provides for a complete restructuring of the polluting industries by 2019.
6. Germany
In Germany, Its northern port city became the first in the country to issue a driving ban against older diesels, targeting stretches of two main roads.
7. Rome, Italy
The government officials announced to ban vehicles using diesel from the Eternal City from 2024. Fashion and finance hub Milan, meanwhile plans to have “all-electric” status by 2030, shutting out internal combustion engines altogether.
8. Madrid, Spain
Diesel vehicles built before 2006 were not allowed to enter from the streets of Madrid from November, 2018 with a more forgiving date of 2000 for petrol cars. The measures affecting up to 20 percent of vehicles registered in the city are expected to reduce nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions by 40 percent.
Why Are We Ignoring Air Pollution In India ?
Around 67% of India population is in rural areas and 33% in urban areas. 80% of the households in rural areas depends on biomass like wood and cow dung for cooking and heating. Agricultural practices like burning crop stubble also remain widespread across the country. Thus, these activities contribute to pollute air quality and increase the level of pollution badly.
Recently, the government of India has unveiled a ‘National Clean Air Programme‘ to reduce 20-30% of particulate matters in next five years. However, it does not become a legally bound action plan.
In 2016, the government launched ‘Graded Response Action Plan’ (GRAP) in Delhi & National Capital Regions to control air pollution under emergency plan. The plan includes the activities like water sprinkling on the roads, sweeping roads more often, etc. However, it is a failed action plan. So, the implementation of the NCAP will be a challenge in its current scenario.
Image Source: News18
Need of A Good & Promising Action Plan
The India’s politicians are unlikely to do much effort to tackle air pollution in the country. Air pollution is an invisible killer which is killing us every day. Though the government has thoughts on the problem of air pollution, they seem very careless and unwilling to tackle the situation while implementation.
It is not a right way to wait only for the government to implement any action plan. Every individual also has the same responsibility to tackle the air pollution everyday from early morning to late midnight. We must be very aware of what we do everyday, and think of what will happen to the environment by the course of actions of us.
We need a very good and promising action plan to tackle the problems of air pollution in India. The action plan will require the commitment of support from the government and the public.
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