THE GIST of Editorial for UPSC Exams : 04 November 2019 (Let’s clear the air (Indian Express))

Let’s clear the air (Indian Express)

Mains Paper 2: Health
Prelims level : Pollution
Mains level : Impact of air pollution on health

Context

Delhi’s Air Quality Index crosses 500, the national capital has officially entered the public health emergency category.
Schools have been shut, children are complaining of breathing problems.
This forms the basis of the need for amending the 1981 Air Act and making it more compatible with contemporary India.

Impact of air pollution

Air pollution in India is not simply an environmental problem, but a major public health concern.
It impacts all those breathing in the polluted air — children, the elderly, women and men alike.
Recently, the Centre for Science and Environment reported that air pollution kills an average 8.5 out of every 10,000 children in India before they turn five.
Similarly, the WHO in 2016 reported that pollution has led to the deaths of over 1 lakh children in India.
Overall, several internationally acclaimed studies have affirmed that life expectancy in India has declined anywhere between two to three years.

Statistics of air pollution worldwide comparing with India

According to Greenpeace, 22 of the world’s 30 most polluted cities are in India and Delhi has yet again bagged the position of the world’s most polluted capital.
These are grim figures, especially when compared to India’s neighbours: Five in China, two in Pakistan and one in Bangladesh.
In 2018, India was placed in the bottom five countries on the Environmental Performance Index, ranking 177th out of 180 countries, along with Bangladesh, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Nepal.
The Indian government needs to identify the tangible benefits that concrete legislation on air pollution has brought across the world. In the United States, the Clean Air Act has proven that public health and economic progress can go together.
The aggregate national emissions of the six common pollutants in the USA dropped an average of 73 per cent from 1970 to 2017.
Through one piece of legislation, the US has challenged multiple sources of pollution, airborne or motor vehicle-led. Similarly, after declaring a war on pollution, Chinese cities reduced particulate concentration by 32 per cent in 2018.
In a country with a human power and technical know-how like India, achieving a better feat is not impossible.

Condition of air quality in Delhi

The toxic air and the lax liability system, young children’s health and quality of life are being significantly affected.
Currently, breathing in Delhi’s air is similar to smoking 22 cigarettes in a day. One can only imagine the impact on the lungs of our children.
There is a deafening silence at the helm of policymaking because it has not become an electoral priority for political leaders.
Besides a few underfunded programmes, the government shows no willingness to bring a bill or law compelling central and state governments to ensure that its citizens are breathing clean air.

Steps needed to be taken by the government

It is essential to retrace our steps back to the Air Act of 1981 that governs our pollution control system.
There is unanimous consensus amongst many court rulings, Parliament Committee reports, media investigations, and several environmentalists that under the 1981 Air Act, the Pollution Control Boards are presently unable to fulfil their mandate as watchdogs against polluting industries.
A new bill will plug many loopholes in the 1981 Act and would align the functions and priorities of the Pollution Boards towards reducing the adverse impact of pollution on human health in India.
Accountability and deterrence are essential in making sure industries comply with emission standards. While the boards cannot levy penalties, in the new law they should be empowered to encash environmental compensations from polluting industries to make up for the cost of mitigating the damage the violating industry has caused.
This possibility of paying compensation would be a strong reinforcement for industries to adopt cleaner technologies and comply with standards.
In a federal set-up, the Centre and states must work in synergy to ensure that targets set for the country and states are fulfilled.
Therefore, the new law must push Central and state boards to convene joint sittings with a multi-sectoral participation from ministries such as housing, urban development, agriculture and road transport.
Air pollution is not, and has never been, a problem with a single solution.
It is caused by emissions from vehicles, industries and agriculture, construction dust, and other factors related to household consumption and municipal planning.

Way ahead

Therefore, the new law on air pollution must give an additional mandate to either a senior minister, such as the minister of environment, forest and climate or the prime minister’s office needs to be involved directly.
Greater public transparency is essential to the success of winning the war on air pollution. There is no better watchdog than active citizens, which is why the pollution targets must be made public every year for their perusal and to be evaluated at the end of the year.
To incentivise the industries to better themselves through environmental compensations, the industries and their respective state boards must be ranked in order of their efficiency and programme delivery.

Conclusion

Breathing clean air is the fundamental right of every Indian citizen. Human health must become a priority when it comes to legislating on air pollution.
As 2019 nears its end, and the season of smog begins, there is an urgent need for India to be a pollution free nation.
Pollution control boards must be empowered sufficiently to ensure that pollution does not take more lives or hinders the overall progress of India.
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Prelims Questions:

Q.1) The headquarters of GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Sustainable Development is located at:
a. Kosi-Katarmal (Uttarakhand)
b. Kullu (Himachal Pradesh)
c. Srinagar (Uttarakhand)
d. Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh)