What is the gravity of the problem ?
Outdoor air pollution has become the fifth largest killer in India after high blood pressure, indoor air pollution, tobacco smoking, and poor nutrition, says a new set of findings of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) report. The report says that about 620,000 premature deaths occur in India from air pollution-related diseases each year. This is up from 100,000 in 2000—a six-fold increase.
What could be the impact ?
There is hard evidence now to act urgently to reduce the public health risks to all, particularly children, elderly, and poor. No one can escape toxic air. India will have to take aggressive action to reverse the trend of short-term respiratory and cardiac effects as well as long-term cancer and other metabolic and cellular effects.
What India needs to do ?
1. Make National Ambient Air Quality Standards legally binding in all regions. The national air quality planning and city action plans need a roadmap for each source of pollution and aggressive measures. Penalty should be imposed on cities if air quality standards are violated.
2. Prepare stringent vehicle technology and fuel quality roadmap, encourage in-use vehicle management. The terms of reference of the new committee that has been set up to propose the next Auto Fuel Policy Roadmap does not even include public health in its agenda. Make urgent timelines for Euro V and Euro VI emissions standards. Contain dieselization.
3. Control and cut increase in vehicle numbers by scaling up public transport, non-motorised transport, compact city planning and car restraint measures.
4. Strengthen implementation plans for critically polluted notified areas Account for health cost in decision making. Valuation of acute and chronic illnesses must be linked to decision on air pollution control measures.
5. Put in place a public information system on daily air quality with health advisories and implement smog alert and pollution emergencies measures.
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