Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Improve air quality' that was published in Newsband

Improve air quality

Indian government should do something drastic to improve air quality in our country. Dust, caused by a wide range of natural and man-made activities, can have a deeply damaging impact on the respiratory tract. But at the levels at which they are being experienced, gaseous pollutants have equally detrimental effects. The government’s own website is clearly showing that a number of Indian cities are experiencing what should be health emergencies on a daily basis.

Local governments must clamp down on the specific pollutants that are pushing their respective cities into the danger zone, whether it means moving polluting industries outside city limits or curbing the number of private vehicles by making available better public transport systems. They must also make it a habit to monitor pollution levels more closely. The Union government, meanwhile, must come out with an action plan for ‘severe’, ‘very poor’ and ‘poor’ air quality regions.

In cognisance with the spirit of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan it's essential for all of us to realize that it is high time to change our lifestyle. Otherwise, the dire consequences will not only harm us but our future generations as well. As an informed citizenry, we should not be waiting for the state to take actions via their policies and start working towards a greener and a cleaner country

We can fast track the metro work and get it available to maximum public and also bring in some electric autos for commuting from metro stations to people's places. The day when metro and only metro will become the mode of the transportation for general public the pollution will come down. Metros can be a great way of connectivity. It can be run in the city as well as places outside the city.

The rising level of pollution in cities is largely proportional to government's policies of transport as well on policing system. Even in metros we do not have proper connectivity of public transports. Neither we have the transportation for late hours nor do we have any security on the roads. So in the process of making a safe and comfortable journey people of all ages and economy group are now using their own vehicles. This not only creates traffic but also impose a heavy health hazard. With the increasing number of commuters there is also an increase in number of personal vehicles. Personal as well as public goods vehicles together are making a great contribution in life threatening gasses in environment.

The quality of air that we breathe in the city and suburbs is largely controlled by the transports on the road. There seem to be no regulation on the exhaust quality of these vehicles. The buses that ply in the towns and villages are of the worst quality. To the extent the state implemented the helmet rule, it should also look into the exhaust quality of the public transport. The silence of environmental activists is equally worrisome.

Clean air is very much a part of our dream of Clean India. Monitoring of the air quality, national index based on data collected and color coded indexes to create awareness are steps towards recognizing the problem. However, what needs to be done is much more. Steps towards reducing pollution at individual, family and community levels have to be taken along with policy measures by government.