Scare in the Air

Pollution refers to the contamination of the environment through gases such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, sulfur oxide, etc. These so-called pollutants affect the environment by interfering with human health and the natural order of the ecosystem. Air pollution is one of the main types of pollution and has a major impact in many urban cities in India.

Air pollution in urban cities such as Delhi has been a problem in India for many years and continues to cause many issues for the residents in India. According to a study conducted in 2016 published in the Financial Times, at least 140 million people in India breathe air that is at least 10 times more than the World Health Organization safe limit. As a result of this, approximately 1.2 million Indians die prematurely every year according to a study published in The Lancet.

In recent years, the government has made an effort towards trying to solve this pollution crisis, but there is still much more that needs to be done. Almost 50% of the air pollution is caused by industrial pollution, and another quarter is caused by vehicles according to environmental activist, Vijaypal Baghel, as mentioned in The Indian Express. This means that in urban cities, the pollution level is significantly higher than in any rural areas around, where pollution still also comes from biomass and burning food/to stay warm.

There are many ways anyone can help reduce the air pollution in the city and even their own households. This includes things such as replacing cook stoves with clean ones, reducing diesel emission from cars by either carpooling, or using public transit, and cutting down on unnecessary burning of biomass and wood.

Students in India need to become more informed than their past generations in order to be able to help solve the ongoing crisis. Without adequate education, the cycle will only continue and minimal effort will be made to alleviate the pollution in India.