EDITORIAL ANALYSIS !! 04 DECEMBER 2019 !! { Air Pollution as Public Health Emergency }

TO REGISTER FOR UPSC CSE MAINS 2019 MOCK TEST SERIES CLICK THE LINK BELOW http://mocktest.aptiplus.in/indexpage... FOR ANSWER WRITING CHALLENGE CLICK THE LINK BELOW https://iasgyan.in/answer.php ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TELEGRAM CHANNEL - https://t.me/joinchat/AAAAAFYrI5kpQsE... INSTAGRAM -   / iasgyan1   TWITTER -   / iasgyan1   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ANSWER Q.1 - C Q.2 - D ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Air Pollution as Public Health Emergency Air pollution has one of the most important and serious a public health emergency. Reflecting the seriousness of the issue, both Houses of Parliament is deliberating on air quality and climate change. Most polluted Indian cities As per the World Health Organisation, 14 of the 15 most polluted cities in the world are in India. Most of the stated are aligned in the Indo-Gangetic Plain — in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab and Haryana. Centre for Science and Environment report Air pollution is the third-highest cause of death among all health risks. According to the Centre for Science and Environment report “At the crossroad” has said that Life expectancy in India has gone down by 2.6 years due to deadly diseases caused by air pollution. According to the reports, 99% of children born under 5 are exposed to dangerous levels of PM2.5 . The reports finds that air pollution kills an average 8.5 out of every 10,000 children in India before they turn 5. A lesson to be learnt from China Many cities in the world have experienced high pollution levels, and have made substantial progress with sustained effort. Beijing has adopted an intensive air pollution control strategy in 2013. In 2017, it was found that the levels of dangerous fine particulate matter (PM2.5) had reduced by 35 per cent. As per a report by Climate and Clean Air Coalition, “most of this reduction came from measures to control coal-fired boilers, providing cleaner domestic fuels and industrial restructuring”. National Clean Air Programme In January 2019, the Union government launched the National Clean Air Programme. PICCCC Funding issues with NCAP The most confusing part of NCAP is the absence of a robust fiscal and funding strategy. The financial outlay of Rs 300 crore is being earmarked for the program. NCAP cannot be sustainable nor can it make a difference on a longer-term basis if it does not have a clear fiscal strategy. It is also not clear if the proposed allocation is a one-time exercise or a continuous support. Why Supreme Court need to poke government Every year country witness toxic air quality in Delhi - NCR and adjoining states. The Supreme Court with a proactive role has always been instructions Union or state governments to take necessary. This is only because the incumbent government did not take adequate steps. The legislature operating is not sufficient to meet the required results. Need to strengthen the Air Act The government needs to revamp and strengthen the Air Act of 1981. The Act should better reflect the impact of air pollution on public health and empower pollution control agencies with more power and resources. There is a need to create a new standing committee for air pollution and climate change to facilitate regular parliamentary oversight on policy efforts. Way forward Tackling air pollution requires a holistic approach. Many cities in the world have experienced high pollution levels, and have made substantial progress with sustained effort. If Beijing and other cities across the world affected by pollution can make such progress, why can India control the air pollution.