AAP: First national test!

By S Mukhtar. Dated: 2/25/2015 1:06:35 AM

"Uncle."
"Yes son."
"Is Delhi the most polluted city of the world?"
"Dear; not the most polluted, Delhi is one of the world's most polluted cities. The World Health Organisation (WHO) says 13 of the 20 most polluted cities in the world are in India, and Delhi is the worst among them."
"Uncle: consequences?"
"Oh disastrous! The WHO holds that India's high air pollution alone reduces most Indians' lives by over 3 years. A recent study by the universities of Chicago and Harvard and Yale, published in this week's Economic & Political Weekly, says that 660 million Indians, comes to more than one-half of the country's population, live in particulate matter air pollution above Indian standards. That very study concludes that, if that pollution were not there, those 660 million people would gain about 3.2 years onto their lives each. And that would mean 2.1 billion life years saved! 'The loss of more than two billion life years is a substantial price to pay for air pollution,' said Rohini Pande, Director of Evidence for Policy Design at the Harvard Kennedy School."
"Uncle: Disaster, Disaster…!"
"Some other studies reveal that, throughout the world, India has the highest rate of death caused by chronic respiratory diseases; India's air pollution gives almost all many sick days, raises health care expenses, markedly reduces productivity at work, and all this retards her overall growth."
"Uncle, any findings by Indian scientists…or they are not live to it?"
"No, very much live. February 2015, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) well monitored air pollution levels in the Metro, autos, buses, etc. And then said CSE's Executive Director (Research) Ms Anumita Roychowdhury: 'It is ironical that our public transport users, a majority in the city, who are part of the solution to the dangerous air pollution problem, are themselves vulnerable and victims of this highly toxic risk. This risk can be reduced only if a stringent clean air action plan is implemented in a time-bound manner.' Then echoed the CSE Director General Sunita Narain: 'As the overall air quality of Delhi worsens, our exposure to toxic air increases several-fold.'"
"Uncle, is any way out now?"
"Yes, certainly it is in India's power to change all this, in cost effective ways. Some eminent environmentalists already have offered three policy solutions. The initial step they are all agreed is to fully expand the monitoring efforts that take full advantage of the new technology."
"Great Uncle, whose business that?"
"O well asked, dear. And listen: '…The new Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has taken on the reins in Delhi. We expect it to now lay down the priority action to control air pollution and protect public health in the city (Delhi).'"
"But who said that?"
"CSE Director General Sunita Narain himself."
"Uncle, first national test for the AAP! Great ground! Let us watch how they tread!"
"All must. And will."

 

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