There is no silver bullet to fight air pollution

The Economic Times , Friday, November 04, 2016
Correspondent :
As people inhale pollution rather than air in the national capital region, it is time to revisit the sufficiency and efficacy of administrative mechanisms and pollution abatement interventions. While it is important to impress on people the need to drastically cut down on Diwali firecrackers, there is a need to move away from an approach that focuses on a single polluting source. Satellite pictures reveal that crop burning in adjoining states is the major driver of the drastic drop in air quality in the national capital region. Large-scale trash-burning across the city is another factor.

Firecrackers burst during Diwali tipped the scale. Yet, the focus of the pre-Diwali anti-pollution drive was solely on firecrackers. This approach has to change. Pollution is not a single-source problem. Nor is the contribution of each source to pollution the same through the year. Institutionalising seasonal and regular pollution apportionment studies, conducted by qualified institutions, should become a priority. More data will enable designing better solutions and result in innovation and policies that would minimise the production of pollutants. Improving air quality cannot be the responsibility of any single government or authority, nor can efforts to address air pollution be limited to one geographical or administrative jurisdiction.

The central government together with states, local authorities and all relevant agencies have to work together. The citizenry must mobilise itself to spot and check the burning of trash, for example. Improving air quality cannot be a sporadic activity, triggered by a spike in the level of pollutants. Combating pollution calls for continuous effort, backed with strong environment regulation and adoption of practices that curb pollution at source. Conscious citizen action is a must.

 
SOURCE : http://blogs.economictimes.indiatimes.com/et-editorials/there-is-no-silver-bullet-to-fight-air-pollution/
 


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