A list of the 20 most polluted cities of the world on the basis of toxic air quality has been issued by World Health Organization. It is terrible to see that out of 20 cities of the world, 14 are Indian. The cities like Gwalior, Varanasi and Kanpur are in the list.
Know about the all Indian cities in the list
These cities found to have high levels of PM2.5, tiny particulate matter that reaches deep into the lungs. Apart from like Gwalior, Varanasi and Kanpur, other cities are Agra, Patna, New Delhi, Faridabad, Gaya, Muzaffarpur, Srinagar, Gurgaon, Jaipur, Patiala and Jodhpur.
What are major factors behind air pollution?
It usually occurs from particulate matter like sulphate, nitrate and black carbon. The inefficient ways of usage of energy by households, industry, agriculture and transport sectors and coal-fired power plants create air pollution.
Deadly impact of air pollution
As per the reports, nine out of 10 people breathe polluted air. This kills almost 7 million people each year in Asian countries and African countries. Various fatal diseases like heart attack, stroke and lung cancer can be attributed to air pollution.
In India, Delhi is the most venerable city. The toxic smog in Delhi forced the Indian Medical Association to declare a public health emergency, advising citizens to stay indoors, and for schools to be shut last Diwali. In fact, the levels of the most dangerous particles in the air are sometimes 10 times higher than the safe limit in New Delhi.
India’s efforts to fight this pollution
It is also stated by WHO that countries are fighting for it. It also considered India’s Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. By this scheme, almost 37 million women living below the poverty line have been supported to switch to clean household energy use within two years. They have been provided with free LPG connections.
The continuously increasing air pollution is like a threat. In January 2018, the Supreme Court has ordered the Central Government to find solutions for air pollution on a nationwide basis and not confine it to Delhi-NCR only. Even, a Comprehensive Action Plan (CAP) is designed by government in March 2018 “specifically” for Delhi-NCR.
