AIR POLLUTION KILLED 116,000 BABIES BEFORE THEY ATTAINED 1 MONTH IN 2019 IN INDIA

-

 

MONOJ GOGOI


According to State of Global Air 2020, report released on 21 Oct, 2020 neonatal mortality rate has been increasing day by day for worsening air quality around the globe. Based on the findings of the report, the United States of America’s Health Effects Institute and Global Burden of Disease revealed that in India severe air pollution killed more than 116,000 infants before the attained a month in the year 2019 which is highest in number in any country in the world in the year. Low income countries continue to suffer more as newborns mortality is estimated 67,000 in Nigeria, 56,500 in Pakistan, 22,900 in Ethiopia and 12,700 in DR Congo due to exposure of contaminated air in 2019. In 2019, 476,000 newborns died worldwide the report stated.

The annual average concentration of India’s Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 recorded highest in 2019, the report revealed. Any Indian can say about worsening pollutions of Indian cities including the capital city Delhi and resulted in severe health hazards including respiratory and skin problems.

India, in recent years, is enlisted as one of the top five countries in the world. Last year India was in fifth position but this year for deteriorating air quality, it becomes the world’s second most polluted country. The average Indian loses 5.2 years due to dirty air – states Energy Policy Institute of University of Chicago’s Air Quality Life Index. It is also important to mention here that the residents of big cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai etc losing around eight years in an average from their lives but the people living in Kanpur, the most polluted city in India cut around 10 years off from their lives. But Ghaziabad was identified as the world most polluted city in the World Air Quality Report 2019 compiled by IQAir Air Visual.  Last year, according to the State of Global Air 2020, in India 167,0000 people lost lives due to exposure to poor air quality.


                                                                (Courtesy - AAP)

The contamination in air must be control and reduced to a certain level or to the level which is set by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The government of India, in 2019, launched a programme – National Clean Air Programme to cut air pollution at maximum of 30% from 102 cities by 2024.

Rapid urbanization, industrialization, vehicular emission, deforestation, stubble burning by farmers, unpaved roads, construction sites, power plants etc are the major drivers of air pollution. Recently, the Delhi government is creating awareness among the farmers by advertising that stubble burning is a serious cause of air pollution and announces that the government will turn the stubbles  into manure for farmers by using bio-decomposer at free of cost. Other measures – such as water sprinkling, permissible use of fuel in industries, ensuring use of anti-smog guns in construction sites etc.

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

RIVER BANK EROSION DISPLACES MILLIONS IN ASSAM

-
Image
MONOJ GOGOI   Massive river bank erosion in Assam has been  displacing hundreds of thousands families across the state over decades since India's Independence in 1947. In recent years,  the intensity and frequency of floods and erosion have also been increasing in the state. A photo of the IAG meeting in Lakhimpur. According to experts the behavior of rivers in Assam changed just after the Assam Earthquake of 1950 which was measured 8.7 in the Richter scale. The earthquake and the aftershock elevated the river beds of all rivers in Assam. Some rivers including  Subansiri changed channels during the earthquake. It is estimated that since 1950 about 4.27 Sq km of land has been eroded by the Brahmaputra and its tributaries in Assam. In a recent statement CK Das, former Additional Chief Secretary of the state said that the size of the land that fell in river bank erosion would be about 5000 Sq km. But it is believed that the furious fast flowing rivers eroded mass more lands displacing
Read more

Many farmers fail to harvest black lentils in Majuli, Dhemaji and Lakhimpur. Pod less plants used as fodder.

-
Image
MONOJ GOGOI  Black lentil is one of the major crops that farmers grow in the alluvial soils of Majuli, Lakhimpur and Dhemaji for additional income support and also to compensate if their main cultivation - the sali rice (plant in summer and harvest in winter) fails either due to flood or other causes. But, this harvesting season, most farmers are not harvesting black lentils as no pod found in the plants and cows are freed to eat the plants as the plants are of no use without pods.                                                                                   Photos from Majuli Ananta Hazarika of Garamur, Majuli who also works as temporary worker in district agriculture office told that it was surprising that the farmers in the entire Majuli district were highly affected by the failure of black lentil crop. In distress, farmers grazed cows in the fields of black lentils. Such information poured from all corners of the district, he added. Raj Kumar Chandi from Dhunaguri area of Lak
Read more

LOW YIELD OF BETEL NUTS HITS RURAL ECONOMY IN ASSAM THIS YEAR

-
Image
MONOJ GOGOI   It's the harvesting period of betel nut or supari (areca nut) in Assam. But the yield of betel nuts is discernibly low this year in all the districts of Assam compared to previous years.       Chandan Boro, who plucks betel nuts, with Ranjit Basumatary and Raju Basumatary in this season in various villages under Gogamukh revenue circle of Dhemaji district in Assam says that in this harvesting season of betel nuts they are not getting as much works as they did in previous years. He says in the orchards where we plucked 20 quintals last year, this year's yield in the same orchard is less than 5 quintals. In many trees not even a single nut is found and in which trees nuts are there, it's comparatively very few.    Ranjit Basumatary says we are roaming from village to village but the situation is the same. "We are shocked to see the drastic change in the crop yields", he adds.    Biren Pegu, a betel nut grower from Goroimari area under Kadam rev
Read more