Cooperate with local govt to curb the problem

How can the city deal with air pollution & its deleterious impact

Almost every city is shrouded with air pollution today. It causes irreparable damage to crops, animals, forests and human beings. The most harmful effect of air pollution is the depletion of ozone layer, which protects the earth from the Ultraviolet rays. It also causes acid rain. People, especially the elderly and the young ones are the most affected by the exposure to the polluted air. Several short-term health effects include irritation in eye, nose, and throat, headaches and allergic reaction. Various long-term health effects are brain damage, heart disease, and respiratory disease. Maximising the use of public transport and going for car pooling can also go a long way in curtailing the pollution. Steps such as regular car maintenance, engine tune ups, making a point to replace the car’s air filter and oiling on a regular basis can also mitigate air pollution. If everybody does the small things to reduce air pollution, the environment would benefit collectively.

Manpriya Kaur

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Need to find viable solution for stubble burning

The main causes of the depleting air quality are increasing number of vehicles, stubble burning and hazardous fumes released by industries. Government should formulate stringent laws on air pollution check. For vehicles, pollution certificate should be issued after conducting proper checking of vehicles. The state government should also spare a thought for the odd-even system of road space rationing. Defaulters should be heavily fined. As far as stubble burning is concerned, government should make proper arrangements of its disposal without affecting farmers economically. Factories should follow the rules of Factories Act 1948 related to disposal of hazardous gas, dust and fumes because now a days, we are witnessing smog and gone are the days of fog.

Ritu Priya

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Pitch in with the govt for pollution control

Among other types of pollutions in India, air pollution is considered to be the worst. The biggest cause of air pollution is vehicles, industrial emissions, thermal power plants, construction dust, waste burning and millions of poor households which are bound to use cheap and dirty fuels such as wood and cow dung for cooking. There may be so many diseases which are due to air pollution such as infection, respiratory problem chronic obstructive lung disease, and heart attack, stroke, and diabetes and lung cancer. To get the rid of air pollution and its various problems we should make use of public transport, eliminate wood fire and use of stoves. We must avoid burning leaves, trash and other materials and also avoid using gas powered lawn and garden equipment. Government must ration the traffic and increase green cover alongside roads. Municipal Corporation must sprinkle water on trees alongside the roads and avoid vacuum cleaning of roads. We should avoid throwing wastes in rivers. Above all we all must co-operate with the local government to curb the problem of air pollution by planting more and more trees in our surroundings.

Farzana Khan

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Celebrating festivals the eco-friendly way

Air pollution in the city has become worse over the years. This has resulted in various health problems such as asthma and lung congestion. The vehicles which are polluting environment must also be banned. Auto rickshaws and other modes of transport must be replaced with electric vehicles such as e-rickshaws. Similarly, public should use public transportation system to commute from one to another place. Out-dated vehicles must be disposed off. Each factory must follow the rules and regulations of the NGT Board. The factories which produce smoke must be banned. We should celebrate festivals in an eco-friendly manner. We must educate our children to avoid crackers and go for traditional lighting. Government should formulate such types of polices which should be applicable to each and every religion to celebrate festivals at a common place which must be reserved only to celebrate festivals. There must be monitoring agency to perform all rituals and traditions related to particular festival. We all must co-operate to restore and to protect our environment.

Dr Mohd Saleem Farooqui

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Remove industries from residential areas

Air quality in Ludhiana has been depleting day in and day out. We cannot blame a single factor for it. Multiple factors are at work. Rising traffic in Ludhiana is the main culprit. There has been a manifold increase in the number of vehicles registered in the city. Diesel vehicles cause more harm to the environment. An effective public transport system is the need of the hour, which will not only decrease the pressure of vehicles on roads, but also help in reducing pollution. Though a majority of factories have been shifted outside the city, even then there are many small firms which run their business illegally in the heart of the city. The increasing population is already a national issue. With increasing population, the use of air conditioners and refrigerators is on the rise. These AC’s and refrigerators emit chloroflorocarbons (CFC) which are very dangerous for the ozone layer. So, all these factors work together to deteriorate the air quality in Ludhiana. It is high time concrete steps be taken to curb air pollution.

Bir Devinder Singh Bedi

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Use public transport

Air pollution is a threat to living beings. It can even lead to permanent heart damage. High vehicular emission, unregulated construction, burning of leaves, trash and crop stubble on farmlands are some of the human activities which deplete the filtering capacity of the environment. Carpooling, optimum use of public transportation, cycling and walking are some of the healthy practices that can minimise the toxins released in the air. Vehicular emission can be checked by following the manufacturer’s instructions for routine maintenance, such as smoke emission, changing the oil and filters, checking tire pressure and wheel alignment.

Ravi Chander Garg

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Make public transport more effective

There is a need to reduce pollution in our city as it has disastrous impact on many lives. There are various ways to reduce air pollution and one of it is making public transport effective. The government should encourage people to use public transport such as metro, buses, rail services so as to reduce the vehicle emission. It is not only convenient but also a safe mode of transport. It will reduce the traffic congestion on the roads and also reduce the risk of accidents. People using their own vehicles must prefer to use CNG in their vehicle as it causes less pollution and is more eco friendly. It will help reduce smog and is also a friendly mode of getting around.

Aman Preet Kaur

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Explore alternative methods to curb pollution

Air pollution occurs when harmful or excessive quantities of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, particulate matter and biological molecules are introduced into the Earth’s atmosphere. The basic solution of air pollution is to move away from fossil fuels and replace them with alternative sources such as solar, wind and geothermal. The most specific causes of air pollution are exhaust from vehicles, industrial plants, household activities and accelerated global warming. Curbing the emissions from the vehicles and planting more and more trees and not burning the garbage can help curb air pollution.

Amarpreet Kaur

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Take a cue from Australia’s Clean Air Pact

Deteriorating air quality is an issue with which Ludhiana has been struggling for many years now. First and foremost, the local administration has to recognise the gravity of the situation and provide for financial outlay to curb rising pollution. Moreover, there is a need to create pollution control rooms and rapid response teams. Afforestation near industrial units could also be helpful. Various other alternatives such as car pooling, private vehicle rationing, smog free towers need to be explored. Besides this, burning of leaves or rubbish in the open should be made a punishable offence. Australia’s Clean Air Pact (2015) can give the policy makers some insights. We need to put in sustained and prioritised efforts as the air quality would not improve overnight.

Akash

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Problem needs universal addressal

Air pollution is the biggest problem people of the city face. Finding solutions to curb air pollution is not the responsibility of one country but for all across the world to tackle. There are many ways to reduce the air pollution. Air pollution can cause many diseases. Various techniques can be used for controlling air pollution caused by gaseous pollutants and particulate pollutants. The air pollution caused by gaseous pollutants such as hydrocarbons, sulphur dioxide, ammonia, carbon monoxide can be controlled by using methods namely combustion, absorption and adsorption.

Vanshika

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Expand green cover, focus on sustainable growth

Though cities have emerged as economic power houses due to rapid growth of industries, we have had to pay a heavy price for it. This has led to unplanned development of urban areas by large-scale felling of trees and conversion of agricultural lands into human habitations. This has affected the ecological balance. Traffic congestion, water shortage, solid waste, air, water and noise pollution are common problems in urban areas. Urban green space plays an important role in the social and natural sustainability of a city. Governing bodies should offer incentives to the public for involvement in urban greening projects. Corporate entities should be encouraged to take up greening as part of their corporate social responsibility programmes. While approving a colony, it should be mandatory to leave a green belt of four to five square kilometres between two colonies where a park or picnic spot can be built. Drives such as ‘one lakh trees in one day’ in the city and donating free saplings to the religious places, malls and business organisations or schools, should be started so as to sensitise the public. Seminars or other such programmes should be organised on regular intervals by councillors in their respective wards. Curriculum should be reframed by incorporating the importance of trees in our life. Jasdeep Kaur

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OPEN HOUSE COMMENT
No legislation will work without public support
Minna Zutshi

The vehicular pollution as well as industrial pollution, both need to be kept in check. But this is easier said than done. With the number of vehicles on road increasing every day, it is not easy to get a respite from the vehicular pollution. No government legislation can solve this problem unless the citizenry makes proactive efforts in this direction. The people have to start thinking in terms of car-pooling and also other solutions to ease the vehicular traffic pressure and the consequent air pollution. As for the industries, the government should implement the laws effectively. Under no circumstances should the industries be allowed to pollute air and water. Industry has to take responsibility for any pollutant that is released in air and/or water. Here, the principle of ‘polluter pays’ comes into the picture. According to the polluter pays principle, those who produce pollution should bear the cost of managing it so that any damage to human life ad environment may be prevented and any further deleterious impact on human, animal and aquatic lifeforms may be arrested at the earliest. In sum, effective legislation and an equally effective implementation of the legislation can help combat pollution in the industrial hub Ludhiana.

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OPEN HOUSE QUESTION

How can compliance with fire safety norms be assured in the industrial hub Ludhiana? [email protected]

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