Online campaign seeks health warnings on ‘bad air’ days

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, September 7

In a first-of-its-kind campaign, citizens concerned and social organisations across Punjab have demanded that Urban Local Bodies (ULB) mandatorily issue timely health advisories publicly to alert citizens on ‘bad air’ days, which will help save vulnerable groups from severe health impacts of air pollution.

The joint call comes from non-attainment cities, including Ludhiana, Amritsar, Khanna and Patiala, reeling under poor air quality.

Bad air days are when the air quality index (AQI) — pollutant measuring indicator — rises beyond the safe limit for any location falling either under the poor, very poor or hazardous AQI levels.

The online campaign was launched on Tuesday to mark the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies. In its second year since its inception, the theme for 2021 is ‘Healthy Air, Healthy Planet’, which emphasises the health aspects of air pollution, especially considering the Covid pandemic.

Punjab has a total of nine non-attainment/ million-plus cities under the National Clean Air Action Plan (NCAP). A non-attainment city is one that does not meet the prescribed air quality standards set by the Union Environment Ministry.

Supreet Kaur, president of the EcoSikh India and member of the Punjab Clean Air Collective, a collaborative network of citizens’ organisations, institutions working towards the common objective of clean air, said this was a pan India citizen-led online campaign. “Breathing in pollution-free air is a fundamental right for all. Through this campaign, we want to intensify the need to breathe clean air. We want the citizens to be well informed so as to take necessary actions to safeguard the lives of all. We urge everyone, be it children, youth or elders, to support this cause,” she said.

She added that as part of the campaign, citizen groups across all non-attainment cities in Punjab will also plan and meet their respective Municipal Commissioners and submit a letter stating the demand of health advisory when air quality deteriorates,” said Supreet.

The online petition is also being shared widely on social media and WhatsApp groups across Punjab and is evoking positive response.

Ludhiana-based senior scientist Dr Prabhjot Kaur, who is the Head of the Climate Change Department of Punjab Agricultural University, said, “Punjab with nearly 83 per cent area under crop cultivation is predominantly a green state. “Despite this fact, the AQI of Punjab in May 2021 ranged from 68 to 220, which indicates that the air quality ranged in the poor to very poor category. This continued even during the lockdown period despite reduced vehicular and industrial pollution, which highlights that we need to explore the possible reasons for the poor AQI in Punjab,” she added.

KS Pannu, former IAS and Adviser, NHAI, Punjab, said, “Ludhiana is home to 30 lakh people who unfortunately have to constantly suffer from pollution in the air. One of the measures that were decided by the Centre and state was to introduce cleaner fuel of CNG, which Ludhiana missed due to some nagging litigation with the supplier company. “The state government should take proactive steps to bring in CNG at the earliest. State, society and NGOs should work in tandem to encourage electric three-wheelers in the city. Moreover, the issue of burning paddy straw in the winter months must be solved to ensure cleaner air for citizens,” he asserted.

Divya Narayanan, who has created a portal for the citizens’ campaign, said the pandemic had forced all to seek out as much information as possible to safeguard health against the virus. “In the same manner, we must realise that we need to demand more information to be made widely available about the air we breathe, and its effects on our health. It’s all the more important now in light of Covid that we have information widely made available to us so we can make learned choices for our health on bad air days,” she added.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.