Let me start with a big thank you to all our patrons and well wishers for their heartfelt support to our small Navratri Women Special Series. In keeping with the norm, we are highlighting issues on women, for women and by women. Today’s issue is perhaps not really women related but surely what every woman worries about. Yes I am talking about the scourge of Pollution. As the festival season gets underway, it gets even worse and almost everywhere you experience the telltale ever suffocating constant menace of air/water or noise pollution.

In a survey conducted by the World Health Organisation, India’s national capital Delhi was ranked as one of the dirtiest cities in the world and not just that, 13 of the 20 dirtiest cities in the world, were found in India. In fact the WHO report also revealed other distinctly disturbing developments like the highest rate of respiratory disease related deaths were recorded in India. The number is supposed to be 10 times that in Italy and 5 times of UK deaths as estimated in 2012 study. The study also revealed the respiratory disease related deaths in India also higher, nearly double of what is seen in China.

While individual groups and organisations have taken several measures like organising car pool, incentivising green initiatives and the like, constructive and diligent effort from the Govt is what the need of the hour is. As the menace of pollution increases, the Govt needs to take a tough stand on the core issues. Of course authorities can argue that Swaach Bharat Abhiyaan, The Save Ganges Initiative are all steps in that direction but as a humble citizen of this country, I feel the implementation is far weaker that what is required. It is very important that a more consistent and forceful steps are taken to formalise the implementation.

Also Govt needs to recognise the individual/group initiatives that are being taken towards controlling pollution and most importantly they need to identify the various polluting sources like cars not adhering to emission laws, outflow of water material into drinking water and innumerable such instances. The Govt though has formulated many constructive and multi-pronged measures to deal with the issue, lack of awareness, corruption and slow implementation are making the situation further worse. An urgent look on how this can be expedited is extremely important.

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