Foreign studies on deaths due to pollution not correct: Govt

Studies conducted abroad regarding deaths in India due to pollution are based on extrapolated data and are thus not correct, the government told the Rajya Sabha today.
No study has been conducted in India on the issue, said HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar while replying to questions on behalf of Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave.
Javadekar said such assessments will be conducted in the country henceforth.
The former Environment Minister said there are various reasons for air pollution and vehicular pollution accounts for only 20 to 25 per cent of the total air pollution.
Various steps have been taken by the government to ensure that air pollution levels are brought down as well as ensuring that vehicular pollution is brought down, he said.

Javadekar said time has come when checks are to be imposed on the mechanism for issuing "pollution under control" certificates so that no wrong certificates are issued.

He said there are 800 such pollution centres in Delhi and they are now being put on a central server whereby any irregularites will come to light.
"Now pollution emanating from such vehicles with remote censor can also be checked and such new technology is being put to use in the country," he said.
"We are monitoring the situation on a regular basis," the Minister said.
The Minister also said that the contribution of vehiclar emissions to SOx levels in not very significant. "In respect of NOx, vehicular emissions contribute nearly one-third of the overall emissions of NOx," Environment Minister Dave said in his written reply.