Health min to study deaths due to pollution soon: Dave

Expressing his reservations on global reports linking deaths to air pollution, Environment Minister Anil Dave today said a study will soon be conducted by Health Ministry on the issue.
The Union minister, while iterating his views on various reports linking deaths to air pollution, asserted that a proud nation always believes in its own data.
Noting that such reports are often based on extrapolation "without" due scientific validation, Dave sought to shift the onus to state governments and local bodies, saying tackling air pollution was no "rocket science" and the states and bodies have to play a "decisive" role as the Centre can only work like a "philosopher and guide" to them.

"For sometime now, various reports have come on air quality. There is a speciality in India. We are less influenced by things which are Indian and are influenced by those things coming from outside. There are many serious institutions in India, NGOs, government organisations which do research on this issue.
"And proud country always trusts in its own data and takes action on that. (Tackling) air quality is not a rocket science. What state governments and local bodies have to do, they have been told a number of times. In the future as well they will be told. They just have to work on four or five points," Dave told reporters here.

The remarks come after a recent study, 'State of Global Air 2017', stated that surpassing China, India now accounts for the maximum number of premature deaths from air pollution in the world.

The Lancet, a UK medical journal in its recent study had also said that the air Indians breathe is turning more toxic by the day and an average of two deaths take place daily due to air pollution.
In a federal structure like this, the Environment Ministry regularly asks state governments and local bodies to take appropriate measures, he said.
"Whatever report comes, we need to trust data from India. We believe in our institutions," he said adding, "I am that much certain (on Indian institutes) as much as the country is certain on the Indian army," he said.

Dave said that Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute had earlier conducted a study which concluded that air pollution aggravates certain diseases but this is not the only reason behind diseases or mortality.
"A study is being done by the Indian Health Ministry and its report is awaited. As soon as it comes we will provide it to you. Neither we are saying those (global) studies are correct or they are incorrect.
The Environment Ministry said that the (global) reports
are often based on extrapolations without due scientific validation and there is a need for caution before arriving at a conclusion.
It is working with the Health Ministry to assess the trends and impact in this regard, a release said.

'State of Global Air 2017' had stated that India's lives lost to the tiny particulate matter is "approaching" China's numbers and that among the 10 most populous countries and the European Union (EU), Bangladesh and India have the highest exposure to PM2.5, the "steepest" rise since 2010.
The study was designed by Health Effects Institute in cooperation with the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington and University of British Columbia.
"In terms of facts, data is in front of us. The need is to take steps on that. Within our boundaries and within the federal structure, whatever we (Ministry) can do we will do.

"In terms of talking to the Chief Ministers and Mayors regarding the issue, we will do that as well. We cannot lag behind. We have to do it. But we have pay attention that we are in a federal structure," Dave said, admitting that there were no good air days last year.
Dave pointed out that 20 per cent of the air pollution comes from dust on roads and is a major reason for PM 2.5 levels which meant that roads need to be cleaned. Another 20 per cent contribution is done by vehicular emissions, the minister said.
"There is a necessity to make strict rules for diesel and old cars and implement it. These have to be done by local bodies. It is not that only that Delhi has a problem of air pollution.

"In various cities of the country, almost all the capitals, monitoring is done. Since Delhi's air condition becomes worse, we see it more. But the same experience is there in Patna, Bhuvaneshwar, Mumbai -- their health is affected in a similar way," he said.
Dave also noted that 20 per cent contribution to the bad air is made by industries, generator sets and stubble burning and stressed the need for a disciplined effort on the part of local bodies to act on that, saying merely holding meetings will not bring out solutions.
He blamed construction activites for aggravating air pollution and said if these local bodies follow these four to five things, air pollution could be checked and situations like city turning into a gas chamber could be prevented and so many deaths would not occur.

"There is no need to do a lot if state governments and local bodies work on these five things. If they are successful, state governments can control air pollution. Trust data from own country. There are able institutions.
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Dave said there is a need to exercise a caution in the interpretation of these studies while asserting that the government was taking all the necessary steps to mitigate the air pollution.
The Ministry also gave a list of 94 cities which fell into non-attainment cities with respect to ambient air quality between 2011 and 2015 which included Guntur, Krunool, Delhi, Chandigarh, Bhillai, Surat, Dhanbad, Bhopal and others.

Asked why the Ministry was not delaying thermal power projects as they also give rise to air pollution, officials said that the plants follow certain standards which are laid down and there is a continuous monitoring system.
The moment they exceed a certain parameter in emission, they are notified. If action is not taken, it might lead to closure. The standards have been amended in 2015, he said.
Officials said that a 42-point guideline has also been given to the states to tackle the air pollution.
Environment Secretary A N Jha said a central monitoring committee, headed by him and chief secretaries of various states have been formed and the government has also notified the Graded Action Plan which is being implemented by the Supreme Court appointed EPCA.

In a press statement, the Ministry said that the government is closely monitoring the trend of various air pollutants across the country under the National Air Quality Monitoring Programme.
The Monitoring network comprises manual stations spread over 300 cities in 29 states and 6 Union territories.
Apart from manual stations, there are 54 Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations that cover 33 cities in 12 states, it said.
The result of the monitoring shows that, while the levels of Particulate Matters have a fluctuating trend, the value of SO2 is generally within permissible limits, while the value of NO2 is fluctuating and slightly above the permissible limits, it said.