Question : STUDY ON AIR QUALITY

(a) whether a new study conducted by the Energy Policy Institute at Chicago has concluded that as many as 660 million people or half of India`s population could add 3.2 years to their lifespan if air quality meet the international safe standard;

(b) if so, the details thereof along with the steps taken by the Government to review the existing mechanism for controlling air pollution;

(c) whether the Government proposes to increase real time air quality monitoring stations as has been done in Beijing by China and evolve market based mechanisms for environmental regulation like the emission trading system to improve the air quality and increase the lifespan; and

(d) if so, the details thereof and the steps being taken in this regard?

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE. ( SHRI PRAKASH JAVADEKAR)

(a) to (d). An article ‘Lower Pollution, Longer lives’ has been published in the Economics & Political weekly in February 21, 2015, Volume 8. Figure quoted in the article are mere estimates and no field study has been undertaken.

As per Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), air pollution may aggravate respiratory ailments and cardiovascular diseases but it is not the only reason. A range of urban health hazards and associated health risk are known like sub-standard housing, crowding, insufficient or contaminated drinking water, inadequate sanitation and solid waste disposal service, vector born diseases, industrial waste, increased motor vehicles traffic, air pollution etc.

A total of 19 real-time air monitoring stations are being operated by the Central Pollution Control Board (05), Delhi Pollution Control Committee (06) and Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (08) in NCT Delhi and presently additional stations are not required. The Government has taken various measures to contain air pollution in the country, which interalia include, supply of cleaner fuels as per Auto Fuel Policy, use of gaseous fuel for public transport, pollution under control (PUC) certificate system for in-use vehicles, stringent source specific emission standards and their compliance, use of beneficiated coal in thermal power plants, strengthening public transport, expansion of metro train system, implementation of revised emission norms for gensets, cement plants, etc