New Delhi� (ISJ) – As the debate over air pollution in Delhi and the ways to combat it takes centre stage, an environmental watchdog warns, the growing burden of toxicity in the environment affects us ?in ways we do not even know yet?. In her forward to the yet to be released ?Body Burden 2015: State of India?s Health, Director General of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Sunita Narain says, ?Air pollution has become one of the top 10 killers in the world?.
Consider these factors –
Indoor air pollution is the third most dangerous killer in South Asia
Outdoor air pollution is the sixth most dangerous killer in South Asia
Sunita Narain suggests ?revamping our transportation systems and forcing the industry to come up with cleaner technologies.?
Instead of addressing the root-cause of the problem, unfortunately, the Delhi government headed by Arvind Kejriwal has come up with the easiest of it all ? issued an executive order to regulate private cars on roads. �Ironically, only 25% of car owners use it regularly, while the highest contributor to air pollution in the national capital is road-dust, 50%, followed by industry. Vehicles contribute only 7% of the air pollution of the national capital.
According to the report, lifestyle and food and environmental contamination are leading to a range of deadly non-communicable diseases. Lack of awareness and regulatory mechanism ensures, food processing industry thrives in India.
?We are losing our health because of the processed food industry,? warned Sunita Narain. �?Worse, government has stopped regulating in favour of nutrition and nature.? This is at a time, governments world over are taxing junk food, banning it in schools and restricting their advertisements, she said.
Unless we act smart, health catastrophe awaits us, warned Narain. The report will be released on December 15, 2015 in New Delhi.
