Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Anil Dave is in denial mode. On Tuesday, he came down heavily on the studies done by international agencies and institutes which have highlighted the health hazards caused by air pollution in India.
While not naming the studies, he said Indians have a tendency to be impressed by foreign data and not consider the data generated by the institutes in the country. Recent studies have shown that air pollution in India is the cause for 1.1 million premature deaths in the country. While the minister refuted these figures, he was unable to provide the authentic Indian data, saying the Ministry of Health was in the process of compiling it. All that he was able to provide was a study by the Chittranjan Institute in Kolkata, which according to him, says, “Air pollution aggravates health conditions and increases chances of death, it is not directly the cause of death.''
Dave also washed his hands off the responsibility of curbing air pollution, saying this was the task of the local municipal bodies, and in the federal structure, his ministry's role was just that of a mentor and guide. “Understanding air pollution is no rocket science... All you have to understand is that the main causes of air pollution are road dust, vehicular emission, biomass burning, industrial discharge, generator sets and construction and demolition works. If these issues are addressed, there will not be any problem at all,'' he said, adding that ministry had recently provided a 42-point set of guidelines to local bodies, but it was their duty to implement them.
“India is not the only country grappling with bad air. Recently, a delegation from European Union told me about their problems. I told them their issues are different from ours,'' the minister said.
Incidentally, after the smog in Delhi last November, the government set up a centralised monitoring agency between centre and states. “We are monitoring responses on a regular basis,'' said an official.
