Air pollution kills 50,000 every year in Gujarat

AHMEDABAD: Emphasizing the gravity of the air pollution problem, Adarsh Kumar Goel, chairperson of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), said that some 50,000 people in Gujarat die every year due to air pollution. Goel was the chief guest at ‘Beat Air Pollution’, an event organized by the state government for World Environment Day.
The seriousness of air pollution being a problem is not debatable, said the NGT chairperson. Goel added, “Some 102 cities in India are declared to be non-attainable, based on online monitoring of important parameters by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the government of India. This means that in the last five years, the air pollution in these cities has never been on average below the acceptable limits.”

Poor compliance with waste management regulations is a key reason for air pollution according to the NGT chairperson. “I am sorry to tell you that no state in the entire country is compliant with waste management rules and regulations. No shortage of funds can be grounds for this. There are garbage dumps everywhere, including in Ahmedabad. Irrespective of the great things done, unless the state is made compliant with the environment, it will remain a challenge,” said Goel. “Pollution is no less an offence than murder.,” he added.