‘Silent deaths due to air pollution’, says Karnataka Health Minister

Sudhakar further said there are many ways in which citizens can contribute and make a change.

“People are dying more due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in urban areas than in rural areas. Lung infections are much higher in urban areas. Medically speaking, there are silent deaths due to air pollution. We need to have a multi-dimensional approach to address rising pollution or else future generations will curse us,” he added.

Meanwhile, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) member secretary Srinivasulu said that people would only understand the consequences of air pollution on health when it will start impacting them.

“The statistics on Air Quality Index (AQI) is just a number but for the common people to understand the ill effect of air pollution is only when they are told about the impact pollution is having on health,” he said.

Srinivasulu further said the “rising cases of bronchitis is enough for the people to understand that air pollution is a concern”.

“We are today in a state of high pollution only because of our actions. When we want to resolve issues related to the environment it is important to make the policymakers understand the benefit it would bring to the people otherwise nobody takes these issues seriously. We discuss so much on climate change etc. but till we are impacted by it we do not even want to see it as a concern,” he added.

CSTEP executive director Dr Jai Asundi on his part said air pollution and climate change are “both matters of grave concern”.

“As an organisation examining solutions using science and technology, we have taken up the challenge to look at these two ‘wicked’ problems together. We aim to explore how solutions, both technical and policy, can be integrated to make them more effective with sustainable outcomes,” he added.

CAPS chief Dr Pratima Singh said addressing the challenges of air pollution requires a wide understanding of climate change as well.

“Looking at air pollution using a climate lens can help us find a way to a secure and sustainable environment. At ICAS 2022, we are looking at how policies on air pollution and climate change can converge,” Singh said.

“Working in silos is no longer an option if we want implementable solutions. By bringing together different communities, we want to bridge gaps in knowledge and find solutions that work,” she added.

The experts from academic institutions, think tanks and government bodies deliberated on resolving air pollution and climate change at the event, which will end on August 26

The speakers at the summit will examine how India’s energy transition to renewable energy would impact the dual crises of air pollution and climate change.

The participants will also discuss measures to improve the implementation of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), which is India’s strategy for combating pollution in non-attainment cities and the need for data democratisation and building partnerships with different communities to implement solutions on the ground.