Strategy Must To Curb Air Pollution

Air pollution has been a growing challenge for people. Most of the countries in the world are under the grip of air pollution. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 99 per cent of the world population is living in places that do not meet the air quality standards as recommended by the UN health body. This speaks volumes for the formidable conditions in which most people are compelled to breathe in dirty air. Low- and middle-income countries are suffering from air pollution more than developed countries are. This is because in the former countries, the use of fossil fuels – coal, oil and gas – is rampant, whereas in the latter, renewable energy such as electricity from hydropower or nuclear reactors preponderates over that of fossil fuels. Industrial emissions and vehicle exhaust fumes also contribute to air pollution. 

It would be relevant to mention that the Air Quality Report 2024, recently released by the Switzerland-based database IQAir, has painted a bleak picture of air pollution around the world. The data is based on 40 air quality monitors from 138 countries. As per the report, Chad, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Congo and India are the five most polluted countries in the world. Nepal is ranked the seventh most polluted country. The air pollution in Nepal is 4.9 times more than the average standard as fixed by the WHO. The report states that Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Estonia, Granada, Iceland and New Zealand meet the WHO’s air quality standards of 2.5 PM. The report has mentioned Oceania as the cleanest place on earth – 57 per cent of the cities are within the standards. 

Pollution monitoring 

Out of the 20 most polluted cities in the world, as many as 13 cities are situated in India, with Byrnihat, a small industrial city, being the worst in terms of air pollution. New Delhi, the capital of India, is also notorious for air pollution. The report has not been able to cover all places in the world. Many places are still left unmonitored. For example, in Africa, one monitoring station is available for every 3.7 million people. In many places, government-controlled monitoring systems are glaringly lacking. However, more and more monitoring stations are being established around the world. The report has depended on data from 8,954 new locations and 1,000 new monitoring stations.

 Gradual improvements in monitoring air quality have been seen over the last twelve months. Several cities such as Beijing, Seoul and Rybnik (Poland) have improved air quality through stricter regulations on pollution from transport, power plants and industry and by promoting clean energy and ameliorating public transport. The air quality monitoring task has received a knock when the US State Department said that it would not make public data from its embassies and consulates around the world. In fact, all the countries in the world should work together to assist in monitoring air quality so that appropriate strategies can be formulated to curb air pollution, which has been a formidable challenge for countries around the world to tackle.    

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has agreed on the control of haze pollution but there is limited success on this front. However, the member countries have pledged to work in tandem to control pollution from wildfires. It may be noted that wildfires also contribute to worsening air pollution. The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) could also build a framework for curbing air pollution in the South Asian region but unfortunately, the association has been in a state of dormancy for a long time. 

Air pollution is closely related to climate change. The burning of fossil fuels leads to greenhouse gas emissions, which are responsible for inducing climate change. So, curbing air pollution would greatly contribute to reducing the impacts of climate change. Air pollution is caused by household combustion, vehicle exhaust fumes, industries, wildfires and the like. Major pollutants include particulate matter, carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide. Air pollution gives rise to several diseases such as respiratory illness, heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and Alzheimer’s disease. 

Reports indicate that ten per cent of deaths globally are attributed to air pollution. And low-income countries have to bear the greater burden of such deaths. On the one hand, air pollution may lead to early death, while on the other, the people affected by air pollution are forced to live in poor health. The level of air pollution may be determined by the status of countries. Poor countries depend on fossil fuels, which contribute to air pollution. As they become middle-income countries, industrial development may take place, leading to more air pollution.

Lacks of assessment data 

The WHO has reported that air pollution is the leading contributory factor to deaths and disability in Nepal. Air pollution results in the loss of productivity and the overstretching of health systems. However, Nepal lacks health impact assessment data to estimate the effects of air pollution on the health of the people and the economy of the country. Further, there are no sectoral measures designed to tackle environmental challenges. Nepal has three air quality monitoring stations: two in the Kathmandu Valley and one in Dhulikhel. The country is planning to establish such stations throughout the country.

The major sources of air pollution in Nepal are dust and construction works, exhaust fumes from vehicles, industrial activities, reduction in greenery, lack of public awareness, and feeble implementation of laws relating to curbing pollution. Nepal is a least developed country. It will become a developing country in 2026. With the status upgraded, the country may speed up industrial development. Further, the country is planning to become a middle-income country in 2030. So air-pollution-curbing strategies need to be in place to escape the dire consequences of air pollution in the future.   

(Maharjan has been regularly writing on contemporary issues for this daily since 2000.)