Do you have a solution?

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Do you have a solution?

Friday, 12 April 2019 | Pioneer

Do you have a solution?

A recent survey reveals that 75.2 per cent people are considering moving out of Delhi NCR because of pollution

Beyond the glitz and glamour of it being the capital, the denizens of Delhi NCR region consider the poor air quality a glaring problem and an impediment to their continued stay here. A recent survey conducted by Nagarro, an IT consulting firm, reveals the severity of the issue. In the survey done among 1,383 employees of the company in Delhi NCR, people expressed their willingness to do anything to fix the air quality index of the city. Around 74 per cent of the respondents are willing to skip their next salary increments if they have to choose between money and getting rid of the pollution. This clearly indicates the increasing awareness level about pollution and armed with it, they are ready to find a solution.

Over 49 per cent of the respondents said that at least one person in their family suffers from air-borne allergies — chronic cough, asthma, bronchitis or similar breathing issues. The extent of the problem is such that more than 75 per cent of the people have considered moving out of Delhi NCR for their family’s health, especially during winters due to smog. A significant number of these was parents of young children.

Rahul Rakesh, an executive at a leading media agency in Gurugram says, “Air pollution is adversely affecting the lives of people, especially infants and elderly. When people travel long distances for work, it further increases the risk to their health. I have been living here for the past 20 years but in the last few years the situation has worsened. Around 75.2 per cent respondents including many of my friends are considering moving out of Delhi NCR because of air pollution. I may also consider it, if the situation does not improve.”

Air pollution is causing an increase in the household expenditure too as the survey reveals that a household spends Rs 16,187 on an average, yearly to fight air pollution, which includes cost of air purifiers, medicines, visits to doctors and so on. This amount rose to Rs 18,498 if there were children and senior citizens in the household and further rose to Rs 22,501 if someone in the family had breathing trouble.

Manas Fuloria, CEO, of the eponymous organisation says, “The results of the survey highlight that the city’s worsening pollution is disrupting health and business. Even the direct financial burden on families fighting air pollution probably far exceeds the government’s spend on the issue. On top of that, you have latent healthcare costs of associated diseases like cancers and the negative impact on tourism industry. The government must spend more on fighting air pollution and also impose higher penalties on polluters.

“We also need to change our mindset. We need to discourage plastic waste that often gets burnt and encourage composting instead of burning the organic waste. Today, we try to fix traffic jams by destroying green belts and widening roads, kicking up a lot of dust and encouraging private vehicle use, instead we need create awareness and emphasise on using public transport, car-pooling, walking or cycling and discourage the use of private vehicles for commuting,” he adds.

Did you know? India has the dubious distinction of being home to 22 of the 50 most polluted cities globally and almost 6,27,000 premature deaths are attributable to ambient, or outdoor pollutants. When a household or indoor pollution is added to this figure, it rises to 1.6 million.

Venturing out on a busy road in Delhi can now be equated to being exposed to Hitler’s gas chambers as the levels of VOCs, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and ground level ozone are very high.

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