A CONSTANT HEADLINE at the end of each year in India is the problem of air pollution. Increased monitoring of pollution levels as well as worsening levels themselves have made these headlines global. The problem is most acute in the Indo-Gangetic plains of northern India, which have topographical and climatic features that trap pollutants near the ground.
Recent headlines have tended to focus on the capital region of Delhi, or on other cities, as sites of acute problems, and on the increased burning of crop residues in the agriculturally intensive states of Haryana and Punjab as a proximate cause. However, the problem affects all of northern India, and the causes are many.
A National Clean Air Programme was launched in 2019, and it has increased monitoring of air pollution, but has had little impact in terms of reducing the problem. Government responses have included shifting schools to online modes or just asking students to stay home, banning vehicles in certain cities at certain times, and shutting down various economic activities. Individuals also respond to pollution by curtailing their activities, or by relocating temporarily. The health costs of air pollution at the levels being experienced in India are enormous. The responses to mitigating these costs seem to be extraordinarily inefficient in terms of costs, and the benefits may be limited by their unevenness and limited nature. Why is India doing so badly at controlling air pollution?
Denne historien er fra December 20, 2024-utgaven av Financial Express Chandigarh.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra December 20, 2024-utgaven av Financial Express Chandigarh.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Rural, q-comm boom may push FY26 retail hiring...
\"SALARIES OFFERED ARE at least 5-10% higher than industry standards, with companies also asking prospects if they are ready to migrate to other locations to fill up positions,\" Arora said.
Icra pegs CV sector growth at 3-5%
Upswing In Sight
Apple begins hiring for new India stores
Expansion Push
Sun to buy Checkpoint for $355 mn
THE DEAL WILL be made through an upfront cash payment of $4.10 per common share, a premium of about 66% to Checkpoint's last close on Friday, Sun Pharma said in an exchange filing.
Stop asking for tax cuts, Gadkari tells India Inc
UNION MINISTER NITIN GADKARI on Monday asked the industry not to perpetually demand a reduction in taxes as the government needs funds to implement welfare schemes for the poor.
Govt portal to give real-time data on job creation soon
THE GOVERNMENT IS likely to publish integrated real-time employment data on the 'Prayas' portal soon.
Demat account additions in Feb at 21-month low
THE ADDITION OF demat accounts in February fell to a 21-month low at 2.26 million, even though their total number surpassed the 190-million mark, according to data from CDSL and NSDL.
Top realtors corner LRD loans at cheaper rates
WITH THEIR CREDIT profiles rising despite largely stagnant interest rates, top commercial property developers have been able to borrow against rent receivables at a rate lower by 75-to-100 basis points in the past year.
Parliamentary panel on railways calls for PPP push
TO REDUCE ITS dependence on gross budgetary support (GBS) from the central government, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways has urged the ministry of railways to intensify its focus on public-private partnership (PPP) projects.
India Adds 25.2 GW Solar Power in 2024
India added 25.2 gigawatts (GW) of solar power capacity in the calendar year 2024, significantly higher than the 8.3 GW installed in 2023, a recent report by Mercom on the solar market showed.
