Lok Sabha Question No. 968 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-02-08
Subject: Death due to Air Pollution
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: GOWDAR MALLIKARJUNAPPA SIDDESHWARA, RANJANBEN BHATT

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 968

TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.02.2019

## Death due to Air Pollution

## 968.  SHRI G.M. SIDDESHWARA: SHRIMATI RANJANBEN BHATT:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware that increasing pollution and rapid industrialization is making India's air more toxic and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether it is a fact that there are around one lakh deaths every year due to breathing ailments;
- (c) if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  death  cases  due  to  air  pollution  reported  in various cities of the country including Delhi;
- (d) the details of Carbon di-oxide concentration level in India's metro cities; and
- (e) the preventive measures taken/ proposed to be taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (DR. MAHESH SHARMA)

(a) The  Central  Pollution  Control  Board  (CPCB)  along  with  various  premier  research institutes has carried out air quality monitoring, emission inventory and source apportionment studies in six major cities viz. Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Pune and Kanpur. The study has revealed that road dust suspension, emissions from vehicles, garbage burning, dust from  construction  sites,  DG  sets,  industrial  emissions,  etc.  are  the  major  sources  of  air pollution due to particulates in these cities.

(b) & (c) Air  pollution  is  one  of  the  triggering  factors  for  respiratory  ailments  and associated  diseases.  However,  there  are  no  conclusive  data  available  in  the  country  to establish  direct  correlation  of  death/disease  exclusively  due  to  air  pollution.  This  could  be further aggravated due to other factors such as smoking, occupational exposure, heredity and general state of health and well being.

(d) CPCB is monitoring ambient air quality in 731 locations covering 312 cities/towns in 29 States and 6 Union Territories across the country under National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP). Under NAMP, three criteria pollutants viz. PM10 (Particulate Matter having  an  aerodynamic  diameter  less  than  or  equal  to  10  µm),  Sulphur  dioxide  (SO2)  and Nitrogen  dioxide  (NO2)  are  monitored.  Carbon  dioxide  is  not  notified  as  an  air  pollutant among the parameters notified under National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), as it is a normal constituent of the atmosphere.

- (e) The  Government  has  taken  several  steps  to  address  air  pollution,  which inter  alia includes the following:
-  notification of National Ambient Air Quality Standards
-  revision of emission standards for industrial sectors from time to time
-  setting up of monitoring network for assessment of ambient air quality
-  introduction of cleaner / alternate fuels like gaseous fuel (CNG, LPG etc.)
-  ethanol blending
-  launching of National Air Quality index
-  leapfrogging from BS-IV to BS-VI fuel standards
-  notification of Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules
-  banning of burning of biomass
-  streamlining the issuance of Pollution Under Control Certificate
-  issuance  of  directions  under  Section  18(1)(b)  of  Air  (Prevention  and  Control  of Pollution) Act, 1981 and under Section 5 of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 for controlling air pollution
-  installation of on-line continuous (24x7) monitoring devices by major industries
-  notification of Graded Response Action Plan for Delhi and NCR
-  comprehensive action plan for air pollution control in Delhi and NCR
-  formulation of National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)
-  organization of  clean air campaigns, etc.

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