New Delhi: “What an incredible turn of events! @RahulGandhi congratulations! P.S. – would it be too much to ask you to set an example by stopping the use of firecrackers to celebrate,” says Actor and United Nations Environment Goodwill Ambassador Dia Mirza to Rahul Gandhi after Congress’s success in three out of five states where Assembly Elections were held, namely, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
The actor further said, “As you know the air is really toxic and every effort will count to help clean our air.”
See Dia Mirza’s Post
What an incredible turn of events! @RahulGandhi congratulations! P.S.- would it be too much to ask you to set an example by stopping the use of fire crackers to celebrate ???????? As you know the air is really toxic and every effort will count to help clean our air.
— Dia Mirza (@deespeak) December 12, 2018
Also Read: Dia Mirza And Sonam Kapoor Raise Concern Over Mumbai’s Deteriorating Air Quality
The plea comes at a time when air pollution in India is already at its peak and toxic air in the country is leaving its children and people gasping for clean breath. Experts and scientists from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), and Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) along with other Indian collaborators and the Union health ministry have claimed that one in eight deaths in India in 2017 was attributable to air pollution, which contributes to more disease burden than tobacco use in the country.
Moreover, as per the recent Lancet Report, the state of Rajasthan has been attributed with the highest death rate in India which are linked to air pollution. As per the report, over 90 thousand deaths have been recorded in 2017 in Rajasthan because of air pollution. The report also highlighted that the average life expectancy in Rajasthan would have been 2.5 years higher, highest in the country if the air pollution levels were less than the minimum risk exposure levels.
Also Read: 10 Lakh People Died Due To Air Pollution In India In 2017, Study Shows
In Chhattisgarh, the Chhattisgarh Environment Conservation Board (CECB) has already taken the step in the right direction by disallowing bursting of crackers in six of its cities including the capital city of Raipur. The ban came in effect from December 1 and will continue till January 31. Along with Raipur, cities like Bilaspur, Bhilai, Durg, Raigarh and Korba has also imposed the ban. A statement issued by the State Environment Conservation Board said that the decision has been taken to control pollution which increases during winters due to the direction of the wind.
Despite insights and appeals, authorities responsible will need to answer about what they are doing to tackle such a grim situation in the country?
Also Read: Intellectual Disability Is Linked To Air Pollution, Say Researchers
NDTV – Dettol Banega Swachh India campaign lends support to the Government of India’s Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). Helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan, the campaign aims to spread awareness about hygiene and sanitation, the importance of building toilets and making India open defecation free (ODF) by October 2019, a target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when he launched Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2014. Over the years, the campaign has widened its scope to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and menstrual hygiene. The campaign has also focused extensively on marine pollution, clean Ganga Project and rejuvenation of Yamuna, two of India’s major river bodies.
