At Andrews Ganj, New Delhi, December 2015
Care for Air is a self-funded, independent organization committed to clean air in India.
According to a 2014 World Health Organization study of 1,600 cities in 91 countries, New Delhi ranked as the most polluted city in the world. In fact, 13 of the most polluted 20 cities were in India; This data has since been updated by the W.H.O and New Delhi got displaced from the top of the list - unfortunately, not because it cleaned up its air, but because W.H.O started tracking other more polluted cities in the world.
A new W.H.O air quality model confirmed in Sep 2016 that 92% of the world's population lives in places where air quality levels exceed W.H.O limits. Nearly 90% of air-pollution-related deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, and in 2012, an estimated 6.5 million deaths (11.6% of all global deaths) were associated with indoor and outdoor air pollution together.
We know clean air is essential to good health. We believe everyone should understand the impact that air pollution has on individual health, both the immediate and long term dangers.
According to a 2014 World Health Organization study of 1,600 cities in 91 countries, New Delhi ranked as the most polluted city in the world. In fact, 13 of the most polluted 20 cities were in India; This data has since been updated by the W.H.O and New Delhi got displaced from the top of the list - unfortunately, not because it cleaned up its air, but because W.H.O started tracking other more polluted cities in the world.
A new W.H.O air quality model confirmed in Sep 2016 that 92% of the world's population lives in places where air quality levels exceed W.H.O limits. Nearly 90% of air-pollution-related deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, and in 2012, an estimated 6.5 million deaths (11.6% of all global deaths) were associated with indoor and outdoor air pollution together.
We know clean air is essential to good health. We believe everyone should understand the impact that air pollution has on individual health, both the immediate and long term dangers.
What is PM 2.5?PM 2.5 is one of the the most dangerous pollutant - and it is invisible. From waste burning to industrial smoke, to vehicles, PM 2.5 is omnipresent in Delhi's air. Worse still, the particles are so small that they get into our lungs and blood stream causing damage across the body.
|
What are the health risks?Air pollution attacks your body in insidious ways. Your nervous system, respiratory system, cardiovascular system, reproductive system - nothing stays unaffected., leading to strokes, seizures, lung damage, asthma and more.
|
Why are children most at risk?Their developing organs are more sensitive to pollutants and are retained in children’s bodies longer than adults. Air pollution harms children far beyond asthma and bronchitis, causing decreased motor and cognitive functioning.
|
Care for Air on clean air solutions, policy measures
Care for Air welcomes the Supreme Court decision to suspend fireworks licenses in NCR
Care for Air welcomes the Supreme Court decision to suspend licenses to store or sell fireworks in Delhi and NCR. No new licences will be issued. Additionally, the honourable court has asked the Central Pollution Control Board to prepare a report within three months on the content and composition of fireworks, based upon which the Court will consider a complete national ban on manufacture of fireworks, according to CFA co-founder and Supreme Court advocate and petitioner Gopal Sankaranarayanan. This a great first step towards reducing the pollution caused by bursting firecrackers.
Post-Diwali 2016 "Emergency" Measures
Care for Air welcomes that the Delhi government has acknowledged the city's severe air pollution and taken it higher up on its agenda. However, the defensive and limited emergency measures planned are dramatically insufficient to solve the problem of air pollution in both the short and long term.
Care for Air urges the government of India to take a comprehensive look at substantive, straightforward and proven solutions that will require coordination between multiple agencies, across many political parties over years to see results unfold. During the past 10 month period, from January to October 2016, Delhi has not had a single day of "good air", this according to the government's own data from the National Air Quality Index (NAQI). To solve the endemic problem of severe air pollution in Delhi and much of North India, our leaders need to take action and create a roadmap of accountability to address the complex recipe of contributing emitters: annual crop burning, year long urban emissions from vehicles, cooking, waste burning, out of date power plants and factories.
Happy, Healthy Diwali!
Care for Air wishes everyone a happy, healthy and firework-free Diwali season. We urge everyone to celebrate the holiday without fireworks. Firework smoke is rich in tiny metal particles and cause a dramatic spike in very harmful air pollution that remains in our air long after the holiday has ended.
Simply put Diwali fireworks cause sudden and extremely high levels of air pollution that harm our health. It's a problem that goes beyond Diwali night, the toxic particles stay suspended in the air for days before settling in our lungs. Care for Air and care for your health and that of your family by saying no crackers.
The Delhi Govt's Odd/Even Scheme
Care for Air welcomes any thoughtful, well-planned progamme to reduce air pollution in Delhi and India. Regarding the outcomes of the odd/even scheme, we prefer to let air pollution analysts and scientists speak, based on their research and evidence collected. But what we do know is that Delhi's air pollution crisis needs multiple-systemic programmes to yield substantive and lasting results. This is because we recognise that air pollution in Delhi (and India) comes from multiple sources: vehicle emissions from globally outdated fuels; burning of trash and biomass for waste removal, cooking and heat; emissions from factories, brick kilns and power plant; crop burning and construction dust. All these factors play major roles in making our air toxic. To clean up our air, each factor must be addressed, with long-term systemic, behavioural and policy solutions.
Care for Air welcomes the Supreme Court decision to suspend licenses to store or sell fireworks in Delhi and NCR. No new licences will be issued. Additionally, the honourable court has asked the Central Pollution Control Board to prepare a report within three months on the content and composition of fireworks, based upon which the Court will consider a complete national ban on manufacture of fireworks, according to CFA co-founder and Supreme Court advocate and petitioner Gopal Sankaranarayanan. This a great first step towards reducing the pollution caused by bursting firecrackers.
Post-Diwali 2016 "Emergency" Measures
Care for Air welcomes that the Delhi government has acknowledged the city's severe air pollution and taken it higher up on its agenda. However, the defensive and limited emergency measures planned are dramatically insufficient to solve the problem of air pollution in both the short and long term.
Care for Air urges the government of India to take a comprehensive look at substantive, straightforward and proven solutions that will require coordination between multiple agencies, across many political parties over years to see results unfold. During the past 10 month period, from January to October 2016, Delhi has not had a single day of "good air", this according to the government's own data from the National Air Quality Index (NAQI). To solve the endemic problem of severe air pollution in Delhi and much of North India, our leaders need to take action and create a roadmap of accountability to address the complex recipe of contributing emitters: annual crop burning, year long urban emissions from vehicles, cooking, waste burning, out of date power plants and factories.
Happy, Healthy Diwali!
Care for Air wishes everyone a happy, healthy and firework-free Diwali season. We urge everyone to celebrate the holiday without fireworks. Firework smoke is rich in tiny metal particles and cause a dramatic spike in very harmful air pollution that remains in our air long after the holiday has ended.
Simply put Diwali fireworks cause sudden and extremely high levels of air pollution that harm our health. It's a problem that goes beyond Diwali night, the toxic particles stay suspended in the air for days before settling in our lungs. Care for Air and care for your health and that of your family by saying no crackers.
The Delhi Govt's Odd/Even Scheme
Care for Air welcomes any thoughtful, well-planned progamme to reduce air pollution in Delhi and India. Regarding the outcomes of the odd/even scheme, we prefer to let air pollution analysts and scientists speak, based on their research and evidence collected. But what we do know is that Delhi's air pollution crisis needs multiple-systemic programmes to yield substantive and lasting results. This is because we recognise that air pollution in Delhi (and India) comes from multiple sources: vehicle emissions from globally outdated fuels; burning of trash and biomass for waste removal, cooking and heat; emissions from factories, brick kilns and power plant; crop burning and construction dust. All these factors play major roles in making our air toxic. To clean up our air, each factor must be addressed, with long-term systemic, behavioural and policy solutions.
