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Air pollution affects at least 47 million Indian children: Report
New Delhi, Jan 29 (IANS) At least 47 million children under the age of five live in areas facing severe air pollution with dangerous effluent density, a report said on Monday.
The report by Greenpeace-India, based on data from state and central pollution control boards, asserted that as many as 47 million children live in areas with pollutant PM10, or particulate matter in the air with diameter less than 10 microns, exceeding the safe limits.
Of these 47 million children, all under five years of age, 17 million live in areas with PM10 twice the permissible standards or safe limit.
National capital Delhi, along with Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Maharashtra, are the places where children are “worst affected”.
“Together these states are home to 12.9 million children, who are below or up to five years of age, trapped in bad air exceeding by more than twice the annual standard,” the report said.
The report analyses PM10 annual average recorded for 280 cities, which account for 630 million, or 53 per cent citizens of the country’s total population.
Interestingly, the condition or air quality under which rest 47 per cent of population resides is unknown.
“A massive part of the population, 580 million or 47 per cent are living in areas where no air quality data is available,” the report pointed out.
Delhi remained the worst-affected city with annual PM10 levels exceeding approximately five times the national ambient air quality standards.
The safe limit for PM10 as per national standards is 60 microgrammes per cubic meters (annual average).
“That only 16 per cent of the population inhabiting the districts have real-time air quality data available portrays how in-humanly we are responding to the national health crises in front of us,” said Sunil Dahiya, Senior Campaigner, Greenpeace India.
Dahiya added that even the manual data collected for 300 cities and towns was not shared in a timely manner and in a format understood easily by general public.
Further, Delhi with 290 units was the worst-polluted city in terms of ranking of the cities based on PM10, followed by Faridabad (272 units), Bhiwadi (262 units) and Patna (261 units).
“Surprisingly, Dehradun in Uttrakhand, once thought to be a salubrious preserve of retiring elite, also made it to the top 10 list of worst polluted cities with 238 µg/m3 annual average of PM10,” the report pointed out.
The report asserted that less than 20 per cent Indian cities were complying with the national standards of pollution.
–IANS
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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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