Air pollution is a growing threat to people of all ages but particularly harms children’s health and development. It is laudable that the Government has taken noteworthy steps to rein in the problem but it needs to nudge more inputs into policy-making
All day, every day, even while they sleep, tens of millions of children in South Asia are being seriously harmed as they are exposed to toxic air. The region leads the world in air pollution — and not in a good way. An estimated 1,30,000 children under five are killed every single year. It is a staggering fact that 12 million babies in South Asia are exposed to air that is six times the safe limit set by the World Health Organisation (WHO). This means that South Asia accounts for three-quarters of the global total.
The full impact of breathing harmful air may not be visible to the naked eye but the Air Quality Index measures how toxic the air is.
A measurement of 0-50 is ‘good,’ 50-100 is ‘moderate’, 100-150 is ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’ (including children), 151-200 is ‘unhealthy’, 201-300 is ‘very unhealthy’ and 301-500 is ‘hazardous’. In the four-day period between January 8 and 11, the number reached 417 in New Delhi (hazardous), 310 in Kathmandu (hazardous), 328 in Dhaka (hazardous), 510 in Kabul (hazardous) and 234 in Karachi (very unhealthy). These large numbers mean deaths and serious, lasting harm.
In India, nearly 1.3 million premature deaths occurred just in 2017 due to indoor and outdoor air pollution. Ten of the world’s top 20 most polluted cities are in India. Around 77 per cent of the country’s population is exposed to outdoor air pollution levels above the US National Ambient Air Quality Standards’ safe limit. Average life expectancy in India would have been 1.7 years higher if air pollution levels were less than the minimal level.
Cough, sore throat or swollen eyes are common symptoms that are noticed but the real damage is far more serious. The most dangerous air pollutants of all are the smallest particles. They reach deep down into our lungs. From there, they pass into the bloodstream and then circulate all around the body. Air pollution is a severe and growing threat to people of all ages but particularly, it is bad for the children’s health and development. A 2018 study by WHO revealed that over one lakh children under the age of five died in 2016 because of air pollution in India. There are three main reasons why children are particularly at risk:
First, they breathe faster than adults. A typical adult takes around 12 to 18 breaths a minute. A three-year-old child takes around 20 to 30 breaths a minute and a new-born takes 30 to 40. So, young children breathe polluted air two to three times as much as adults do.
Second, children’s lungs and other organs are still in the developing stage. This makes them particularly vulnerable to damage. This can have both immediate effects such as causing asthma and long-term effects such as reducing their lung volume for life.
Third, the youngest children are also in danger because the barrier between the bloodstream and brain is not yet fully formed. Air pollutants can cross from the lungs to the bloodstream and from the bloodstream to the brain. There, they actually cause brain cells to inflame. This damages the brain cells and affects the child’s cognitive and intellectual development. Today’s generation kids will be affected for life and as adults, we have a pressing and serious duty to reverse this horrendous trend.
Early and high exposure of children and their vulnerability to air pollution complicate the situation and call for the need to address this issue with urgency. We need adapt cleaner and renewable sources of energy. We also need better waste management options to prevent open burning of harmful chemicals. Of course, precise solutions vary across the region. We cannot let our children breathe toxic air. Speaking up for one’s children should be the first step.
The Government of India’s efforts towards launching a National Clean Air Programme, that aims to cover 104 cities, are commendable. However, the target to reduce air pollution by only about 30 per cent by 2024, needs further urgent and pro-active actions to protect the young generation. Stringent law enforcement regarding polluting industries and burning of solid waste/residues among others should be non-negotiable. Policy shifts such as the switch from pollution fuel options like diesel or petrol to CNG or electrical cars and increased investment in public transport among others are noteworthy efforts taken by the Government. However, further investment and incentives to adopt clean energy, especially in smaller towns, are crucial. Incentivising the use of LPG in rural areas as against the highly polluting fossil fuel is another critical need.
Reducing indoor and outdoor air pollution must be integrated in all major Government programmes such as Smart Cities, rather than instituting stand-alone interventions. This can go a long way in promoting positive behaviour, big and small, among citizens and initiating a drive towards a pollution-free India for us and for the generations to come.
(The writer is Regional Director of UNICEF in South Asia)