India has been identified as the 8th most polluted country in the world. Thirty-nine out of the 50 world’s most polluted cities in the world are in India.
“Not just big cities, but even in rural areas, people now breathe polluted air”, says Dr Anju Goel, an environmental scientist in this podcast interview with Sidharth Bhatia. Goel, an air quality management, is with the Tata Energy and Resources Institute in Delhi.
Richer homes can use air-filters etc, but at this level, “The elite suffers as much as the under-privileged”. She says some solutions are available, for example at construction sites, but “there has to be a regulatory push”.
“Smog towers are not a solution in the open air-at best they work in closed environments.”
“Respiratory issues like asthma and COPD are increasing, but also lung cancer, because the finer particles in the air enter our lungs.”
She thinks pollution should become a political issue like education, which will make a big difference.