Air Pollution in India

This article discusses the causes and effects of air pollution in India, with a focus on urban areas. It explores the impact of vehicle pollution, industrial emissions, and coal-based energy generation on air quality. The article also highlights the health risks associated with air pollution and the measures taken to control and prevent it. Overall, it provides insights into the current scenario of air pollution in India and the efforts being made to address this environmental challenge.

Running Head: ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND QUARANTINE
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Air Pollution in India
Abstract
Pollution is the release of contaminants into the environment leading to extreme changes.
One of the worst problems that face humanity today is the pollution of the environment. In India,
there are several practices that are worsening adverse conditions. Such practices include
deforestation, urbanization, industrial pollution, land degradation, soil erosion and rapid
industrialization at the country's cities. The factors behind air pollution in India are refineries,
vehicles, industries, and thermal power plants (Debosree & Pratap, 2015).
Air pollution is the contamination of air by the human's release of toxic substances into the
air. Increasing economic growth and a highly increasing population are currently imposing a lot
of strain on the environment, natural resources and the infrastructure in India. World Health
Organization through their findings in 2014 showed that Delhi which is the capital city of India
is the world's most polluted city (Reddy & Janet, 2018).
There have been high rates of growth of motor vehicle practices in India which have been
significantly involved in rapid urban air pollution. This vehicle pollution contributes to 70% of
India's air pollution. The number of vehicles on the roads in the cities has exceeded 3.7 million
with a yearly mean increase of 8%. These motor vehicles are concentrated in the major cities led
by motorized two-wheeled vehicles which dominate the cities as they are affordable to millions
of residence (Kumari, Attri, Panis, & Gurjar, 2013). India is the leading country with the highest
number of motorized two-wheeled vehicles and has had an impact on the increasing health and
human welfare complications which are brought about by urban air pollution from transportation
activities. There is also adulteration of automotive diesel and gasoline with cheaper sources of
vehicle fuels in India. This increases emissions of toxic exhaust gases from vehicles thus
worsening air pollution in urban areas (Matthew & Kanok, 2009).
The negative effects of indoor air pollution in urban slums and rural areas has increased.
India depends largely on energy from coal as a source of energy, coal releases large amounts of
greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide. Air pollution from plants that generate coal leads to about
70,000 premature deaths yearly in India. Other risks of air pollution on the health of humans

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include impaired breathing, cardiovascular disease, lung diseases and change in body's immune
defense system against harmful inhaled particles (Kushawaha, Pervez, Nair, & Pervez, 2013).
The most vulnerable group of people to air pollution effects are the old people and children
in society. To control air pollution in India, critical measures should be taken into account and
strict laws and regulations put in place to reduce contamination of the environmental air in the
big cities (Santu, et al., 2014).
Despite the adverse air pollution in Indian cities, some cities have put efforts to combat the
challenge. Actions taken include empowerment of networks that observe air, campaigning for
electric automobile adoption to minimize pollution from vehicles and control of toxic emissions
from industries (WHO, 2016). The government of India have also revised existing standards of
environment and generated new ways of control and prevention of environmental contaminants
from the country's industries. There is also an imposed ban on the burning of biomass, leaves and
city's solid wastes (Ravindra, Mahinder, Suman, & Pyne, 2015).

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