Lucknow | 3 February 2018: Environment protection organisations Greenpeace India, Go Green and The Climate Agenda joined other civil society groups to organise a symposium on air pollution. The participants in the symposium held on Saturday at Sheroes Café in Lucknow’s Gomti Nagar highlighted and stressed the need for a regional action plan for the improvement of air quality in pollution-ridden Uttar Pradesh.
A report released by Greenpeace India earlier this week, on Monday, points to the scary and abnormally high levels of air pollution in UP. The report called Airpocalypse-II collates and highlights particulate matter, or PM10, levels data for the air of 280 Indian cities for the year 2015 and 2016. As per the report which is now in its second edition as many as 15 cities of UP turn out to be among 30 most polluted cities of the country.
Senior Greenpeace campaigner Sunil Dahiya told the gathering in Lucknow that “the situation of air in UP’s environs is most worrisome. No less than 53 districts in the province are still without any monitoring mechanism of air quality. And in the rest of the 22 cities where air quality data is available none meet or conform to the national air quality standards.”
Famed social worker Tahira Hasan shared her ideas about raising the levels of public awareness in the wake of rapidly growing air pollution and to fight it out through a vibrant people’s movement. She said, “We will have to go to the schools, colleges and various localities and spread awareness. We must realise this, that a safe and healthy environment is essential for a socially just development model.”
The head of Lucknow University’s Department of Journalism Mukul Srivastava made important points saying, “We need to rethink our idea of development. Being a true nationalist means saving the country’s air and environment. Today, to save the country, we need to save the environment.”
To enliven the spirit for environmental protection and improving the quality of air that people cutting across class, caste and creed breathe a musical performance marked by soulful songs was held alongside the symposium.
Those attending the Saturday’s event felt that the air pollution has attained the levels of a national health crisis which is now from the point of view of Uttar Pradesh is becoming as or even more serious as is the case with Delhi. And to take on this all sections of the society and the government should come together and demand and devise a comprehensive, systematic and time bound action plan.
For Further Details; please contact-
Sunil Dahiya, Senior Campaigner, Greenpeace India; [email protected]; 9013673250
Avinash Kumar, Senior communication campaigner, Greenpeace India; [email protected]: 8882153664