From Apollo Hospital
The world’s fastest growing major economy, India, also has to its credit the world’s most polluted city, the capital, New Delhi. For residents of New Delhi NCR, air pollution this year has become a topic of conversation, like it never had before. With shocking figures that showed New Delhi had beaten the old faithful in toxic air quality, Beijing, two months ago, it was a wake-up call for policy makers and politicians. Even as Delhi’s toxic air quality and its causative factors became a subject of television news debates, and news reports, the common man seemed distant from the issue except as a victim whose lungs had to bear the impact.
The impact of poor air quality on one’s quality of life and longevity is known to all – air pollution is responsible for close to 30,000 deaths a year in Delhi. When the Delhi government decided to pilot the odd-even car scheme, there was more compliance than expected, a sign that air pollution is a serious concern for all Delhi-ites.
While leading corporates in polluting industries are taking measures to mitigate their emissions, a sector that though not contributive, yet sees the frightening impact of air pollution on a daily basis is healthcare. The foot falls in all Delhi hospitals rose to new highs for respiratory and cardiac complaints. The numbers were alarming to doctors and this prompted a corporate hospital like Indraprastha Apollo to launch the Exhale campaign this month in their bid to address the issue of air pollution, Exhale attempts to address multiple touch points – increasing awareness by engaging with Resident Welfare Associations, making children in 1000 schools plant saplings in schools so that they understand the link between the environment and clean air, as well as conducting yoga sessions to increase one’s quality of life. The results have been encouraging with participating Delhi residents getting a chance to be involved in a larger cause.
In the past, Shell had launched a campaign to fight indoor air pollution in a few districts in Karnataka(2009) and Cipla had its Breathe Easy campaign two years ago. Experts aver that corporate campaigns to address air pollution like Exhale help boost national awareness campaigns and ensure that this issue does not get forgotten.
The realization of the effects of climate change too hit home harder. Naomi Klein, Canadian writer and activist on inequality and climate change, believes that air pollution is likely to be a “game changer” for India and China in bringing awareness and action on climate change.
Even as the weather gets warmer in Delhi and the air quality has improved a little, this city and other cities in India would do well to remember that air pollution is a critical issue. That China’s smog is driving top foreign talent away from their country with 53 per cent of firms in China finding it difficult to fill executive roles, according to a survey released earlier last year by Bain & Company and the American Chamber of Commerce in China. And that our Indian cities might face the same fate.
Courtesy: Apollo Hospital New Delhi