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Delhi Reclaims World's Most Polluted Capital Amid Surge in Winter Pollution

The megacities of India experienced a surge in air pollution during the winter of 2024-25 with Delhi topping the charts recording highest level of pollution during winter, according to a study by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The study revealed that other urban centres including Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru also recorded major pollution spikes during the winter period. Delhi recorded an average fine particulate matter (PM) 2.5 concentrations of 175 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³) this winter exceeding the safe air quality limits by a large margin. The capital city registered eight days of ‘severe+’ air quality, 12 days of ‘severe’ Air Quality Index (AQI) and 68 days of ‘very poor’ AQI. The capital experienced no ‘good’ air quality days with peak pollution reaching 602 µg/m³ on November 18, 2024, marking the worst daily PM 2.5 level in four years. According to the study, Kolkata ranked second among the mega cities with a winter PM 2.5 average of 65 µg/m³, followed by Hyderabad (52 µg/m³), Mumbai (50 µg/m³), Bengaluru (37 µg/m³) and Chennai (36 µg/m³). Despite these statistics, the study indicated that worst affected locations within megacities recorded pollution levels rising as much as 60% above citywide averages. Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru saw the fastest worsening of localised pollution levels, stated the study. “The peaking of pollution during winter in any climatic zone is a sign of the underlying problem of persistent air pollution in these rapidly urbanising and motorising cities. The growing impact of local sources of pollution shows up in the pollution hotspots across these cities, increasing local exposures and risks,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, CSE. Delhi as World’s Most polluted Capital According to another study titled 2024 World Air Quality Report published by IQAir on March 11, Delhi became the most polluted capital city in the world with an average PM 2.5 concentration of micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³). According to the report, 13 out of the 20 most polluted cities in the world are in India with Byrnihat on the Assam-Meghalaya border being the most polluted metropolitan area of 2024, with an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 128.2 µg/m3. The region of Central & South Asia was home to the top seven most polluted cities in the world. India was home to six of the nine most polluted global cities. India is the fifth most polluted country in the world, with an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 50.6 μg/m3 – 10 times higher than the World Health Organization’s (WHO) annual PM2.5 guideline value of 5 μg/m3. In 2023, it was the third most polluted country, reported The Indian Express.

Delhi air dirtiest among Indian megacities by wide margin: CSE report

Delhi remained India’s most polluted megacity during the 2024-25 winter, with an average PM2.5 concentration of 175 micrograms per cubic meter, according to a report released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Tuesday. While this marks a decline from the previous winter’s 189 µg/m³, the city continues to grapple with severe air pollution. Kolkata ranked as the second-most polluted megacity, recording an average PM2.5 concentration of 65 µg/m³. Other major cities, including Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Kolkata, saw a decrease in pollution levels compared to last winter, while Chennai and Hyderabad reported no significant changes. The winter PM2.5 averages stood at 52 µg/m³ in Hyderabad, 50 in Mumbai, 37 in Bengaluru, and 36 in Chennai. A separate study by Swiss air quality monitoring company IQAir named Delhi the world’s most polluted national capital for the sixth consecutive year. The World Air Quality Report 2024 revealed that 13 of the 20 most polluted cities globally are in India. The worst-affected city was Byrnihat, on the Assam-Meghalaya border, with an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 128.2 µg/m³. India ranked among the five most polluted countries, alongside Chad, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Congo. The country’s average PM2.5 concentration stood at 50.6 µg/m³ in 2024, reflecting a 7% improvement from the previous year’s 54.4 µg/m³. However, six Indian cities still made it to the list of the world’s 10 most polluted. The report highlighted severe pollution episodes in northern India, particularly in Delhi, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, and Haryana, with extreme levels recorded in November. Crop stubble-burning remained a significant contributor, responsible for up to 60% of PM2.5 pollution during peak periods. Despite marginal improvements, India continues to battle hazardous air quality, with millions exposed to pollution levels far exceeding WHO safety limits.

Delhi’s air dirtiest among Indian megacities by wide margin: CSE report

Delhi remained India’s most polluted megacity by a wide margin during the 2024-25 winter, with an average PM2.5 concentration of 175 micrograms per cubic metre, according to an analysis released on Tuesday. However, the Centre for Science and Environment analysis found that PM2.5 pollution in the national capital declined in the 2024-25 winter (October 1 to January 31) compared to the 2023-24 winter (189 micrograms per cubic metre). Kolkata was the second-most polluted megacity during the 2024-25 winter, with an average PM2.5 concentration of 65 micrograms per cubic metre. The analysis showed that PM2.5 levels declined in Bengaluru, Mumbai and Kolkata compared to the previous winter but remained the same in Chennai and Hyderabad. The average PM2.5 levels during the 2024-25 winter were 52 micrograms per cubic metre in Hyderabad, 50 in Mumbai, 37 in Bengaluru and 36 in Chennai. PTI GVS GVS SZM SZM

This Mega City Comes Next To Delhi In Air Pollution, Says Report

Delhi remained India's most polluted megacity in the 2024-25 winter, with an average PM2.5 level of 175 µg/m³, though pollution declined from 189 µg/m³ in the previous winter, according to a CSE analysis. Kolkata ranked second with 65 µg/m³. While PM2.5 levels dropped in Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Kolkata, they remained unchanged in Chennai and Hyderabad.

दिल्ली देश का सबसे प्रदूषित महानगर, जानें क्या है अन्य महानगरों का हाल; CSE रिपोर्ट में खुलासा

दिल्ली ने एक बार फिर देश के सबसे प्रदूषित महानगर का खिताब अपने नाम किया है। 2024-25 की सर्दियों (1 अक्तूबर से 31 जनवरी) के दौरान दिल्ली में पीएम 2.5 का औसत स्तर 175 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर दर्ज किया गया। यह आंकड़ा अन्य सभी महानगरों की तुलना में काफी अधिक है। हालांकि, एक अच्छी खबर यह है कि पिछले साल की सर्दियों की तुलना में दिल्ली की हवा थोड़ी बेहतर रही। बता दें कि, 2023-24 की सर्दियों में यह स्तर 189 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर था। कोलकाता देश का दूसरा सबसे प्रदूषित महानगर राजधानी दिल्ली के बाद पश्चिम बंगाल की राजधानी कोलकाता देश का दूसरा सबसे प्रदूषित महानगर रहा, जहां 2024-25 की सर्दियों के दौरान पीएम 2.5 का औसत स्तर 65 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर दर्ज किया गया। हालांकि, यह स्तर दिल्ली की तुलना में काफी कम रहा है। इन महानगरों में प्रदूषण की स्थिति में कोई बदलाव नहीं सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) की इस रिपोर्ट में यह भी पाया गया कि मुंबई, बंगलूरू और कोलकाता में पिछले साल की तुलना में प्रदूषण कम हुआ, जबकि चेन्नई और हैदराबाद में प्रदूषण का स्तर पहले जैसा ही बना रहा है। Air Pollution: दिल्ली देश का सबसे प्रदूषित महानगर, जानें क्या है अन्य महानगरों का हाल; CSE रिपोर्ट में खुलासा न्यूज डेस्क, अमर उजाला, नई दिल्ली Published by: पवन पांडेय Updated Tue, 18 Mar 2025 05:18 PM IST सार 86016 Followers देश Air Pollution In Delhi: देश की राजधानी में भले ही प्रदूषण कम करने को लेकर सरकार की तरफ से तमाम प्रयास किए जा रहे हैं। लेकिन ये सभी प्रयास नाकाफी साबित हो रहे हैं। जी हां, सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट की रिपोर्ट में देश के महानगरों में प्रदूषण को लेकर बड़ा खुलासा हुआ है। Delhi's air dirtiest among Indian megacities by wide margin: CSE report, News in hindi दिल्ली देश का सबसे प्रदूषित महानगर (सांकेतिक तस्वीर) - फोटो : ANI Reactions विस्तार Follow Us दिल्ली ने एक बार फिर देश के सबसे प्रदूषित महानगर का खिताब अपने नाम किया है। 2024-25 की सर्दियों (1 अक्तूबर से 31 जनवरी) के दौरान दिल्ली में पीएम 2.5 का औसत स्तर 175 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर दर्ज किया गया। यह आंकड़ा अन्य सभी महानगरों की तुलना में काफी अधिक है। हालांकि, एक अच्छी खबर यह है कि पिछले साल की सर्दियों की तुलना में दिल्ली की हवा थोड़ी बेहतर रही। बता दें कि, 2023-24 की सर्दियों में यह स्तर 189 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर था। Trending Videos Advertisement: 0:12 Close Player कोलकाता देश का दूसरा सबसे प्रदूषित महानगर राजधानी दिल्ली के बाद पश्चिम बंगाल की राजधानी कोलकाता देश का दूसरा सबसे प्रदूषित महानगर रहा, जहां 2024-25 की सर्दियों के दौरान पीएम 2.5 का औसत स्तर 65 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर दर्ज किया गया। हालांकि, यह स्तर दिल्ली की तुलना में काफी कम रहा है। विज्ञापन यह भी पढ़ें - Electricity Demand: भीषण गर्मी में भी नहीं होगी बत्ती गुल! आम लोगों को राहत देने सरकार ने तैयार किया ये प्लान इन महानगरों में प्रदूषण की स्थिति में कोई बदलाव नहीं सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) की इस रिपोर्ट में यह भी पाया गया कि मुंबई, बंगलूरू और कोलकाता में पिछले साल की तुलना में प्रदूषण कम हुआ, जबकि चेन्नई और हैदराबाद में प्रदूषण का स्तर पहले जैसा ही बना रहा है। Delhi's air dirtiest among Indian megacities by wide margin: CSE report, News in hindi देश के महानगरों में प्रदूषण का स्तर - फोटो : अमर उजाला 2024-25 की सर्दियों में अन्य महानगरों का प्रदूषण स्तर (पीएम 2.5) हैदराबाद: 52 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर मुंबई: 50 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर बंगलूरू: 37 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर चेन्नई: 36 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर दिल्ली में प्रदूषण घटने के बावजूद स्थिति गंभीर दिल्ली में भले ही पिछले साल के मुकाबले प्रदूषण थोड़ा कम हुआ हो, लेकिन यह अभी भी स्वास्थ्य मानकों से बहुत अधिक है। विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन (डब्ल्यूएचओ) के अनुसार,स्वस्थ हवा के लिए PM2.5 का स्तर 15 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर से अधिक नहीं होना चाहिए। इसके मुकाबले दिल्ली का प्रदूषण स्तर ग्यारह गुना ज्यादा रहा है।

Chock-a-block Kolkata gets 17k more vehicles in first 2 months of year

KOLKATA: The first two months of the year have seen a record number of vehicles getting added to Kolkata's already-choked roads, exacerbating its traffic woes. Jump over 2023 number A total of 16,975 new vehicles were registered in the city's four regional transport offices in Jan-Feb, over a thousand more than the count for the same period in 2024 and 3,000 more than that in Jan-Feb 2023. The 21.5% increase over three years is driven largely by personalised vehicles, underlining the shift away from public transportation. Experts say the the surge, which is even greater than the pre-Covid peak level of 2019, reflects a decaying of the city's once-robust public transport system. "Trams remain largely discontinued, buses are being phased out without replacements, and infra development is prioritising private vehicles over mass transit," said mobility expert Anumita Roychowdhury of Centre for Science and Environment. Transport officials say the shift to private mobility raises concerns about long-term urban congestion and sustainability. "Once a model public transport city, Kolkata now risks the fate of Delhi and Bengaluru, where traffic snarls persist despite greater road space. This signals an urgent need to rethink urban mobility strategies before congestion spirals out of control," said A K Das, a former transport department chief traffic and transportation engineer. Steady rise in registration at Beltala, Behala PVDs At the centrally located PVD Beltala, new vehicle registrations for Jan jumped 48% over the same month 2023. For Behala RTO, the Jan registrations jump over 2023 was even higher at 55%. Behala has, in fact, witnessed a steady increase in vehicle registrations, with Jan figures rising from 765 in 2023 to 962 in 2024 and 1,189 in 2025. Feb also showed consistent growth, moving from 676 in 2023 to 851 in 2024 and 913 in 2025, suggesting a gradual rise in new vehicle ownership in this region. The Kasba RTO, interestingly, bucked the trend with the number of new registrations in both Jan and Feb dipping. January registrations climbed from 1,777 in 2023 to 2,039 in 2024 but dropped to 1,957 in 2025. February figures, too, moved from 1,656 in 2023 to 1,767 in 2024 before declining to 1,627 in 2025 Salt Lake, another key RTO, exhibited strong growth in January with registrations increasing from 1,771 in 2023 to 2,302 in 2024 and 2,343 in 2025. However, February figures dipped from 2,302 in 2023 to 2,024 in 2024 to 1,878 in 2025.

Chock-a-block Kolkata gets 17k more vehicles in first 2 months of year

A total of 16,975 new vehicles were registered in the city's four regional transport offices in Jan-Feb, over a thousand more than the count for the same period in 2024 and 3,000 more than that in Jan-Feb 2023. The 21.5% increase over three years is driven largely by personalised vehicles, underlining the shift away from public transportation. Experts say the the surge, which is even greater than the pre-Covid peak level of 2019, reflects a decaying of the city's once-robust public transport system. "Trams remain largely discontinued, buses are being phased out without replacements, and infra development is prioritising private vehicles over mass transit," said mobility expert Anumita Roychowdhury of Centre for Science and Environment. Transport officials say the shift to private mobility raises concerns about long-term urban congestion and sustainability. "Once a model public transport city, Kolkata now risks the fate of Delhi and Bengaluru, where traffic snarls persist despite greater road space. This signals an urgent need to rethink urban mobility strategies before congestion spirals out of control," said A K Das, a former transport department chief traffic and transportation engineer. Steady rise in registration at Beltala, Behala PVDs At the centrally located PVD Beltala, new vehicle registrations for Jan jumped 48% over the same month 2023. For Behala RTO, the Jan registrations jump over 2023 was even higher at 55%. Behala has, in fact, witnessed a steady increase in vehicle registrations, with Jan figures rising from 765 in 2023 to 962 in 2024 and 1,189 in 2025. Feb also showed consistent growth, moving from 676 in 2023 to 851 in 2024 and 913 in 2025, suggesting a gradual rise in new vehicle ownership in this region. The Kasba RTO, interestingly, bucked the trend with the number of new registrations in both Jan and Feb dipping. January registrations climbed from 1,777 in 2023 to 2,039 in 2024 but dropped to 1,957 in 2025. February figures, too, moved from 1,656 in 2023 to 1,767 in 2024 before declining to 1,627 in 2025 Salt Lake, another key RTO, exhibited strong growth in January with registrations increasing from 1,771 in 2023 to 2,302 in 2024 and 2,343 in 2025. However, February figures dipped from 2,302 in 2023 to 2,024 in 2024 to 1,878 in 2025.

Jairam Ramesh slams government over air pollution report

The Congress on Sunday criticised the government after a world air quality report ranked India as the world’s fifth most polluted country, and demanded that all “anti-people” environmental law amendments over the past 10 years be rolled back. In a statement, Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said the Swiss air quality technology company IQAIR has just released its 2024 World Air Quality Report which finds that India is the world’s fifth most polluted country. The Rajya Sabha MP said in his statement that according to the report, India’s population-weighted average concentration of fine particulate matter is 50.6 µg/m3 which is 10 times the WHO’s annual guideline level of 5 µg/m3. He claimed that according to the report, 74 of the world’s 100 most polluted cities are in India, and national capital New Delhi is the second-most polluted city in the world after Brynihat in Meghalaya. “Among the lesser-known tragedies of the non-biological PM’s reign is the rapidly deteriorating air quality nationally and the inattentiveness and policy chaos that has characterised the government’s response to it,” he said in his statement. Ramesh cited several studies in the past about air pollution-linked fatalities in the country. In early July 2024, he said, a study published in the prestigious Lancet journal showed that 7.2 percent of all deaths in India are associated with air pollution which comes about 34,000 deaths each year in just 10 cities. The former environment minister said that around the same time, a study by the Centre for Science and Environment revealed that the government’s interventions in pollution control are poorly designed, with the National Clean Air Program (NCAP) largely focused on mitigating road dust rather than industrial, vehicular, and biomass emissions -- the source of PM 2.5 that are the leading causes of mortality. To make matters worse, in the last five years, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has left more than 75 percent of the Environment Protection Charge (EPC) and Environmental Compensation (EC) funds unspent, he claimed, adding that in total `665.75 Crores have been left unutilised.

Cong hits out at BJP’s “denial mode” on India’air pollution crisis

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Sunday criticised the Centre for its handling of India's worsening air pollution crisis, highlighting alarming statistics and calling for urgent policy reforms. His remarks come in response to the 2024 World Air Quality Report by Swiss air technology company IQAir, which ranks India as the fifth most polluted country globally. The report reveals that 74 of the world's 100 most polluted cities are in India, with New Delhi as the second-most polluted city worldwide, following Byrnihat in Meghalaya. "Among the lesser-known tragedies of the non-biological PM's reign is the rapidly deteriorating air quality nationally and the inattentiveness and policy chaos that has characterised the government's response to it," the Congress leader said. The AIIC general secretary quoted a Lancet study published in June, 2024, pointing out that air pollution is responsible for 7.2% of all deaths in India, with approximately 34,000 deaths annually across ten cities. Senior Congress leader Ramesh accused the government of being in denial mode over the deaths due to pollution in the country. He cited an instance of 29th July 2024, wherein upon being asked a question about the Lancet study, the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change had "made the shocking claim in the Rajya Sabha that there was no conclusive data to directly correlate air pollution and deaths." He also highlighted a last year's study by the Mumbai-based International Institute of Population Sciences, stating that in districts where air pollution exceeds National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), there is a 13percent increase in premature mortality for adults and around 100percent increase in mortality for children. He said the data unraveled the "worst kept secret in India - that air pollution is costing thousands of Indians their lives and health." He said, "The government’s modus operandi is to deny that there is a real air pollution-linked mortality problem, under fund programmes targeted at mitigating pollution, fail to utilize the resources that it allocates, and misuse the funds that do get spent." According to the Congress leader, a study by the Centre for Science and Environment in July 2024 revealed that the government's National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) has been ineffective. In the last five years, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) left over 75 per cent of the Environment Protection Charge (EPC) and Environmental Compensation (EC) funds (Rs 665.75 crore) unutilised. The Congress leader also criticised NCAP's focus on controlling road dust while failing to address the primary sources of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution—industrial, vehicular, and biomass emissions—which he said are the leading causes of pollution-related deaths.

One more tiger reserve: why India needs them, the challenges some face

Madhav National Park in Shivpuri district, Madhya Pradesh, was declared a tiger reserve earlier this month, taking the tally of such reserves in the country to 58. The latest tiger reserve is spread over an area of 1,651 sq km, and currently has six tigers, including a cub. It is hoped that the notification of the new reserve will aid the movement of tigers in the Ranthambore-Kuno-Madhav National Park corridor, identified as a promising habitat for a growing tiger population. What is Project Tiger? Although native elites in India had been hunting big game for millennia, it was during British rule that this activity reached an unprecedented scale. Even after Independence, big game hunting flourished among Indian elites and tourists. For tigers, the apex predator of India’s forests, this had huge consequences. An alarm about declining tiger populations (also courtesy rapid deforestation to carve out farm land) was sounded in the 1960s. In 1969, the Indira Gandhi-led Union government banned the export of tiger skins. The very same year, the landmark 10th assembly of the International Union for Conservation of Nature in Delhi saw tigers being recognised as an endangered species, and a resolution being adopted to put a moratorium on their killing. The government also launched a task force to address the issue, headed by the chairman of the Indian Board for Wildlife, Karan Singh. The recommendations of this task force paved the way for the launch of Project Tiger in April 1973, soon after the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, was passed. This project was meant to last only for six years initially, but has continued to date. It was aimed at maintaining a viable population of tigers, and preserving their habitat. What is the purpose of tiger reserves? Project Tiger was launched with nine tiger reserves — Manas (Assam), Jim Corbett (now in Uttarakhand), Kanha (Madhya Pradesh), Palamau (now in Jharkhand), Ranthambore (Rajasthan), Simlipal (Odisha), Melghat (Maharashtra), Bandipur (Karnataka), and the Sundarbans (West Bengal). These reserves were notified in areas where national parks already existed and were provided funding through a centrally sponsored scheme. The purpose of the reserves was to create a “core” —where felling, grazing, and movement of people, except those involved in conservation activities, was prohibited — and a “buffer zone”, where human activity would be limited, ‘Joining the Dots’, the report of the 2005 tiger task force under Sunita Narain, noted. After amendments to the Wildlife Protection Act in 2005-06, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), a statutory body, was created for oversight on the implementation of Project Tiger. What is the distribution of tigers in India? India is home to an estimated 3,681 tigers (range 3167-3925), as per the last population estimation released in 2022-23. The big cats occupy around 89,000 sq km area, as per NTCA. That is equivalent to the area of Jordan, and larger than that of Austria. Tigers are broadly distributed across the following “landscapes” — Shivalik Hills and Gangetic Plains, Central Indian Highlands and Eastern Ghats, Western Ghats, North Eastern Hills and Brahmaputra floodplains, and the Sundarbans. Corbett, with 260 tigers, boasts the largest population of the big cat followed by Bandipur (150), Nagarhole (141), Bandhavgarh (135), Dudhwa (135), Mudumalai (113), Kanha (105), Kaziranga (104), Sundarbans (100), Tadoba-Andhari (97), Sathyamangalam (85), and Pench (77). Among states, Madhya Pradesh with 785 has the biggest tiger population, followed by 563 in Karnataka, 560 in Uttarakhand, and 444 in Maharashtra. A recent study published in the journal Science said that between 2006 and 2018, the area occupied by tigers has gone up by 30%, and more interestingly, some six crore people lived in around 45% of the area occupied by tigers. The study revealed that only 25% of the tiger habitats were in the core areas of tiger reserves, while buffer areas accounted for 20% of the big cat’s habitat. What are the areas of concern regarding tiger conversation? Today, there are 26 tiger reserves with a population of more than 50 tigers.

जंगल को जीवन देगी बंजर की हरियाली...वन संरक्षण के लिए जरूरी हैं उठाने ये 3 कदम

वन निःसंदेह प्रकृति ने बनाए हैं लेकिन इनके बाहर मानव ने भी असंख्य उपवन उपजाए हैं। वन संपदा को बचाना है तो स्थानीय समुदाय को उसके श्रम का पारिश्रमिक भी देना होगा अंतरराष्ट्रीय वन दिवस (21 मार्च) के अवसर पर सुनीता नारायण के इस आलेख में जानें भारत में वन प्रबंधन की शुरुआत कैसे हुई और भविष्य के लिए क्या करना चाहिए। सुनीता नारायण, नई दिल्ली। भारत में वन प्रबंधन ब्रिटिश सरकार के दौरान शुरू हुआ था। अंग्रेजों ने सामुदायिक भूमि सरकार के अधीन करके उसका राष्ट्रीयकरण कर दिया था। वन उनके लिए आर्थिक शोषण को पोषित करने का जरिया भर थे। स्वतंत्रता के बाद पहले चरण तक भारत ने इस दोहनकारी व्यवस्था को जारी रखा। दूसरा चरण बीसवीं शताब्दी के आठवें दशक में शुरू हुआ जब वन संरक्षण अधिनियम बना और इसमें संशोधन हुए। इस काल में वनों की कटाई रोकने के लिए जागरूकता पर जोर दिया गया। भारत का वनों के साथ जुड़ने का प्रयास ‘चिपको आंदोलन’ से शुरू हुआ जब ऊपरी हिमालय में रहने वाली महिलाओं ने पेड़ों को लकड़हारों द्वारा कटने से बचाने के लिए उन्हें गले लगा लिया, लेकिन हमने आंदोलन की गलत व्याख्या की। महिलाओं ने पेड़ों की कटाई इसलिए नहीं रोकी कि वे पेड़ों का काटा जाना नहीं चाहती थीं बल्कि इसलिए रोकी कि वे पेड़ों को कब काटा जाए, इसका अधिकार चाहती थीं। उन्हें पता था कि उनका अस्तित्व जंगलों से जुड़ा है। उन्हें चारे और जल संरक्षण के लिए इसकी जरूरत थी, लेकिन हमने आधा-अधूरा संदेश सुना और जब तक यह मैदानी इलाकों में सत्ता के गलियारों में पहुंचाया गया, तब तक और छोटा हो गया। हमने सुना है कि पेड़ों को हर कीमत पर संरक्षित करना जरूरी है। यह नहीं सुना कि हमें एक स्थायी भविष्य बनाने की जरूरत है जो स्थानीय अर्थव्यवस्थाओं के लिए लकड़ी के उपयोग पर आधारित हो! वन प्रबंधन के तीसरे चरण में वनीकरण मिशन की शुरुआत हुई। इसमें देशभर में वनों के बाहर अनुपयोगी बंजर भूमि (वेस्टलैंड) पर पेड़ लगाने पर जोर दिया गया। बहुत जल्द यह स्पष्ट हो गया कि वास्तविक बंजर भूमि वन विभाग के नियंत्रण में आती है। यह भी स्पष्ट हो गया कि वनों का अस्तित्व बचाने के लिए जरूरी है कि लोग अपने मवेशियों को बंजर भूमि पर लगाए गए पेड़ों से दूर रखें। इसी के मद्देनजर संयुक्त वन प्रबंधन की शुरुआत की गई और लोगों को घास जैसे वन उत्पादों पर अधिकार दिया गया। इसके बदले में लोगों को वन भूमि की रक्षा करनी थी ताकि वन बढ़ते रहें। संयुक्त वन प्रबंधन सफल नहीं हो पाया क्योंकि राज्य के वन विभाग की इस योजना में लोगों की भागीदारी सुनिश्चित नहीं हो पाई। वन विभाग भी तभी तत्पर दिखाई दिया, जब वर्षों से संरक्षित पेड़ कटाई के लिए तैयार थे। समझौते के तहत इसका पैसा ग्राम समुदाय को हस्तांतरित किया जाना था, लेकिन देशभर में यह देखा गया कि वन उत्पादों के लिए मिला धन बहुत कम था। यह ग्रामीण समुदाय के साथ मजाक जैसा था। इससे लोगों का भरोसा उठ गया और पेड़ों को फिर से उगाने का आंदोलन नष्ट हो गया। वर्तमान में चौथा चरण जारी है जिसमें वन संघर्ष के स्थायी युद्धक्षेत्र बन गए हैं। अनुसूचित जनजाति एवं अन्य परंपरागत वनवासी (वनाधिकारों को मान्यता) अधिनियम 2006 से इन्हें भूमि पर सामुदायिक अधिकार दिया गया। जनजातीय कार्य मंत्रालय के आंकड़ों के अनुसार करीब 17.1 लाख हेक्टेयर वन भूमि पर इन्हें स्वीकृत किया गया है, लेकिन इस भूमि व अन्य क्षेत्रों में वनीकरण की आवश्यकता पर बहुत कम ध्यान दिया जा रहा है। हमको अतीत से सबक लेते हुए पांचवीं पीढ़ी के वन सुधारों की दिशा में आगे बढ़ना चाहिए। आज निजी भूमि पर उगे पेड़ को काटना अपराध की श्रेणी में है, जबकि भारत अधिकांश लकड़ी उत्पादों का आयात करता है। जापान स्थित अंतर-सरकारी संगठन इंटरनेशनल ट्रापिकल टिंबर आर्गनाइजेशन की रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, इस प्रकार के लकड़ी उत्पादों का स्रोत आमतौर पर अफ्रीका व अन्य देशों में जंगलों की अवैध कटाई है। ऐसे में भविष्य में वन प्रबंधन के निम्न तीन एजेंडे होने चाहिए : बचे हुए अति सघन वनों की रक्षा उच्च गुणवत्ता और जैव विविधता से परिपूर्ण अति सघन वन का एक हेक्टेयर हिस्सा खोना भी हम बर्दाश्त नहीं कर सकते। इसलिए इन वनों की बेहद सख्ती से रक्षा की जानी चाहिए और ऐसे क्षेत्रों में किसी परियोजना को मंजूरी न दी जाए। यह बेहद संपन्न वन देश की सबसे गरीब आबादी की रिहाइश भी हैं। इस वन भूमि पर सह-अस्तित्व वाले समुदायों को वनों की सुरक्षा का पारिश्रमिक देना चाहिए। 12वें वित्त आयोग ने 2002 में वनों को संरक्षित करने वाले राज्यों को पुरस्कृत करने के लिए राज्य में वनों के क्षेत्र के अनुसार प्रोत्साहन-आधारित अनुदान की स्थापना की थी। 14वें वित्त आयोग ने इस अनुदान के लिए शर्तें हटा दीं जिसका अर्थ है कि राज्य इसका उपयोग करने के लिए स्वतंत्र हैं। बंजर जमीन पर पेड़ों को काटना-लगाना वन विभाग के अधीन आने वाला विशाल क्षेत्र बंजर रहता है। यह क्षेत्र लोगों और उनके पशुओं का आवास भी है, इसलिए पेड़ लगाने के लिए समुदायों की भागीदारी जरूरी है। वन अधिकार अधिनियम में सामुदायिक वन प्रबंधन का प्रविधान है और अब समय आ गया है कि राज्य इस दिशा में काम करें। इसका मतलब है कि लघु एवं बड़े वन उत्पादों का व्यापार हो। पेड़ों को काटना समस्या नहीं है, समस्या उन्हें फिर से न लगाने और उगाने की है। इस समस्या को दूर किया जाना चाहिए, ताकि घरों व फर्नीचर में सीमेंट, एल्युमिनियम अथवा स्टील के स्थान पर लकड़ी का उपयोग किया जा सके। अगर हम यह काम समुदाय के लाभ के लिए करें तो यह जीवनयापन, स्थानीय आर्थिकी और जलवायु परिवर्तन के लिए भी अच्छा है। वनक्षेत्र से बाहर लाइसेंस राज खत्म करना भारत वन स्थिति रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, लोग अपनी भूमि पर पेड़ लगा रहे हैं लेकिन इस बारे में बात नहीं होती कि यह वृक्षारोपण तमाम मुश्किलों के बाद हो रहा है। आज भारत में पेड़ काटना आपराधिक कृत्य है, भले ही वह निजी भूमि पर उगाया गया हो। भारतीय वन अधिनियम 1927 के तहत वनों के बाहर के पेड़ों से प्राप्त लकड़ी या अन्य उपज को भी वन उत्पाद के रूप में माना जाता है। इसके साथ ही राज्य सरकारों ने इसे अपने कई कानूनों से भी जोड़ दिया है, जो पेड़ों की विभिन्न प्रजातियों की कटाई और परिवहन को नियंत्रित करते हैं। जबकि सच्चाई यह है कि ग्रामीणों के लिए पेड़ बैंक खातों की तरह होते हैं। एक पीढ़ी जरूरत पड़ने पर पेड़ लगाती है और दूसरी पीढ़ी काटती है। (लेखिका पर्यावरणविद् हैं)

A SAGA OF RESILIENCE

Women are the worst impacted by environmental degradation and so are mindful about how to build a better tomorrow. This was the first learning of my environmental career. When I graduated from school in the early 1980s, environment was hardly an issue of public concern. It was certainly not a profession that my friends thought of joining. But environmental issues had reached the global arena. In 1972, the first major world conference on the environment was held in Stockholm. India’s then prime minister, Indira Gandhi, was one of the few developing world leaders who attended it. It was also in the 1970s, that news came of the movement in the remote Himalayas where women hugged trees to protect them from woodcutters. The “Chipko” movement, as it came to be known, brought consciousness of how the environment was important for the very poor, particularly the women. My work began with travels to the high Himalayas to understand why the women would want to stop the felling of trees. I began to see the connection between livelihoods and environment. For the millions of women in India, the environment—land, water, forests—was not a luxury; it was about their survival. The gross nature product was more important in their lives than the gross national product. I learnt that rejuvenating the natural asset was the way for economic growth; in fact, it was the way forward for India’s economic growth. The women who participated in the Chipko movement did not hug trees because they did not want them cut by the woodcutters, but because they wanted the first right to cut the trees—it was not a conservation movement but a development movement to build local livelihoods from natural resources. The early years of my career working with Anil Agarwal (founder editor of the magazine) taught me a lot. We travelled to the villages where communities had come together to build a green future. There I saw the difference that good management of forest and water could make to lives. Anil and I quickly learnt to look beyond trees, at ways to deepen democracy, so that these commons—in India, forests are mostly owned by government agencies but it is the poor, particularly women, who use them—could be regenerated. It became clear that without community participation, planting trees was not possible. For people to be involved, the rules for engagement had to be respected. To be respected, the rules had to be fair. This initiation helped me understand the challenges of climate change as well. In the same period, data released by a prestigious US research institution convinced our then environment minister that it was the poor who contributed substantially to global warming by doing “unsustainable” things like growing rice or keeping animals. Anil and I were pulled into this debate when a flummoxed chief minister of a hill state called us. He had received a government circular asking him to prevent people from keeping animals. “How do I do this?” he asked us. “Do the animals of the poor really disrupt the world’s climate system?” We were equally foxed. Our work told us that the poor were victims of environmental degradation. Here they were now, complete villains. How? With this question we embarked on our climate research journey. We quickly learnt that there was not much difference between managing a local forest and the global climate. Both were common property resources. What was needed, most of all, was a property rights framework, which encouraged cooperation. One, the world needed to differentiate the emissions of the poor (from subsistence paddy or animals) from that of the rich (from, say, cars). Survival emissions were not—and could not—be equivalent to luxury emissions. Two, managing a global common meant cooperation between countries. Just as a stray cattle or goat is likely to chew up saplings in the forest, any country could blow up the international climate agreement if it emits beyond what the atmosphere could absorb. Cooperation was only possible if benefits were distributed equally. We then developed the concept of per capita entitlements—each nation’s share of global greenhouse gas emissions—and used the property rights framework to set up rules of engagement that were fair and equitous. We said that countries using less than their share of the global emissions could trade their unused quota and use the incentive to invest in clean energy technologies. In all this, we told climate negotiators to think of the local forest and learn that the issue of equity is not a luxury. It is a prerequisite. Today, we know that climate change is an existential threat. It is happening and it is making the poor—who have not contributed to the making of the problem—more marginalised. To ensure that growth is equitable and that the poor across the world are not denied their right to development, the key is to invest in creating ecological assets—from rainwater harvesting to better food systems that are resilient. We must also redefine what we mean by resilience—often high-input agricultural systems are productive but less resilient. Farmers are more vulnerable to shocks when their debts are high. We need, therefore, to understand the strength of smallholder agricultural systems that are multi-crop, low-input and built for shocks. And this learning, particularly from women who play a vital but often overlooked role in building resilient food systems, must drive policy and practice of the future. (Courtesy: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/; Writer is Director General of CSE and editor of Down To Earth, an environmentalist who pushes for changes in policies, practices and mindsets)

Cong Hits out at govt over Air Quality Report Putting India as 5th Most Polluted Country

The Congress on Sunday attacked the government after a world air quality report ranked India as the world's fifth most polluted country, and demanded that all "anti-people" environmental law amendments over the past 10 years be rolled back. In a statement, Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said the Swiss air quality technology company IQAIR has just released its 2024 World Air Quality Report which finds that India is the world's fifth most polluted country. The Rajya Sabha MP said in his statement that according to the report, India's population-weighted average concentration of fine particulate matter is 50.6 µg/m3 which is 10 times the WHO's annual guideline level of 5 µg/m3. Follow our WhatsApp channel He claimed that according to the report, 74 of the world's 100 most polluted cities are in India, and national capital New Delhi is the second-most polluted city in the world after Brynihat in Meghalaya. "Among the lesser-known tragedies of the non-biological PM's reign is the rapidly deteriorating air quality nationally and the inattentiveness and policy chaos that has characterised the government's response to it," he said in his statement. Ramesh cited several studies in the past about air pollution-linked fatalities in the country. In early July 2024, he said, a study published in the prestigious Lancet journal showed that 7.2 percent of all deaths in India are associated with air pollution which comes about 34,000 deaths each year in just 10 cities. The former environment minister said that around the same time, a study by the Centre for Science and Environment revealed that the government's interventions in pollution control are poorly designed, with the National Clean Air Program (NCAP) largely focused on mitigating road dust rather than industrial, vehicular, and biomass emissions -- the source of PM 2.5 -- that are the leading causes of mortality. To make matters worse, in the last five years, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has left more than 75 percent of the Environment Protection Charge (EPC) and Environmental Compensation (EC) funds unspent, he claimed, adding that in total Rs 665.75 crores have been left unutilised. On 29th July 2024, he said, upon being asked a question about the Lancet study, the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change made the "shocking" claim in Rajya Sabha that there was "no conclusive data" to directly correlate air pollution and deaths. He further claimed that in August 2024, a study by the Mumbai-based International Institute of Population Sciences used government data from the National Family and Health Survey (NFHS V) to unravel the worst kept secret in India: that air pollution is costing thousands of Indians their lives and health. "In districts where air pollution exceeds National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), there is a 13 percent increase in premature mortality for adults and around 100 percent increase in mortality for children," he also claimed. "This Government's Modus Operandi is to deny that there is a real air pollution-linked mortality problem, underfund programmes targeted at mitigating pollution, fail to utilise the resources that it allocates, and misuse the funds that do get spent," Ramesh said. The Congress leader spelt out some steps the government must take moving forward. "The first step must be to acknowledge the public health crisis linked to air pollution across wide swathes of India. Consequently, given this crisis, we must revisit and totally revamp both the Air Pollution (Control and Prevention) Act of 1981 and the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) put into effect in November 2009. As per the NAAQS, the permissible concentration of fine particulate matter is 60 µg/m3 for a 24-hour period, and 40 µg/m3 annually - versus the guidelines of less than 15 µg/m3 for a 24-hour period and 5 µg/m3 annually set by the WHO," he said. Ramesh suggested the government must drastically increase the funds made available under the NCAP. The current budget, inclusive of NCAP funding and the 15th Finance Commission's grants, is about Rs 10,500 crores, spread across 131 cities, he said. "Our cities need at least 10-20 times more funding - NCAP must be made a Rs 25,000 crore programme. "The NCAP must adopt measurement of PM 2.5 levels as the yardstick for performance. NCAP must reorient its focus to key sources of emissions - burning of solid fuels, vehicular emissions, and industrial emissions," he said. The former environment minister also suggested that the NCAP must adopt a regional/airshed approach for air quality control, municipal and state authorities must have the governance architecture and resources required to collaborate across jurisdictions. The NCAP must be given legal backing, an enforcement mechanism, and serious data monitoring capacity for every Indian city, beyond the current focus only on "non-attainment" cities, he said. Ramesh also said that Air pollution norms for coal power plants must be enforced immediately and all power plants must install a Fluoride Gas Desulfurizer (FGD) by the end of 2025. "The National Green Tribunal's independence must be restored, and the anti-people environmental law amendments of the last 10 years must be rolled back," he said.

Mindless pollution: Teenagers shocked over sorry state of Umkaliar river

Operation Clean-Up (OCU), a citizens’ group comprising concerned individuals, groups, and institutions committed to cleaning rivers has been at it since 2019. They have been faithfully keeping to the schedule of cleaning up the Umkaliar river every fortnight. Their objective has been to concentrate on the upper reaches of the Umkhrah at the Umkaliar river. Their contention is that if the garbage is trapped before it enters the Umkhrah then there will be less garbage to deal with. Nearly six years down the line, the OCU team is overwhelmed by a deep desperation. So far, neither the MLA of the area where the Umkaliar flows through, nor the MDC has ever thought it fit to lend a helping hand in cleaning up the mess. The only politician who has lent some support to the OCU team was former KHADC CEM, Pyniaid Sing Syiem who visited the site twice with his team and was supposed to construct some barrier by the side of the Umkaliar to prevent people from washing vehicles right in the middle of the river, thereby causing massive pollution. Although OCU had visited a few schools to enlist their support in cleaning up rivers, the only school that responded and has been consistently bringing students to clean the river is KC Secondary School led by its headmaster Brian Wahlang. Other integral members of OCU include Jiva Cares led by Jiwat Vaswani, team Shubham led by Payal Bajaj, Col Shishupal Security Company (CSSC), Martin Luther Christian University (MLCU), IIM Shillong, Meghalaya Home Guards and committed individuals who show up every time a clean-up message is put up. When the OCU team arrived at the Umkaliar on Saturday, they found the river water almost black in shade with tonnes of garbage right in the middle of the river. Further down, women were washing clothes as usual completely unaffected by the fact that they were using dirty and polluted water to wash their clothes in. Mawjop Marwein, a Class 7 student of KC Secondary School, and his friends waded in the river and along with Team Jiva Cares began their cleaning up job in right earnest. Mawjop, with a look of incredulity asked one of the senior members of OCU why people were so cruel to the river. He was teary-eyed and took up the rake to pull out all the garbage from the river. He worked diligently, not stopping to take a breath as if his life depended on it. He looked at the women washing clothes without batting an eyelid and asked his teammates why they were not helping in the cleaning drive. There was no answer and there is no answer. The residents of Nongmensong wash their clothes there every single day and also discard plastic and soap containers in the river. They just don’t care because they think it is not their duty to keep the river clean. And that’s the problem: Citizens think it’s the duty of government to clean up streets, drains and rivers and it is their right to pollute. The OCU team has been pursuing with the KHADC to make car washing in the Umkaliar a punishable offence with a heavy fine to deter such individuals from doing so but the Nongmensong Dorbar Shnong has shown no inclination to stop the pollution of the river within their jurisdiction. The problem with enforcing anything to do with the environment is the lack of cohesion from different stakeholders. It’s time the KHADC, the Dorbar Shnong, the Forest and Environment department and the Water Resources department along with citizens’ groups converge and come up with a master plan that is designed to work. Studies by the Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi state that Meghalaya is heading for a drought. Before that calamity arrives the state ought to take cogent steps to avert this environmental disaster. KHADC Executive Member in charge of environment, Aibandaplin F Lyngdoh and KHADC Chairman Strong Pillar Kharjana were present to observe the state of the Umkaliar and to figure out what action the council can take to reduce the pollution level.