AMN /
Union Environment Minister Anil Dave today said a study will soon be conducted by Health Ministry on global reports linking deaths to air pollution.
Speaking to media in New Delhi, Mr Dave’s remark came after a recent study, ‘State of Global Air 2017’, stated that surpassing China, India now accounts for the maximum number of premature deaths from air pollution in the world.
The Lancet, a UK medical journal in its recent study, had also said that the air Indians breathe is turning more toxic by the day and an average of two deaths take place daily due to air pollution. Mr Dave said the Environment Ministry regularly asks state governments and local bodies to take appropriate measures.
Mr Dave said that Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute had earlier conducted a study which concluded that air pollution aggravates certain diseases but this is not the only reason behind diseases or mortality.
He said the government is monitoring the trend of various air pollutants across the country under the National Air Quality Programme. The minister informed that the monitoring network comprises 680 manual stations spread over 300 cities in 29 states.
He said, the government has embarked upon universalization of BS-IV standards by 2017 for all types of vehicles. Mr Dave said it has also been decided to leapfrog from BS-IV to BS-VI standards within the next three years by April 2020. He said, government has banned burning of leaves, biomass and municipal solid waste to control pollution in the NCR.