The world is today observing World Environmental Health Day. It is such a day which is an initiative toward providing environmental health for the betterment of human beings in the world. With pollution and climate change being critical issues of today and inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene as important problems, the day is spread with vast scope toward creating awareness as well as action. Indeed, in the case of India, the problems and opportunities in the domain of environmental health are tremendous and need focus now.
Global Significance of World Environmental Health Day
As part of the initiatives by International Federation of Environmental Health, IFEH, aimed at observation on 26th September every year, World Environmental Health Day focuses on awareness of a healthy environment for humankind and its effects on human life. This mainly applies to aspects concerning pollution in the air and water, climate change, and waste management.
Environmental health encompasses a wide range of issues that contribute to the degradation of quality of life in clean air and water supply, waste management, and effective use of natural resources. Bad environmental health not only promotes illness but also grossly retards economic development especially in developing countries like India. With this growing population and rapid urbanization, the challenges India faces in this regard are enormous but not insurmountable.
India’s Environmental Health Challenges
India itself accommodates more than 1.4 billion people and suffers with various environmental health issues. These include excessive air and water pollution along with inappropriate sanitation and waste management, all of which have dramatically affected public health needs. A report by Greenpeace Southeast Asia points out that air pollution alone accounted for over 1.6 million deaths in India in the year 2019, while underlining the critical need for better practices of air quality measures.
1. Air Pollution: India has 22 of the world’s 30 most polluted cities. Now, the capital, New Delhi is almost always at the top of the list. Sources of air pollution in India are basically industrial and vehicular emission, and burning crop residue while agricultural states like Punjab and Haryana take part in burning it. Some evidence shows that poor air quality is related to respiratory ailments, heart diseases, and a reduction in life expectancy.
2. Water Pollution: Water pollution remains one of India’s biggest environmental health issues. Most of the Indian rivers, including the holy Ganges, are highly contaminated due to untreated sewage, industrial wastes, and agricultural runoff. According to a report from the National Green Tribunal, more than 70% of the surface water in the country is polluted, affecting millions of people, mainly in rural areas, where clean drinking water is scarce.
3. Waste Management This is an issue that currently relates to the increased rate of fast urbanization and the rise in the population of India. India produces approximately 62 million tonnes of wastes yearly, but much of it is dumped in open landfills, partly left uncleansed. Ground and water resources get polluted due to their unsafe disposal, thus heightening public health risks. Apart from health hazards, these poorly managed wastes also cause much air pollution especially in urban centers where the burning of solid wastes is rampant.
Government Initiatives and Action
The Indian government launched various initiatives for improvement in both environmental and public health, considering such serious environmental health issues.
Swachh Bharat Mission, Clean India Mission: This is the national mission, which has been operational in the country since 2014, and is aggressively working upon a huge reduction in sanitation within the rural and all other areas of the country. The objective of this mission is to build toilets and stop open defecation in order to encourage more serious efforts towards waste management by the community. Since its inauguration, millions of toilets have been constructed and the rate of open defecation has been brought down significantly, thus contributing much more to the outcomes of public health.
National Clean Air Program (NCAP): Rolled out during 2019, NCAP is a program launched by India to cut the levels of air pollution in its most polluted cities. By a series of measures, the program aims to cut down the concentration of particulate matters by 20-30% by 2024 through tighter emission controls to be imposed on industries, enhanced monitoring of air quality, and promotion of cleaner fuels for transport.
Namami Gange Programme: In this project, the intention is to clean up and rejuvenate the Ganges by controlling pollution, as well as improving the quality of sewerage treatment infrastructures along the river banks. The government has allocated some serious moolah to clean up the river, water from which provides potable supply for about 500 million people and religious significance to millions of Indians.
Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT): The focus under AMRUT initiative would be urban reformation with a major focus on the water supply, sanitation, and storm-water drainage system. Improving planning and effective use of resources under the programme attempt to address the urban environmental degradation directly impacting the health of people in cities.
Civil Society and Private Sector:
While it is the government that initiates and hopefully reaches environmental health goals, civil society and the private sector are at least equally important in their attainment. Non-governmental organizations and the services they provide through various grass-root-level programs have been absolutely crucial in educating the masses and changing policy formulation.
Contribution by the Private Sector. Companies in India are actively moving towards sustainability and environmental health through the adoption of cleaner technologies, renewable energy promotion, and responsible waste management practices. Public-private partnerships will further accelerate the adoption of eco-friendly technologies and practices.
Community Involvement. Environmental health and sanitation approaches at grass root levels require the involvement of communities for effective results. Local community involvement in projects such as water conservation and harvesting, afforestation and management of solid waste with the support of NGOs and local governments directly contributed to better health outcomes and environmental sustainability.
The Future of India
With development, there must be balance between economy and the environment. Environmental health issues will call for a multi-pronged approach with government intervention and popular participation. The initiatives taken through Swachh Bharat, NCAP, and Namami Gange are right, but the implementation needs to step up, especially in urban and industrial areas where pollution is maximum.
Increased public awareness about the link between environmental health and individual well-being should also be fostered. Public education on topics like the danger caused by pollution, the benefits from segregation of waste, the importance of clean air and clean water will usher in a culture of sustainability.
It is on this World Environmental Health Day that the nation can take a good step to review its progress and reinforce its commitment to improve environmental health. For its challenges in the environment, challenges such as these require major sectors in this nation to collaborate in order to overcome their challenges.