Lok Sabha elections 2024: Experts vote for clean air, water

Before pollution levels make city a living hell, environment experts advise voters to choose their representatives on basis of how earnest their agenda is for policies to curb menace
People in Lucknow are inhaling air loaded with hazardous particulate matter five to six times higher than permissible limits, besides enduring deafening noise levels almost double the safe limits.Adding to their woes is the alarming dip in groundwater and river pollution. Ahead of Lok Sabha polls, experts recommend that policymakers should come up with a well-researched plan to combat pollution and promise specific steps, set specific goals to be attained in a certain duration.

LUCKNOW IN WORLD TOP 50 IN AIR POLLUTION
As per Swiss-based technology company IQAir's air pollution report 2022, Lucknow counts among 50 most air polluted cities of the world. The city reported ultra-fine particulate matter (PM)2.5 levels, 10 times more than the World Health Organisation approved limits. Lucknow stood at number 16 out of the top 50 most polluted cities of the world and at number 12 in the most polluted cities of Central and South Asia with an annual PM2.5 average level of 86 micrograms in 2021.
According to an updated Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) released by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) in 2023 fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) is estimated to shorten an average Indian's life expectancy by 5.3 years and in Lucknow by 9.7 years when compared to the (WHO) standards of 5 micrograms per cubic meter.
As per the post-monsoon air quality report 2023 released by the Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, the concentration of hazardous particulate matter (PM 10 and PM 2.5) was found to be 49% and 14% above safe limits of 60 and 100, respectively in various locations of the city compared to the same period last year and experts said it was evidence that nothing concrete had been done about the problem.
DISSOLVED OXYGEN BELOW ZERO IN GOMTI
According to a recent survey led by environmentalist Prof Venkatesh Dutta, dissolved oxygen in Gomti was recorded below zero in different stretches and only eight species of fishes out of 51 were left. Barring hyacinth, there were no other water plants in the river. The minimum dissolved oxygen level in a river to make its water potable should be around 8.5 mg/litre and 5 mg/litre to support flora and fauna.
GROUNDWATER DEPLETION, POLLUTION
The city's groundwater level has dipped to worrisome levels. In Kukrail forest, the greenest area of the city, groundwater level dropped from 19.47 meters in 2007 to 24.83 meters in 2023. "Political will is required for groundwater management and there is need to formulate a robust, actionable groundwater management mechanism with an integrated national groundwater regulation law, framing and implementing aquifer-wise groundwater extraction norms," said R S Sinha, former hydrologist at UP state groundwater department, stressing development of an online system to find periodic data on groundwater extraction for all user sectors, including domestic users, farmers and government establishments, for evolving true picture of groundwater extraction, which is currently 40-50% under-estimated (as reported by CGWB). The correct estimates will help determine the real groundwater crisis.
"Groundwater quality/ pollution has emerged as a new challenge for resource sustainability along with challenge of ensuring safe drinking water supply, as contaminated groundwater (arsenic, fluoride, irony, heavy metals) is being used for irrigation, posing risk for human health," said Sinha, suggesting that with huge daily extraction (1,800 mld) and continuous groundwater depletion, the tubewells should be phased out gradually and new wells constructed in potential peri-urban areas with promising aquifers for subsequent supply. He added, "This will de-stress the depleted city aquifers in years to come. In urban areas, new submersible borings should not be permitted in areas in jal sansthan supply zones.."
NOISE POLLUTION RISING
According to experts, only if govt imposed strict fines and banned vehicles, factories and others from creating noise, would the menace of sound pollution be curbed. As per IITR's post-monsoon noise pollution report 2023, noise levels in residential, commercial and industrial areas rose by 5.8%, 3% and 5.8% during the day and by 6.3%, 2.8% and 2.6%, respectively, during night, compared to a year before.