The National Pollution Control Day or National Pollution Prevention Day is observed on December 2 every year in India. The objective of the day is to raise awareness about the different measures to control pollution and the prevention of industrial disasters. National Pollution Control Day is especially observed in the memory of people who died in the Bhopal gas tragedy of 1984.
History of National Pollution Control Day
Regarded as one of the worst industrial environmental catastrophes in the history of India, the Bhopal Gas Tragedy took place on the intervening night of December 2 and 3, 1984, when a deadly gas, methyl isocyanate, leaked from Union Carbide India Limited’s pesticide facility in Madhya Pradesh. It resulted in more than 3,700 deaths with over 5 lakh people being exposed to the toxic gas.
Ever since, December 2 has been designated as National Pollution Control Day to raise awareness about how industrial disasters can be prevented and pollution controlled.
Significance of National Pollution Control Day
On this day, the spotlight is on different ways to lower pollution levels in the air, water, and soil, promote the use of renewable resources, and recycled goods, reduce the emission of harmful pollutants, and waste of natural resources.
Air pollution accounts for 2.18 million deaths per year in India, second only to China, according to a modelling study published in the medical journal The BMJ.
The research found that air pollution from using fossil fuels in industry, power generation, and transportation accounts for 5.1 million extra deaths a year worldwide.
Dr Shuchin Bajaj, Consultant Internal Medicine, Ujala Cygnus Group of Hospitals, New Delhi noted that air pollution in India has emerged a critical public health concern, contributing significantly to premature deaths.
"The pervasive levels of pollutants, such as particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide, pose severe respiratory and cardiovascular risks to the population. High concentrations of PM2.5, tiny particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs, have been linked to respiratory diseases, heart ailments, and other health complications," Bajaj, who was not involved in the study, said.
(With inputs from PTI)
Read more: Six in 10 residents in Delhi, Mumbai willing to relocate due to air pollution: Survey
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