• Protecting public health while giving protection to environment is given importance in India’s constitution.
• Article 21 – Right to health is a part of right to life guaranteed under this article and right to health is thus a fundamental right.
• Article 48-A- under Directive principles of state policy, the state shall endeavor to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wild life of the country.
• Article 51 A- Aims to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life, and to have compassion for living creatures.
• Health is one of the United Nations’ sustainable development goals.
• The effects of exposure to bad air are experienced most by the vulnerable section of society — children, the elderly, pregnant women and those with pre-existing health conditions.

• According to The Lancet - In India, in 2019, 17.8% of all deaths and 11.5% of respiratory, cardiovascular and other related diseases were due to high exposure to pollution.
• During winters the air quality reaches toxic levels. Crop residue burning and vehicular pollution are among the major reasons behind such high levels of air pollution.

Temperature inversion in winter

• In winter, a confluence of natural phenomena exacerbates air pollution. Overcast weather, in particular, tends to trap the pollution beneath the cloud. In this kind of temperature inversion, the warm air acts as a lid, covering air pollutants.
• Air temperature usually falls along with increased elevation. But sometimes during the night, and more often during cold nights, there is a warm layer of air between the layers of cooler air. This is called temperature inversion. Here we will explain the origin of the following 3 types of temperature inversion connected to air pollution. They are as follows:

1. Surface inversion
2. Subsidence inversion
3. Frontal inversion

1. Surface inversion usually occurs during cold and windless nights. During cold winter nights, the earth surface loses temperature very fast. The air close to the surface gets cooler faster than the air above it. This is how the warmer layer of air, above the colder one, comes to be formed.

2. Subsidence inversion occurs around high-pressure centres when a large air mass moves downward. And if it continues further down near the ground then this air close to the surface becomes colder than the air above it. Subsidence inversion is more often seen near subtropical oceans and the Nordic continents because they are located in high-pressure centres.
3. Frontal inversion happens on the borders of hot and cold fronts. The cold air mass is denser and pushes the hot air above it. Thus the lighter hot air stays above the cold and denser one and this is how this phenomenon occurs.

• So what is the correlation between temperature inversion and air quality? Warm layers prevent the air below it passing through. Thus, pollutants from household heating, vehicle exhausts, and other industrial pollutants circulate near the surface. The concentration of toxins in the air we breathe increases and we get stuck in a “Large Dome”.
• A city located in a valley and close to a mountain is more liable to experience temperature inversion than other cities. The cold air is denser and heavier; therefore it often slides down the mountain slope and ends up in a valley, leaving the warmer air above.
• So, in reality, winter air is actually worse. If you suffer from asthma or congestive problems then you should pray for storms – rain or snow – popularly known as ‘scrubbers’, to clear the air. Otherwise, especially in Asia, excessive quantities of harmful components – lead, zinc and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons – contaminate the air. So winter air pollution definitely aggravates breathing problems.

Government initiatives

• Union government released the National Policy for Management of Crop Residue.
• Formation of commission of air quality management
• it was set up for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas for better co-ordination, research, identification and resolution of problems related to air quality index and other such matters connected with it.
• Steering committee on air pollution and health related issues formed by health minister.
• National ambient air quality standards (NAAQs) was formed to protect public health and environment from air pollution.
• Steering committee on air pollution and health related issues formed by health minister.
• Aim-to develop a prescription that would primarily focus on health benefits.
• It prioritised interventions that contributed most in reducing exposure and thus providing health benefits.
• It brought to light local and global epidemiological evidence of harmful effects of air pollution.
• It suggested policy measures that aligns itself with science (for example- focusing on household cook stove smoke).

Drawbacks in government initiatives

• Commission for Air Quality Management lacks representation of health.
• The National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQs) review is opaque process as it does not determine local conditions and impact of pollution on vulnerable group.
• “Polluters pay” principle has been transformed into “pay and pollute” principle.
• Isolated nature of policymaking and an insufficient understanding of health among policymakers.
• According to Centre for Policy Research health sector representatives forms less than 5% of the membership of State Pollution Control Boards.
• Many policy level decisions related to pollution are made without any consideration of their potential second and third order effects, especially on health.

Suggestions

• Bringing changes in policy design
• Need to formulate policy to stop stubble burning.
• Proper implementation of policy for thermal power plants.
• Approach like Health ministry’s steering committee on air pollution and health related issues should be promoted
• Indian air pollution policies must include ‘Health’ impacts in air pollution policy

The approach to tackle air pollution has been tried and many has proven effective yet a lot has to be done in this area. The choice lies before us whether today we want to focus on science and health which is a long road of fixing this problem or continue on the same path that has led us to this smoggy status quo.