NGT issues notice to authorities over claim that pollution is a major factor in deaths – The Week

New Delhi, Oct 22 (PTI) The National Green Tribunal has sought response from the Center and nine state pollution control boards, along with the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, on a study cited by a newspaper claiming that poor air quality is having serious consequences for mortality rates around the world. 10 major Indian cities.
The green body heard a case in which it took suo motu notice of a newspaper report, which cited a Lancet study, which stated that approximately 33,000 deaths annually were linked to levels of air pollution exceeding World Health Organization guidelines.
The report examined the cities of Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Shimla and Varanasi.
In an order passed on October 15, a bench of NGT Chairman Justice Prakash Shrivastava said, “As per the news report, the findings of the study show that even cities that were previously considered less polluted like Mumbai, Bengaluru, Calcutta and Chennai, are significantly less polluted. affected and it is claimed that this is largely due to emissions from vehicles, industrial activities and construction dust.”
The bench, which also consisted of Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and an expert member, said the news report claimed that children, the elderly and persons with pre-existing health conditions were particularly susceptible to the ill effects of air pollution.
“It is also claimed that exposure to high levels of particulate matter or PM2.5 and other pollutants leads to male and/or female infertility and that air pollution can lead to reduced sperm quality, hormonal disruptions and a higher risk of miscarriage,” the bank said . .
The tribunal noted that the report raised substantial issues relating to compliance with environmental standards.
It called as respondents or parties the Secretary of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Secretaries of the Central Pollution Control Board and DPCC, and the Pollution Control Boards of Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
“Issue notice to the above-mentioned respondents for filing their reply/response by way of affidavit before the tribunal at least one week before the next hearing (on October 23),” the tribunal said.