Bhubaneswar: A whopping 92 per cent of the world’s population are unable to breathe clean air because of air pollution which has been identified as the cause of the seven million deaths every year across the globe, eminent environmental scientist Prof Uma Charan Mohanty has said.
“Pollution is on the rise due to anthropogenic reasons but at the same time mankind needs energy and development, said to be the contributory factors for pollution. Air pollution is reducing our lifespan by two to three years,” said Mohanty, an Emeritus Professor at IIT, Bhubaneswar.
Around 1.2 million people die in India every year due to air pollution which was identified as the third biggest cause of death in the country, Mohanty said while addressing a pogramme organised on the occasion of World Environment Day here Wednesday.
Mohanty pointed out that the air quality in 102 cities of India is extremely poor. Six of these urban centres – Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Balasore, Rourkela, Angul and Talcher – are located in Odisha, informed Mohanty.
Vehicular traffic and industry contributed to 40 per cent and 25 per cent of air pollution respectively while it is also responsible for climate change and extreme weather events, pointed out Mohanty. He added that air pollution was also adversely contributing to climate change and triggering extreme weather events like cyclones of extreme intensity and heat waves while rainfall is getting erratic.
“Adaptation to climate change is important and our dependence should shift towards clean energy sources like solar, wind and hydro power,” Mohanty asserted and added, “If we can tap 30 per cent of available solar energy, we will not require any other source.”
PTI
