The Indian Express reported that India ranks highest in a number of deaths due to pollution. Over 2.5 million people died due to pollution. Our two neighbours, China and Pakistan, rank second and third on the list. India is heading towards becoming the largest populated country in the world in next 30 years. The studies have shown that India will have a demographic advantage over China as the population in China is ageing.

India’s median age is 27 years, advantageous enough to play a larger role in the world. First of all, any country or any geographical area should quit thinking they can be a guide to rest of the world. Our country should be no exception to this principle. And we have to evolve solutions to solve the complex problems facing our country through humility and mindfulness.

The nationalists have always tried to use the plank of myths to extol the country, but the statistics tell a contradictory theory. Accepting the reality is the only way out to come out of the mess that our country has created. Despite the order of the High Court in New Delhi, the citizens could not restrain themselves from not bursting the firecrackers. Though the Pollution Control Board reported that this year the pollution level was not so high, it is still a big problem.

India is just 60 years old country created by the constitution of India and it will take a few more decades before the constitution crystalises into the day to day life of people. For that to happen, the citizens must learn to respect the laws. The respect for laws in India is a very concern. We are still governed by archaic laws which are affecting the day to day lives of people.

The industrial pollution lowers the GDP, in the long run, is proved by the economists like Kuznet. The sustainability of the communities and that of the economy largely depend on pollution level as the environment is the only source of material development. India’s soil is polluted because of the wrongful use of fertilisers and pesticides. The poor farmers have no other way to increase their yield unless they use “pesticides” that can use them. The recent deaths in Maharashtra due to pesticides is a case in point. The dwindling quality of soil will not only lead to low yield, but also considerable damages to the health of the common citizens.

The air pollution is not only increasing in the industrial cities, but the general quality of air is declining. The water is polluted, we just have to go to any riverside and see how the water in the river is polluted. Above all of this, Indian mind is increasingly getting polluted by caste and communalism. In the economic terms, pollution is a negative externality which creates problems for all and hence strong laws can only counter them. That is why it comes to Governmental initiatives to stop pollution majorly.

Author – Mangesh Dahiwale