The
Centre and States must urgently address farm residue
burning in north India
Delhi’s
air quality deteriorates
with unfailing regularity at
this time of the year, with large swathes of north
India in the grip of a suffocating smog, but the State governments that can
make it easier for millions to breathe do not act with any sense of urgency.
That it has turned into a public health emergency in the capital, with
the air
quality index touching extremely hazardous
levels in some
parts, necessitating the closure of primary schools, has further lowered its
standing. It is unconscionable for governments, through indifference
and inaction, to subject citizens to such toxic air, and cause extreme
suffering especially among people with respiratory ailments and impaired lung function. The smog that envelops the region
is exacerbated by the burning
of biomass in Punjab and Haryana, and the winter atmosphere is marked by weak ventilation. An
analysis of local sources by IIT-Kanpur last year pointed to construction dust,
vehicular pollution, and domestic and industrial emissions as other major
factors. Clearly, the burden of such chronic problems has outweighed the
benefits conferred by measures such as the ban on Deepavali crackers, and in
the past, the shift to compressed natural gas for commercial vehicles and
restricting car use to odd and even number plates on alternate days. A
comprehensive solution demands that the governments of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana
and Uttar Pradesh, assisted by the Centre, address farm residue burning and
construction dust.
The post-monsoon — as opposed to pre-monsoon — burning of rice
and wheat residue releases maximum aerosols that contribute to the volume of
PM2.5, which gets embedded in the lungs. Automation of farm operations leaves root-bound crop waste after
machine harvesting, running to millions of tonnes, requiring a solution of
scale. Sustainable residue removal cannot be achieved by the farmers alone, and
requires help from the state machinery. Here, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal should
be commended for his initiative to discuss the modalities of joint action with
the Punjab and Haryana governments. The national capital needs a major greening
effort. Unpaved surfaces raise dust levels as in all Indian cities, but civic
agencies ignore the problem. There is every reason to think that even the
Ministry of Environment’s orders issued in 2015 under the Air (Prevention and
Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 to comprehensively green Delhi’s road margins
and open spaces were not pursued seriously. Shifting more of the city’s travel
to comfortable public transport can cut fine particulates in congested areas
and improve the air for residents. Many such initiatives were taken up by China
in its cities to reduce exposure to PM2.5 that produces morbidity from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and leads to
premature death. Only a determined response to the crisis can spare Delhi of
its infamous tag as one of the most polluted cities on the planet.
1. RESIDUE < RE /SI /DEW >
Noun
Meaningà a small amount of something that remains after the main part has gone
or been taken or used.
Synà remainder , rest , remnants ,part leftover , remaining part.
Exampleà"the fine residue left after the
sorting of tea"
Antonymsà base
2. DETERIORATES < DEE /TOA /RY/ATE/S >
Verb [3rd person
present]
Meaningà become progressively worse
Synà decline
, degenerate,be in decline,get worse, worsen.
Antonym-à grow
Exampleà
"relations
between the countries had deteriorated sharply"
3. SWATHES <
SWA /THS/ >
Noun
Meaningà a broad strip or area of something.
Exampleà "vast swathes of countryside"
4. HAZARDOUS <H
/ZA /DUS >
Adjective
Meaningà risky; dangerous.
Synà dangerous
, unsafe , perilous , precarious ,insecure.
Antonymsà secure
Exampleà "we work in hazardous conditions"
5. UNCONSCIONABLE <
UN/ KON/SHEE /O/NABLE >
Adjective
Meaningà not right or
reasonable.
Synà unethical , immoral, wrong,
unprincipled, indefensible
Exampleà "the unconscionable conduct of his
son"
6. AILMENTS < AE/L /MENS >
Noun
Meaning à an illness,
typically a minor one.
Synà illness, disease, malady, affliction, sickness
Antonymà health
Exampleà
"the doctor diagnosed a common stomach
ailment"
7. BIOMASS <
BAA/YO /MAAS >
Noun
Meaningà organic matter used as a fuel,
especially in a power station for the generation of electricity.
Exampleà The biomass that fuels the bus comes from processed
vegetation.
Synà
bio fuel ,bio energy,
solid fuel, combustible, genotype
Antonymà fossil fuel
8. EMBEDDED < EM /BAE /DED >
Verb[In Past
Tense]
Meaning
à fix (an object) firmly and
deeply in a surrounding mass
Exampleà "he had an operation
to remove a nail embedded in his chest"
Synà Implant, fix, insert, root,
lodge,plant.
9. AUTOMATION <
AO/TOA/MAE /SH/N >
Noun
Meaningà the use or introduction of
automatic equipment in a manufacturing or other process or facility.
Exampleà "unemployment due to the spread of automation"
Antonymà manual
10.
MORBIDITY
<MOAR /B /DY/TEE >
Noun
Meaningà the condition of being diseased
Exampleà
"the
therapy can substantially reduce respiratory morbidity in infants"
antonym à
cheerful
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