National Pollution Prevention Day 2019
Quick Points:
- National Pollution Control Day is observed on 2 December to raise awareness about the problem caused by increasing pollution.
- It is celebrated annually in the honour of the thousands who lost their lives in Bhopal gas tragedy on 2nd – 3rd December 1984.
- We should take certain measures to reduce pollution at our level.
National Pollution Control Day is celebrated on 2 December in order to raise awareness about the problem caused by increasing pollution. Pollution is a major problem which is faced by the whole world these days. So, it is necessary to take some measures and combat it. Here are answers to some of your questions- what are the objectives of this day, why is it celebrated on 2 December, what are the measures taken by the Government to reduce pollution, etc.
Objectives of National Pollution Control Day
The main objective is to spread awareness among people and in the industries about the activities or pollutants that cause various pollution like water, air, soil, noise and affect the environment and health. Bhopal gas tragedy, in which leakage of poisonous gas ‘Methyl Isocyanate (MIC)’ took place, is the worst tragedy happened in the world so far. It is also important to give knowledge to the people about pollution so that a better or clean environment can be formed. The Government in India has made various laws to combat pollution like in Delhi the Govt. decreased vehicles running on the road, implemented odd and even. National Pollution Control Board (NPCB) is the main governing body, which regularly conducts checks on industries to know whether they are following environmental rules and regulations or not.
Here is a video for you to look at and know and understand about this day better:
Why is National Pollution Control Day celebrated?
The aim behind the celebration of this day is to commemorate the people who lost their lives in the incident of Bhopal Gas Tragedy. The unfortunate incident occurred on this day in the year 1984.
About Bhopal Gas Tragedy
Today is the 35th anniversary of Bhopal Gas Tragedy that took the life of thousands of people at the midnight on December 2 in the year 1984. It is considered as the world’s worst industrial disaster. Bhopal Gas Tragedy occurred after a highly toxic methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas made its way into and around the area which was situated near the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal. According to the official data, the incident took the lives of 2,259 people immediately after the incident. However, the government of Madhya Pradesh has confirmed that a total of 3,787 people died due to the gas release.
Factors Causing Gas Tragedy
- Storing MIC in the big tanks in place storing in to many smaller drums.
- Use of more dangerous chemicals (MIC) in place of lesser ones.
- Poor preservation of the gas after the stoppage of production in 1980s by the plant.
- Presence of corroding material in the pipelines.
- Malfunctioning of the various safety systems.
- Manual dependence for the operations, shortage of expert operators as well as lack of disaster management plans.
Other Tragedies
Other big tragedies in the history of world are:
- The Three Mile Island tragedy of the year 1979 of the American nuclear power station. It was the big tragedy of the history. It occurred at the Nuclear Generating Station of the Three Mile Island in the Dauphin County, Pennsylvania (near the Harrisburg).
- Another big historical tragedy was the Chernobyl disaster of the year 1986 in the Ukraine.
- After Bhopal Gas tragedy in India, the other immediate disaster was the Oleum gas leak which occurred in the Shriram Food & fertilizes Ltd complex in Delhi.
Importance of National Pollution Control Day
According to the National Health Portal of India, every year around 7 million people globally die due to air pollution. It also states that the condition is so worse that nine among ten people globally do not have access to safe air. The pollutants present in the air can potentially pass through the protective barriers present in the body and can damage your lungs, brain, and heart. Air pollution is responsible for the damage of the ozone layer. This shows how impactful air pollution is.
Understanding the significance of National Pollution Control day, Capt.Sandeep Singh Sandhu, the Political Advisor to CM-Punjab and General Secretary of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee tweeted:
What are the Prevention Methods taken by the Indian Legislation?
Indian government has launched a variety of acts and rules for the control and prevention of pollution all over India. Some of them are:
- Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act of 1974
- Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Cess Act of 1977
- Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act of 1981
- Environment (Protection) Rules of 1986
- Environment (Protection) Act of 1986
- Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical Rules of 1989
- Hazardous Waste (Management & Handling) Rules of 1989
- Manufacture, Storage, Import, Export & Storage of Hazardous Micro- Organisms Genetically Engineered Organisms or Cells Rules of 1989
- Chemical Accidents (Emergency, Planning, Preparedness and Response) Rules of 1996
- Bio-Medical Waste (Management & Handling) Rules of 1998
- Recycled Plastics Manufacture & Usage Rules of 1999
- Ozone Depleting Substances (Regulation) Rules of 2000
- Noise Pollution (Regulation & Control) Rules of 2000
- Municipal Solid Waste (Management & Handling) Rules of 2000
- Batteries (Management & Handling) Rules of 2001.
- Maharashtra Bio- Degradable Garbage (Control) Ordinance of 2006
- Environment Impact Assessment Notification of 2006
Different ways to reduce Pollution
- Pollution can be reduced by treating and managing solid waste.
- By the facility of Biochemical waste, the reuse of waste pollution can be reduced.
- By the treatment of Electronic waste, pollution can be reduced.
- Pollution in Urban areas can be reduced by the Clean Development Mechanism Project.
Therefore, it is important to control pollution. It is not only the Government duty, we should also participate and make the environment clean and live disease-free. Clean Environment helps people to do their work in a better way and live a happy and healthy life.
