Editorial 1 : What we burn is what pollutes
Introduction: Acknowledging the true impact and sources of our pollution crisis is the first step toward meaningful action. 25 years ago, government had the knowledge about source of air pollution in India. It is just all the governments brushed this concerns aside, which ha snow manifested into an unavoidable problem in India in the form of deadly polluted air.
The Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX)
- Conducted in 1999-2000, over 200 scientists from the US, Europe, Maldives, and India participated.
- Led by V Ramanathan from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
- Focused on studying haze over the Indian Ocean using aircraft, ships, surface stations, and satellites.
- Discovery: A giant brown cloud over the Indian Subcontinent and the Indian Ocean (Oct-Feb), called the Indian Ocean Brown Cloud or Asian Brown Cloud.
- Cause: Mainly biomass burning (agricultural residue, fuelwood, dung cakes) and fossil fuels (coal).
- Findings:
- The haze travels thousands of kilometres, impacting regional temperatures, precipitation, and pollution levels.
- Affects agriculture, leading to reduced productivity, and contributes to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
Controversy Over the Report
- UN Environment Programme published the INDOEX Report in 2002.
- Some Indian scientists opposed the term “Asian Brown Cloud,” suggesting it was not unique to India.
- The name was changed to Atmospheric Brown Cloud with a Focus on Asia.
- Political Influence: South Asian governments largely ignored the findings.
Ongoing Air Pollution Crisis in India
- Current Situation: A dense brown haze, up to 3 km thick, continues to blanket the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP), harming lives, livelihoods, and the economy.
- Air Quality: Most Indian cities fail to meet national ambient air quality standards, which are already lenient compared to WHO guidelines.
- Primary Causes: Identified 25 years ago (biomass and coal burning) remain largely unchanged.
PM2.5 Emissions in India (2023 Study Findings)
- India emits about 52 lakh tonnes of PM2.5 annually (excluding natural and manmade dust).
- 55% of emissions come from biomass burning (agricultural residue, fuelwood, and dung cakes).
- 6.5% from stubble burning.
- 37% from industries and power plants (mostly coal burning).
- 7% from the transport sector.
- Dust from roads, construction, and barren land contributes to particulate pollution (especially PM10).
Solutions to Address Air Pollution
- Energy Transition:
- Shift households to LPG, biogas, or electricity for cooking and heating.
- This will reduce PM2.5 emissions and prevent 800,000 premature deaths from indoor air pollution.
- Implement a targeted policy like the PM Ujjwala Yojana with incentives for low-income households.
- Industry and MSMEs:
- Encourage the adoption of cleaner fuels and technologies (e.g., electric boilers and furnaces) in industries.
- Enforce stringent pollution norms for larger industries and power plants.
- Modernize pollution control boards for more effective monitoring and enforcement.
- Stubble Burning:
- Promote technology to reduce stubble, e.g., combine harvesters that leave minimal stubble.
- Incentives (Rs 1,000 per acre) and disincentives (fines, exclusion from government schemes) to encourage sustainable stubble management.
- Electric Vehicles and Public Transport:
- Scale up electric vehicles (EVs) and public transport to reduce automobile emissions.
- Set clear EV adoption targets and promote public transport as a lifestyle choice.
- Local Pollution Control:
- Strengthen local bodies to address dust from roads and construction, garbage burning, and traffic congestion.
Conclusion: The science behind air pollution in India has been clear for decades, but political and ideological debates have stalled action. Real progress will come only when we accept the science and tackle the root causes of pollution head-on.
Editorial 2 : Blunt instrument
Introduction: It has been more than 19 months that violence hit Manipur. All the efforts of Centre to bring back normalcy in Manipur have been failed. On top of that now Centre has reimposed the Disturbed Area status under the Armed Force Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in six police stations of the state. Looking at the history of AFSPA in Northeast, this move is watched at great concern in India.
The history of ‘ethnic conflicts’ in Manipur
- Ethnic identities have always played an important role in the socioeconomic life of Manipur- they have influenced landownership patterns and shaped the contours of the state’s political fault lines.
- The latest conflict began with a Meitei demand for ST status and a Kuki-Zomi pushback.
The resilience of Manipuri people
- The conflict has displaced people from both sides and taken a heavy toll of lives and livelihoods of people.
- Today, volunteers from both communities reportedly patrol villages as part of “defence committees”.
The administrative and security failure in Manipur
- More than 5,000 weapons looted during the early months of the conflict remain missing.
- The police and the army have not been on the same page in how to deal with the warring groups.
- The problem also is that the state government continues to view the problem from the sole prism of law and order.
- Its blinkered outlook could compound the difficulties of the Armed Forces in the Northeast, at a time when neighbouring Myanmar and Bangladesh are embroiled in political turmoil.
History of AFSPA in Manipur
- AFSPA was first imposed in Manipur in 1958 in the Naga-dominated districts of Senapati, Tamenglong and Ukhrul.
- In the 1960s, the Act was extended to the Kuki-Zomi-dominated Churachandpur district.
- The rest of the state came under its sway in 1979, when groups in the Meitei-dominated Imphal Valley began an armed insurgency.
- The sweeping powers it provides to the Armed Forces made the Act unpopular.
Resistance against AFSPA
- In 2000, activist Irom Sharmila began a hunger strike against AFSPA that would continue for 16 years.
- In 2004, the then-UPA government set up a five-member committee under former Supreme Court Justice Jeevan Reddy.
- The Commission recommended the repeal of AFSPA a year later, describing the Act as “highly undesirable”.
- The Second Administrative Reforms Commission endorsed these recommendations.
Gradual Withdrawal of AFSPA
- The Centre has been scaling back the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) from various parts of the Northeast.
- Reason: Decline in militancy, aided by the government’s development projects.
Manipur as an Outlier
- Once one of the most prosperous states in the Northeast, Manipur now lags behind in most socioeconomic indicators.
- Unlike other states, Manipur continues to struggle with political and administrative failures.
Conclusion: Northeast as a region and Manipur as a state particularly had suffered from the ebb and flow of militancy and violences. Bringing back normalcy here is in everyone’s interest. It’s imperative that the Centre and state government address political and administrative failures, and not resort to blunt measures such as the restoration of AFSPA.