During the last presidential debate, President Trump stated in strong words that India’s air is “filthy”. He was right, however, he could have used more diplomatic words with a less harsh tone.
Over the years, air pollution first increased gradually and then with the increased motorized transportation, the increase was rampant. When I was growing up in India in the 1950s, one could see stars and the Milky Way in the sky. Now one can rarely see any star: Emphasis on coal and diesel based power plants, mostly inefficient, and introduction of single cycle two and three wheelers using a mixture of motor oil and petrol, the worst form of pollution, added to the problem. The pollution was enhanced further with the emphasis on cars and less emphasis on mass transit. Due to frequent power outages, a number of residences and businesses installed inefficient diesel based generators, another big source of pollution. As discussed below, Indian customs, with the increased population, made pollution worse.
I live in the USA and anytime I visited India, which I did frequently prior to the Corona epidemic, I would get sick and come back with a cough or cold. One time, an expert commented that the air in Delhi was like sitting in a gas chamber and is equal to smoking 40 cigarettes a day. For the last two to three years, I was forced to wear a mask. How can it be made less filthy? With everything getting politicized by cheap politics and confused and lowly educated politicians, it would be remarkable if the air can be made less filthy as clean air is not possible through a political or legislative process.
The emphasis on the auto based industry should be reduced significantly; cars and petrol should be made expensive to discourage driving; and more mass transportation should be developed. The odd even day car restriction did wonders on Delhi. Not only it reduced pollution, it reduced traffic congestion also. This practice should be implemented in all major cities. Leaded petrol and diesel based vehicles should be phased out and replaced with compressed gas and electric vehicles. India has a lot of sun shine and every building should be equipped with solar panels. This would reduce the need for burning fossil fuels for power generation. It could result in power plant owners crying about economic losses caused by the reduced power generation. It is better to financially compensate them rather than allow them to emit smoke and pollutants. No new fossil fuel generators be allowed and all old fossil fuel generators should be retired. All kinds of emissions, air, liquid and solid, should be controlled strictly. If emissions are not reduced in any areas because inspectors are bribed, inspectors should be fired and put in jails.
Burning wood and coal for heating and cooking should be reduced significantly by providing financial aid to those who cannot afford the alternative means. Crop and waste burning by farmers should be banned. Cremation by burning wood, conducting big Havans and lighting candles and diyas on festivals and immersing ashes and idols in water bodies significantly add to pollution. As Vedas said, knowledge (Veda) should be based on logic and as things change, so should the knowledge. For this reason, Vedas were not the last Hindu books, Upanishadas and Shastra, etc. followed the Vedas. Hindu Sadhus, Saints and Dharmacharyas should advise Hindus to stop cremation by burning wood and instead use electric crematorium; minimize disposing ashes of dead bodies in rivers, lakes, etc. In fact, all kinds of immersions such as idols etc. should be stopped completely. Havans and lighting candles and diyas etc. should also be stopped. Once Swamy Vivekanand was throwing sand into the ocean and chanting mantras; someone asked what he was doing. He said, “I am doing Havan and putting Ahutis in the ocean.” God would not care a bit if polluting rituals are replaced with clean customs. Similarly, Muslims and Christians need to change from burials to cremation. More Christians are doing so. I realize Islam considers burning a body a great sin. As stated above, with time, all wrong rituals should change. Therefore, Islamic scholars need to change this belief.
Hindus and Muslims also need to reduce animal sacrifices. The world is finally realizing that eating meat is not only cruel, it enhances climate change. A large number of Muslims are celebrating Vegetarian Eid. One Muslim Pakistani suggested that if an animal has to be sacrificed, one could sacrifice a goat made of earth or wood. Scholars of all religions have a moral and religious duty to preserve the earth, climate and make India and the world less filthy. Rest assured not only God will bless you, all humans and animals will breathe and feel better if the above discussed steps are implemented.