China’s latest weapon to fight pollution is a smartphone app!

China is taking its pollution problems very seriously. In an attempt to fight Air pollution issue haunting Chinese cities.
The Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (Beijing) has launched an app that gives power to local citizens to monitor air pollution.

The Environment Ministry requires 15,000 selected factories to report emissions to the local environment officials in real time; the app makes use makes use of this data available from 190 cities to keep a track of polluters.

This is a very big leap for China not more than three years ago Chinese authorities kept particulate data a secret and now they have entrusted the population with power to monitor pollution.

Will India loose the War against Pollution while trying to win the battle against China to become Worlds manufacturing hub?

India and China are the two emerging economies in Asia, both exhibiting signs of great economic growth potential. While India benefits largely from its service sector, China leads as the manufacturing hub for the world.

But all this is about to change.

India prepares to take a leap towards a new era of progress under the leadership of its newly anointed Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Damodardas Modi. Our Prime Minister has envisioned the country as manufacturing hub for the world dethroning China of its current title; but does this rising industrialisation explain the steady rise in the pollution levels in our country?

Though the Indian Economy leads in service sector its Industries manage to create alarming levels of pollution that stands second to none. Certain cities in India are experiencing quicker rise in pollution levels as compared to the some cities in China. A study put forward by Tel Aviv University, Israel states that from 2002 to 2010 Bengaluru (formerly known as Bangalore) has experienced second largest rise in air-pollution level in the world. Cities like Ahemdabad, Mumbai, Nagpur and Pune showed double digit rise in percentage of pollution levels

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China (population 1,35,41,48,000) ranks second to India (population 1,21,44,65,000) for cause of death due to Lung diseases.

Lungs diseases are the third largest cause of death in India. More people die in India due to Lung disease than Stroke / HIV / Cancer.

(Latest WHO Data, Death rates are age-standardised; total deaths are % of population)

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In 2014, Delhi has emerged as most polluted city in the world as per a report by World Health Organisation. The environment laws and industrial pollution control laws in India needs to be amended to ensure lower emissions. Our country is already in a state where the quality of environment is depleting by the day. Will this rise in Industrialisation degrade the living conditions even further or will the PMO draft a strategy to provide us a cleaner state of environment, this remains to be seen.

Shri Narendra Modi has already displayed his concern for Pollution, during his session as Chief Minister of Gujarat; he started Sabarmati River Front Project, an initiative for purification and beautification of the Sabarmati riverfront. He also declared his intentions to cleanse Ganga (Ganges) during his election campaigns. Our Prime Minister has already taken the right steps towards pollution control but, will this be limited only to water pollution or will steps be taken to police air pollution in the country as well.