Pollution today has become a global concern. Especially in countries like India where industrialization and urbanization are increasing at a brisk pace, the issues of pollution are becoming more apparent. As the issue continues rising, various measures are being taken by the government to spread awareness about pollution prevention. The celebration of National Pollution Control Day is one of them.
Peeping into the History
National Pollution Control Day is observed on 2nd December in India every year. The day is observed in the memory of people who lost their lives in the Bhopal Gas Tragedy in 1984. The incident happened on the night of 2-3 December 1984 due to a gas leak in the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant.
This resulted in over 5 lakh people getting exposed to methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas. According to the Government of Madhya Pradesh, a total of 3787 people lost their lives in the tragedy whereas 574,366 were injured. Thus, the day was later marked as the Pollution Control Day and is celebrated every year.
Significance of the National Pollution Control Day
According to a report, nearly 1.66 million people die due to air pollution in India every year. As the pollution levels keep rising, more lives are being endangered. Moreover, India has some of the most polluted cities across the globe. 3 Indian cities are on the list of the top 10 most polluted cities in the world. Thus, the primary objectives of the day are to create awareness among people about pollution control measures and educate more people on how to prevent pollution produced by different industrial processes as well as human negligence.
National Pollution Control Day 2021 Theme
The main theme of the National Pollution Control Day will be “making more people aware of the things that we can do in order to prevent pollution and control the pollution of the world. It is one of the most common things that is making the earth dirty day by day.”
7 Alarming Facts about Air Pollution in India
| Sr. No. | Name of the City | Air Quality Index (AQI) |
| 1. | Katihar | 408 |
| 2. | Siwan | 396 |
| 3. | Munger | 392 |
| 4. | Buxar | 386 |
| 5. | Hisar | 370 |
| 6. | Gurugram | 361 |
| 7. | Hapur | 357 |
| 8. | Delhi | 352 |
| 9. | Faridabad | 351 |
| 10. | Darbhanga | 350 |
Top 10 Most Polluted Cities in India (Source: https://bit.ly/2ZGbYaU)
As we move further towards industry 4.0., the pollution levels are expected to surge all over the world. Fortunately, pollution prevention and control is becoming a buzz and celebrating days like the National Pollution Control Day will surely help the cause!
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