India's Environmental Monitoring Crisis: Flawed Data, Flawed Policy
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: Environment & Ecology (Air Pollution, Noise Pollution, PM2.5, Air Quality Index (AQI), Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), National Green Tribunal (NGT), WHO Standards); Indian Polity and Governance (Key Institutions - Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), Fundamental Rights - Article 19, Article 21).
Mains:
General Studies Paper 2 (Polity & Governance): "Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability"; "Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation"; "Role of Judiciary" (SC/NGT interventions).
General Studies Paper 3 (Environment & S&T): "Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment"; "Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life" (Role of technology in monitoring).
General Studies Paper 4 (Ethics): "Probity in Governance" (Ethical implications of manipulating or being negligent with public health data).
Key Highlights from the News
The article argues that India's environmental monitoring systems, particularly the air pollution monitoring network in Delhi and the noise pollution monitoring network in Lucknow, are facing serious failures.
Investigations, including the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report, have revealed flaws in these systems.
Major Issues:
Pollution measuring sensors are placed in incorrect locations, such as under trees or behind obstructions. This leads to understate pollution levels.
While official data often shows air quality as "moderate", citizens are often unable to breathe in the toxic smog.
This unreliable data undermines pollution control policies and severely impacts public health.
Misleading data leads to violations of fundamental rights under Article 21 (Right to Life - including the right to clean air).
The article strongly demands that scientific rigour, transparency, and independent third-party audits are essential to solve this problem.
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