Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Tiding over: On north India and its annual air quality inflection point in November

Tiding over: On north India and its annual air quality inflection point in November

India’s States should ensure greater compliance (अनुपालन) on air pollution

Delhi and parts of the surrounding States of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh encounter (सामना करना) their annual air quality inflection (A change in pitch or tone of voice, especially in the context of grammar to indicate various meanings or attitudes) point. This is the time when the southwest monsoon has receded (दूर जाना) and with it, the great drafts in the upper atmosphere that normally flush out pollutants from the gamut (The complete range or scope of something; the entire extent or scale) of anthropogenic activities such as construction, driving, power generation and the burning of agricultural residue. Through the years, there have been studies commissioned and executive action initiated to study, acknowledge and address the crisis. The science is also fairly clear on the relative contribution of pollutants and the limits of corrective intervention (हस्तक्षेप) in the face of adverse (प्रतिकूल) meteorology and the disruption (विघटन) to economic life that this can entail. The consequence of this is that the air pollution crisis has now devolved (सौंपना) into a stalemate. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), which is tasked with addressing the causes of air pollution in Delhi and the adjoining States, is now a body packed with expertise but whose powers are limited to evoking (आह्वान, उत्पन्न करना) and recommending grades of measures depending on the degree of deterioration in air quality.

While the CAQM pointed out, as recently as October 31, that the daily average air quality in Delhi from January to October of this year was the best in the last six years, it elides the fact that the number of days in November when air quality becomes ‘severe (गंभीर, कठोर)’ (over 450 AQI) has remained roughly the same. Thus, in 2022, the AQI was in the severe category in the first fortnight of November for three days, the same as in 2021, 2020 and 2019. While there is greater awareness and action to curb the sources of pollution, November, which has in recent years emerged as the critical month for pollution, remains to be tamed. Incidents of stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh this year have been roughly half that when compared to previous years, though the weeks ahead are expected to see more such activity. While the measures earlier have seen an institutionalised response to tackle air pollution, it is now time for a concerted approach to address these challenges of November. Beyond stubble burning, this means addressing the more daunting challenges of vehicular pollution and construction dust. While urban Delhi could have always blamed the distant farm fires for the pollution crisis, tackling November may mean hard measures and greater inconvenience. Bodies such as the CAQM have to assert their independent credentials and ensure (सुनिश्चित करना) greater coordination and compliance within Delhi and the surrounding States to address the challenge.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.Compliance (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - अनुपालन
English Meaning - Acting in accordance with rules, orders, or requests; adhering to established guidelines or standards.

2.Encounter (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - सामना करना
English Meaning - To come across or experience something, often unexpectedly.

3.Recede (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - दूर जाना
English Meaning - To move back or withdraw, especially from a point or limit.

4.Adverse (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - प्रतिकूल
English Meaning - Unfavorable, harmful, or antagonistic in nature; having a negative effect.

5.Intervention (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - हस्तक्षेप
English Meaning - The act of coming between or interfering in a situation to modify or improve it.

6.Disruption (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - विघटन
English Meaning - The act of disturbing or interrupting the normal course of something, causing disorder or chaos.

7.Devolve (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - सौंपना
English Meaning - To transfer or pass responsibility, authority, or power from one entity to another.

8.Evoke (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - आह्वान, उत्पन्न करना
English Meaning - To bring a feeling, memory, or image to mind; to elicit a response or reaction.

9.Severe (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - गंभीर, कठोर
English Meaning - Extremely serious or harsh in nature; demanding great attention or care.

10.Ensure (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - सुनिश्चित करना
English Meaning - To make certain that something will happen or be the case; to guarantee or make sure of something.

11.Gamut (Noun)

English Meaning - The complete range or scope of something; the entire extent or scale.

12.Inflection (Noun)

English Meaning - A change in pitch or tone of voice, especially in the context of grammar to indicate various meanings or attitudes.