India can learn from China in fi experts agree, though it is e
As China continues to enact strict policies to limit air pollution, India has yet to take any concrete measures to clear its chocking smog
Experts agree that the Indian government is partially responsible for gridlocking any progress in environmental protection
Public awareness is also key, but the Indian people seem either unaware or unconcerned about their high levels of pollution
By Xu Ming
Arun, an Indian who had lived and worked in Guangzhou, South China’s Guangdong Province, for six years before returning to India a few months ago, has found himself unaccustomed to the heavy smog of New Delhi.
He posted photos on Chinese social media app WeChat showing the severe air pollution of his motherland, one comically featuring Superman wearing an oxygen mask “after flying through Delhi air for 10 min.”
“I used to hear that Guangzhou was also polluted, but never to this extent. It is entirely different here in Delhi,” said Arun.
In recent weeks, international media have been reporting on the lethal levels of pollution descending on New Delhi as winter sets in. Literally thousands of schools have been forced to close, while an ever-escalating surge of patients with respiratory problems are queuing up at local hospitals.
The Indian capital officially declared a “pollution emergency,” and responded by banning trucks and halting construction activities, but took no other immediate action.
It was reported that the air pollution in New Delhi two weeks ago was 10 times worse than Beijing’s at the same period. In fact, when comparing India with a relatively clearer China this winter, many global media have taken to throwing stones at the Indian government’s dismissive attitude and casual management in controlling its dangerously high levels of particulate matter (PM).
Western media also cited statistics showing the impressive achievements China has made in combating smog in order to get its AQI (air quality index) levels back down to breathable levels, using headlines like “India and China both struggle with deadly pollution, but only one is fighting it.”
As China’s skies gradually become clearer following the central government’s call to action, many Indian experts are calling on their own government to learn from China how to handle this potential catastrophe.
“China is already fighting pollution with countermeasures in various forms, so India has advantages in controlling pollution by learning from China,” noted Varenyam Achal, an Indian professor of environmental engineering at East China Normal University in Shanghai.
According to Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, while India might learn something from China, India also has its own advantages and could solve the problem more easily and efficiently if the government would just make up its mind.
“If learning from China, India needs to localize the experiences, like how China has learned from the West in the past 30 years. Now the most urgent thing is that India needs to raise its people’s awareness about the impact of air pollution,” said Ma.
Long-neglected problem
As the two most-populous countries in the world, China and India each have their share of environmental problems,