Increase air pollution in New Delhi
letter to editor
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LETTER
New Delhi’s Air Pollution
Nov. 16, 2016
To the Editor:
Re “Thick Smog in India’s Capital Leaves Residents ‘Cowering’ by Air Purifiers” (news article, Nov. 8):
New Delhi’s air pollution emergency is a problem with a solution. New York City found it after decades of pollution rivaling that of the Indian city and other global metropolises through staunch local controls and the Clean Air Act of 1970.
Delhi’s government responded by suspending construction activities, temporarily closing a local power plant, and requesting that the national government control a major source of pollution, seasonal burning of crop waste.
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If upwind sources can be addressed in a comprehensive national approach, as the clean air law largely succeeds in doing in the United States, India’s cities will be left to manage local hot spots over which they have greater control.
The Clean Air Act is one of the most cost-effective health protective measures ever adopted in the United States, saving legions from illness and death each year. India should overhaul its feeble air law and reap the same benefit.
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And America should take heed of Delhi’s recent calamity, and protect and strengthen the Clean Air Act as the new administration enters office.
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DANIEL KASS
New York
The writer is senior vice president for environmental health at Vital Strategies, a global public health group.