New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS): The days of severe air pollution have started in northwest India. The annual climate change negotiations are three weeks away and the issue of continued use of coal for thermal power plants is on the boil yet again with climate leaders, think tanks and researchers and activists demanding ambitious action from the governments.
But a bunch of mothers from across India have no such grand agenda.
Their simple demand is to draw attention of the Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) Bhupender Yadav towards the rising health impacts caused due to air pollution because of Thermal Power Plants (TPP), especially on their children's health.
This group of mothers - calling themselves 'Warrior Moms' - from all over India stood peacefully holding placards urging an end to polluting coal at the main gate of the Ministry's headquarters at Indira Paryavaran Bhavan in Jorbagh here and asking the MoEF&CC to ensure that TPPs implement the 2015 emission control norms, among others.
Earlier, in August, the group had initiated an online petition - #NoExtensionsToPolluters in August.
The petition addressed to the Environment Ministry has so far been signed by over 1,000 women including several celebrities as part of a campaign with the same demand.
These norms have been mandated by the Ministry itself to tighten emission norms, but these continue to be given extension year after year.
"As mothers, we want the Environment Minister to stand on the side of our children's future. We hope that he can champion the cause and lead by example by ensuring that all TPP's are made to adhere to the mandated norms and thus reduce air pollution, thus helping children across India to breathe easy," said a member of the mothers' network, Sherebanu Frosh, who is a mother of two and lives in Gurugram.
Delhi's mother Bhavreen Kandhari explained that several reports have stated that it was in December 2015 that the MoEF&CC proposed to amend the Environment (Protection) Rules of 1986 by bringing in tighter emission norms for coal-based power plants.
Under the notification, the TPP's would commit to reducing pollutants such as Particulate Matter (PM), Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Nitrogen dioxide (NOx) and mercury in the air.
"Time and again, the power plant lobby has managed to show their might by getting extensions, dilutions and paltry penalties for the past four years and kept getting away with their pollution. It is time to introduce them to the most powerful lobby, which are 'mothers', who care for their children and hence as mothers all that we now demand is a priority to be given to our children's health by ensuring emissions norms are implemented without any further delay," Kandhari said.
Mothers cited a report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) released in March this year that showed how pollution, once emitted from a power plant, travels across large distances.
"Harmful emissions from 12 power plants located in and around the Delhi-NCR region resulted in 218 deaths annually in Delhi," it had said.
The group also emphasised that one needs to understand that this is not just a North India problem alone but an issue across the country as Thermal Power Plants are flouting the rules meant to reduce air pollution.
"Children are the most vulnerable to the toxic pollutants released by TPP's in the air, which affects every child. The children hailing from the weaker economic section are the worst hit as their families end up being overburdened by the high cost of treatment and medicines needed for respiratory issues," Frosh informed.
Leena Buddhe, a mother from Nagpur who reached Delhi to be part of the campaign, said that many households in cities like Nagpur and Chandrapur were forced to breathe toxic air due to the Thermal Power Plants.
"As a mother, we can't silently watch this and hence we want the minister to promise us that there will be action taken against those flouting norms and strict rules would be implemented across the TPP's of India."
The 'Warrior Moms' stood at the main gate of the Ministry's headquarters at Indira Paryavaran Bhavan for more than three hours and waited for some official to receive their petition. With Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav out of Delhi, the petition was later received by a staff of Minister of State for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Ashwini Kumar Choubey.