Over 1,000 residents of Jharia township in the coal hub of Dhanbad district of Jharkhand took part in a run for nearly three kilometres against air pollution and right for pure breath.
The effort assumes significance as Jharkhand has emerged as India’s eighth most polluted state according to the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) annual report released in June 2022.
Jharia had topped the list of polluted towns in India among the 313 surveyed in a 2019 Greenpeace India (Airpocalypse-IV) report, Dhanbad was the second most-polluted city. The report found that PM (particulate matter) 10 level in Jharia was 295 µg/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter). The Greenpeace report predicted that Jharia’s air would have 207 µg/m3 of PM 10 even if air pollution levels were trimmed by 30 per cent by 2024.
Dhanbad followed Jharia to be the second most-polluted city in the same report having PM-10 level at 264 µg/m3.
Students and members of political and social organisations participated in the run which began at Children’s Park and culminated at Katras More. It was aimed at creating awareness about air pollution. The participants wore T-shirts with the slogan "Meri sanse meri haq" (My breath, my right). They carried placards with slogans such as "Run for clean air", "Clean air my right".
Senior students of Mahila Mahavidyalaya, ISL Jharia, Balika Vidya Mandir, Yashomati Vidya Niketan, Shishu Mandir and Marwari Vidyalaya also participated in the programme.
Outgoing mayor of Dhanbad Municipal Corporation, Chandrashekhar Aggarwal, who took part in the run, termed it as the voice of the people.
“It is the voice of the people. The way Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) is doing mining violating environmental rules, it is the common masses who are facing the consequences,” alleged Agarwal.
Jharia-based speech therapist and special educator Akhlaque Ahmad, who had organised the run, said that their immediate target was to hold a tripartite meeting of Dhanbad district administration, BCCL management and local residents.
