New Delhi:Only a Swachh India is able to be a Swasth India. To achieve this goal, NDTV has been partnering with Dettols Banega Swasth India Campaign to raise awareness about the connection between the health of the planet, and the human health, through the theme One Health, One Planet and One Future. This year’s theme for World Health Day, which is celebrated every April 7, is Our Planet, Our Health.
According to the World Health Organization, healthier environments could reduce almost one quarter of the global burden of diseases. The WHO also explains that 24% of all deaths worldwide are due to environmental factors, which amounts to approximately 13.7 million deaths per year.
WHO says that healthy air, clean air, good sanitation, good water, adequate water and hygiene, safe use and radiation protection, healthy workplaces, sound agricultural practices as well as health-supportive cities and built environments are prerequisites to good health.
Arun Krishnamurthy (Founder, Environmentalist Foundation of India) emphasizes how human health is directly related to that of the planet.
Water-air-soil contamination and the depletion of natural resources can have a direct impact on health and life expectancy. Lung-Liver-Intestinal complications, new/drug resistant strains of microbes, stress and mental health are all associated in many ways to environmental damage. He tells NDTV that a healthy planet is possible if we make the right choices.
Also, read:World Health Day 2022: Our Planet and Our Health. Here are the Top Reasons Climate Crisis Is also a Health Crisis
Climate change can also negatively impact people’s health, causing heatwaves and floods, as well as vector-borne diseases like Malaria, Dengue, and Malaria. Climate change, loss of biodiversity and land degradation indirectly impact human health by threatening ecosystems, such as freshwater and food production. S N Tripathi, Senior Environment Researcher at IIT Kanpur, says adaptation to climate change is the only way forward in mitigating global climate change.
Anthropocene sustainable development (the period in which humans have had a significant impact on the planet’s environment) is the only path to environmental conservation and global human health. Future healthcare will depend on adapting to changes in climate and altering the environment.
WHO considers the problem of Air Pollution a public health emergency. Dr Maria Neira, Director of Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, explains that Air Pollution is responsible for more than 7 million premature deaths each year. According to WHO’s air quality guidelines, nine out of ten people in the world, especially those living in cities, are exposed to air that is not consistent.
Avinash Chanchal (Senior Climate Campaigner at Greenpeace India), also told NDTV that the environmental crisis such as air pollution has become a critical public health issue in recent years.
Poor air quality has a negative effect on public health. Ambient PM2.5 is the third most dangerous risk factor for death in India. This causes an estimated 1.1million deaths annually in India. Air pollution can increase the risk of premature death in many medical conditions such as asthma, preterm births and low birth weights.
Sunil Dahiya from Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, (CREA), also told NDTV that the quality and quantity of air and the environment around us determines the health and economic well being of citizens and communities.
Polluted societies often have frequent hospital visits, work absences, reduced work efficiency, chronic diseases, and premature deaths. This ultimately leads to a reduced or no contribution by the individual to the economy of the society, and sometimes, a greater economic burden on the families and the entire society.
Mr Chanchal also suggests ways to fix this for a better tomorrow. He adds,
The governments should promote decentralised renewable energy solutions like rooftop solar, create integrated non-motorised transportation (NMT friendly infrastructure), and address other contributors such as waste burning, construction sector emissions, and biomass burning.
Also, read:Study Finds Climate-Driven Floods and Droughts are Accelerated by Human Actions
Mr. Anurag Gupta (State Programme Director, WaterAid India) explains how climate changes affect sanitation and hygiene, as well as the impact on health.
The Indian coast state of Odisha and its coastal districts are frequently victims of devastating cyclones. The disruption of water, sanitation and hygiene services during extreme weather events can have huge effects on the health, nutrition and livelihoods of the population. Children are the most vulnerable to the effects of natural disasters and these conditions. Children’s illness and death are greatly influenced by poor sanitation facilities, insufficient handwashing, and unsafe drinking water. Children are more likely to be weak and malnourished from parasites and infections than they are to be able to attend school, get an education, and reach their full potential. WaterAid India is working in Bhadrak district for constituting community resilience to build the community’s ability to withstand, adapt to and recover from recurring cyclones through resilient water and sanitation models. The key interventions include building capacity in community institutions for disaster risk reduction and demonstrating resilient drinking water systems, sanitation facilities, and stormwater management model. He explained that enhanced resilience can improve disaster planning and help to prevent disasters from happening.
Resilient WASH entails both modified WASH infrastructure and empowered communities to deal with the shocks in more informed way.Some of the resilient water and sanitation models, according to Mr Gupta, include high raised toilets, water points – high raised handpumps , stand posts; storm water management systems – drainage, buffer space, recharge pits &AND trenches; adequate WASH facilities in cyclone centres, capacitated WASH task forces at the community level, WASH contingency plan at the community level to tackle WASH crises during and post disasters, among others.
Resilient WASH infrastructure is still in place to provide water and sanitation services for disaster and post-disaster. He explained how resilient WASH infrastructure works to help communities cope with the calamity.
Also, read:India Strongly Believes in Fulfilling Climate Commitments It Made Under UN Framework: Union minister Smriti Irani
A study titled Climate change, infectious diseases and the solutions claims that climate change is linked to the geographical expansion and establishment of zoonotic disease.
Zoonotic diseases refer to infections or diseases caused by bacteria, viruses or parasites. They can also be transmitted between people and animals. Plague, Coronaviruses, Lyme disease and Ebola are some examples of zoonotic disorders.
The study concludes that Zoonoses account in 60 percent of emerging infectious diseases. Their importance for global health is steadily rising.
Science is clear: if we continue to exploit wildlife and destroy our ecosystems, then we can expect a steady stream these diseases to spread from animals to people in the years ahead. Pandemics can be devastating for our lives and our economy. As we have seen, the most affected are the poorest and most vulnerable. We must be more careful about protecting our natural environment to prevent future outbreaks. says UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen.
Also, read:Chairman, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes
All evidence shows that the way humans treat the planet affects their health, and well-being. The WHO states that while the COVID-19 epidemic showed us the healing power science can provide, it also revealed the inequalities in our world. The pandemic revealed weaknesses in society and highlighted the need to create sustainable well-being. This is a commitment to equitable health for all generations, without compromising ecological limits. These destruction cycles must be broken for human health and the planet. Legislative action, corporate reform, as well as individuals need to be encouraged and supported to make healthy choices.
NDTV Dettol has been working towards a clean, healthy India since 2014 through the BanegaSwachh India initiative. Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan is in charge of this initiative. The campaign aims to highlightthe inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future Leaving No One Behind.It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyones health in India especially vulnerable communities theLGBTQ population,indigenous people, Indias different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities.In wake of the currentCOVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water,SanitationandHygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases.The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children,fightmalnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health,adolescent health & gender awareness. The campaign recognizes the importance of taking care of the environment and people’s health. Human activity is causing our environment to be fragile. This is not only due to over-exploiting resources but also because it is generating enormous pollution from the use and extraction of those resources. This imbalance has also caused a huge biodiversity loss, which has been one of the greatest threats to human survival in climate change. It has been called a code red for humanity.
