Voter survey reveals very low awareness of stubble burning

NEW DELHI: An exclusive survey conducted by CVoter reveals many startling perceptions about air pollution that has become a serious issue in India. Since the air quality deterioration coincides with the stubble burning season in northern India, yet it is not felt as the biggest source of pollution by people.

A survey conducted by CVoter foundation asked 1,803 Indians across the Hindi heartland -- what they felt was the biggest cause of pollution. ‘Too many private’ vehicles topped the charts. According to the survey, 27.3 per cent respondents believed that too many private vehicles were the biggest cause of pollution.

The second biggest cause -- felt by Indians was low regulation of industrial pollution -- felt by 16.3 per cent respondents. About 14 per cent respondents believed that open burning of garbage waste was the biggest cause, followed by poor state of public transportation (11 per cent) and construction dust (9.5 per cent). Stubble burning was the answer for barely 5.6 per cent respondents, ranking it at 6th position. Only 2 per cent respondents believed that emissions from power plants were the biggest cause of pollution and 1.4 per cent believed the same for appliances like Air Conditioners.

For years, there have been multiple reports across media platforms about the hazards posed by stubble burning. A survey conducted by CVoter foundation asked 1,803 Indians across the Hindi heartland -- what they felt was the biggest cause of pollution.

Among those who believed that there were too many private vehicles causing pollution -- the share was the highest among India’s youngsters. About 33 per cent of respondents aged below 25 years said that too many private vehicles were responsible for the pollution. The share of such believers dropped to 24 per cent among those aged 26-35. About 29 per cent people aged 36-45 believed private vehicles were the biggest cause of pollution, 25 per cent people aged 46-55 and 26 per cent people aged 56 and above believed the same.

For many years, air pollution has become a major issue and aided alarm bells over its harmful impact on health, particularly in northern India. According to IQAir, a global body that monitors air pollution across the world, 39 of the 50 most polluted cities in the world are in India. The Supreme Court is currently conducting hearings on an urgent basis to mull concrete & durable steps to curb air pollution.