Fighting for Breath: UP Plans Green Push as Citizens Warn Air Pollution Is Stealing Years from Life
BK Singh
At a time when cities are choking under alarming levels of air pollution, and residents fear irreversible damage to their lungs, the Uttar Pradesh government has announced fresh measures to improve urban air quality.
Medical studies warning that prolonged exposure to hazardous pollution can shorten human life by nearly three years have only deepened public anxiety, pushing the issue to the centre of civic concern.
In response, the state government is preparing to roll out an ambitious Air Quality Improvement Plan through the Urban Development Department.
Under the proposal, greenery will be developed along major roads and lanes, while strict controls will be enforced to prevent the dumping of construction material in open areas.
To fund the initiative, a demand of ₹50 crore has been placed in the supplementary budget.
Rising Alarm Over Urban Air
The deteriorating air quality in urban Uttar Pradesh has become a major concern for the state administration.
With support from the central government, air pollution mitigation programmes are already underway in cities such as Lucknow, Kanpur, Ghaziabad, Agra, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Gorakhpur, Noida, Bareilly, and Moradabad.
Officials say similar interventions will be extended to other towns where air quality continues to worsen.
Yet, for many long-time residents, the crisis is also deeply personal. Kavish Prakash, an elderly resident of Prayagraj, recalls a vastly different past.
“Sixty years ago, Allahabad looked like a forest,” he says, referring to the city by its former name. “Tall, thick trees lined not just the main roads but even the narrow lanes. Today, almost all of them are gone.”
Warnings Ignored, Damage Now Visible
India’s rapid development across sectors has come at a steep environmental cost. While scientists and researchers had repeatedly cautioned policymakers about the dangers of unchecked urbanisation and pollution, those warnings were largely ignored.
It would be incorrect to say alarms were never raised, but they were seldom taken seriously.
Now, as pollution emerges as a silent yet relentless enemy, hospitals are seeing a surge in breathing-related ailments, especially among children and the elderly.
Citizens increasingly fear that what they are witnessing is not just environmental degradation, but a slow erosion of public health.
A Call for Immediate, People-Led Action
Shqanti Swarup, an octogenarian environmental advocate, has made a direct appeal to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
He has urged the government to mobilise all departments, social activists, and health-conscious groups for a massive tree-plantation drive—particularly of Peepal and Neem trees, known for their critical role in improving air quality.
Swarup has also called on the Chief Minister to personally monitor plantation efforts and ensure accountability. “Planting saplings is not enough,” he says. “The survival of every tree must be guaranteed.”
His message is stark and urgent: “We can live without more roads for a couple of years, but life will become impossible with less oxygen and more pollutants. That would be a slow death. Why wait? Action must be immediate.”
Beyond Cosmetic Measures
Environmental experts and citizens alike stress that symbolic gestures will no longer suffice. What is needed are tough, sustained measures—not just to reduce pollution levels, but to rebuild cities into spaces fit for human living.
Greener roads, stricter construction norms, cleaner transport, and citizen participation must all work in tandem.
As Uttar Pradesh prepares to invest funds and policy attention into air quality, the real test will lie in execution. For millions breathing toxic air every day, this is not merely an environmental issue—it is a fight for survival.
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