Public perceptions towards air and water pollution in industrial areas of Himachal Pradesh, India

Authors

  • Deepesh Barall Department of Community Medicine, Dr YSPG Medical College and Hospital, Nahan, District Sirmour, Himachal Pradesh, India
  • Salig R. Mazta Department of Community Medicine, Dr YSPG Medical College and Hospital, Nahan, District Sirmour, Himachal Pradesh, India
  • Sunita . Department of Community Medicine, Dr YSPG Medical College and Hospital, Nahan, District Sirmour, Himachal Pradesh, India
  • Shashi P. Thakur Department of Community Medicine, Dr YSPG Medical College and Hospital, Nahan, District Sirmour, Himachal Pradesh, India
  • Jyotsna Jhingta Department of Community Medicine, Dr YSPG Medical College and Hospital, Nahan, District Sirmour, Himachal Pradesh, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20203901

Keywords:

Focus group discussions, Health hazards, Industrial air and water pollution, Public perceptions, Qualitative study

Abstract

Background: Industrialization carries with it the seeds of environmental damage and has always entailed some serious population health challenges. Reforms initiated seems to be not sufficient. There was a felt need to identify people’s perspective on industrial pollution and its health hazards in the seriously polluted areas of Himachal Pradesh.

Methods: We designed a qualitative study on the perceptions of people towards air and water pollution due to the industrial activities. Eight focus group discussions were convened to extract the public opinion.

Results: The narratives of participants formed five broad thematic areas. It emerged that they have experienced the change in the climate of the area and relied more on their senses to assess their exposure and in identifying sources of pollution. It was endorsed that industries pollute mainly during the night hours. They were of opinion that the overpopulation due to immigration leading to overcrowding and unhygienic sanitation practices have also contributed adversely to their health. There is a general understanding that industry contribute more to these problems than individual. The level of health awareness needs to be raised through extensive IEC activities.

Conclusions: The contribution of the industries to the environmental degradation has been perceived by the people. Multi sectoral approach is the need of the hour with more stringent laws and accurate monitoring mechanism and due importance to the views of the general public should be given in the policies and planning.

References

Szreter S. Rapid economic growth and ‘the four Ds’ of disruption, deprivation, disease and death: public health lessons from nineteenth-century Britain for twenty-first-century China? Trop Med Int Health. 1999;4(2):146-52.

Health and Environment in Sustainable Development: five years after the Earth Summit. Document WHO/EHG/97.8. Geneva: WHO. 1997. Available at: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/ handle/10665/63464/WHO_EHG_97.8_eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y. Accessed 25 May 2020.

Smith KR, Corvalán CF, Kjellström T. How much global ill health is attributable to environmental factors? Epidemiology. 1999;10(5):573-84.

Cohen AJ, Anderson RH, Ostro B, Pandey KD, Krzyzanowski M, Künzli N, et al. The global burden of disease due to outdoor air pollution. J Toxicol Environ Health A. 2005;68(13-14):1301-7.

Mortality and burden of disease from water and sanitation. Global Health Observatory (GHO) data. Water, sanitation and hygiene. World Health Organization. Department of Public Health and Environment. August 2010. Available at: https://www.who.int/gho/phe/water_sanitation/burden_text/en/. Accessed 25 May 2020.

World economic Forum. Migration and its impact on cities. October 2017:1-172.

Honorable NGT order vides OA No. 1038/2018. News item published in “The Asian Age” Authored by Sanjay Kaw Titled “CPCB to rank industrial units on pollution levels”. New Delhi; 2018:5-7.

Hancock ME, Amankwaa L, Revell MA, Mueller D. Focus group data saturation: a new approach to data analysis. Qualitative Rep. 2016;21(11):2124-30.

Eeuwijk PV, Angehrn Z. How to Conduct a Focus Group Discussion (FGD). Methodological Manual. 2017:1-15.

Muindi K, Egondi T, Murage EK, Rocklov J, Ng N. “We are used to this”: a qualitative assessment of the perceptions of and attitudes towards air pollution amongst slum residents in Nairobi. BMC Public Health. 2014;14:226-34.

Howel D, Moffatt S, Prince H, Bush J, Dunn CE. Urban air quality in North-East England: exploring the influences on local views and perceptions. Risk Anal. 2002;22:1.

Gallina M, Williams A. Perceptions of air quality and sense of place among women in northeast Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Int J Soc Sci Stud. 2014;2:67.

Wakefield SEL, Elliott SJ, Cole DC, Eyles JD. Environmental risk and (re) action: air quality, health, and civic involvement in an urban industrial neighbourhood. Health Place. 2001;7(3):163-77.

Bickerstaff K, Walker G: The place(s) of matter: matter out of place- public understandings of air pollution. Prog Hum Geogr. 2003;27(1):45-67.

Nielsen J, Cardello J. The Halo Effect. Nielsen Norman Group. 2013.

Saksena S. Public perceptions of urban air pollution with a focus on developing countries. Environ Change Vulnerabil Governance Series. 2007;65:1-29.

Downloads

Published

2020-08-28

How to Cite

Barall, D., Mazta, S. R., ., S., Thakur, S. P., & Jhingta, J. (2020). Public perceptions towards air and water pollution in industrial areas of Himachal Pradesh, India. International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 7(9), 3420–3426. https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20203901

Issue

Section

Original Research Articles