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Why is air quality better in rural areas?

Rural areas have vast expanses of land with lots of trees and greenery. It is also less populated as compared to the cities. People lead simple and satisfied lives. They still follow the old ways of life. Although there are some villages which are getting influenced by city life, a vast majority of rural people are happy living the lives that their parents and grandparents lived, a life of simple living and high thinking. People of the rural areas live in mud houses with thatched roofs. They do not have modern amenities, luxuries or conveniences; many villages do not even have basics like electricity. These rural folks are totally dependent on nature for their basic needs and wants. They do not believe in abusing nature or its gifts and definitely do not take anything for granted, and perhaps that's the reason there is a perfect balance maintained by nature.

Air quality is fresh and pure in the countryside; there is no fogginess or haziness like in the cities, where the atmosphere is full of smoke, emissions and pollutants. There is little or no vehicle pollution. People still use old means of transport like bullock carts and eco-friendly vehicles like bicycles. People lead a simple life which is in harmony with nature. They value natural resources and do not cut trees unnecessarily. Again, less population and absence of harmful human activities that pollute the environment like factories and industries also contribute to the freshness and good quality of air.

People not only know how to peacefully coexist with nature but also give back what they receive from nature by planting trees. They are wise and have good knowledge of plants and soil, which can enhance the environment. Plants like tulsi, and peepal, which are a boon to nature in so many ways, find their way to all the homes of these village folks, trees which hold the soil firmly are also planted.

 Urban areas are densely populated concrete jungles. People are greedy, and in their lust for procuring money, they forget to value their natural resources, smoke from factories, harmful emissions from vehicles poison the air quality, and cutting down trees to make buildings also add to the dangerous levels of pollutants in the air.

The few wants, hard work, and peaceful life of these countryside dwellers is a stark contrast to the stressful and demanding life full of wants and instant gratifications of the city dwellers. The more the urban people strive to make life easy and convenient for themselves, they unknowingly make it more complicated and difficult and can never seem to or want to get out of the vicious tangle they create for themselves.

The recent example of Corona Times has taught all of us a good lesson as to how in the absence of vehicles on the roads during the lockdown and no factory and industry pollution, the quality of air improved drastically and dramatically. Many metro cities and especially Delhi, where there used to be such foggy skies that one couldn't see buildings a few yards away and where there were such horrible levels of air pollution that people were suffering from lung diseases, became liveable once again.

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Which Pollution is Most Dangerous?

Do you know that environmental pollution is a broad term that encompasses different variants? However, intensifying human activities and a rapidly expanding population are the primary causes of pollution.

Environmental pollution has different types, which include: air, water, radiation, light, thermal soil and noise pollution. The question is, which pollution is the most dangerous to human life and why?

Generally, pollutants are classified based on their impact on the environment, which could be long term or short term. However, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), Air pollution is more dangerous than the other pollution types.

How Air Pollution Destroys Human Health

Air pollution caused more premature deaths in 2019 than in past decades globally—a recent study by the WHO has revealed that 9 out of 10 people breathe contaminated air.

The world was getting hotter and crowded each day. Unfortunately, this means we may breathe polluted air for a long time.

No matter how hard you try, you can hardly escape air pollution. Even the rich are affected because it’s around us.

Most times, our body defenses cannot withstand these microscopic pollutants that slip through thin air into our bodies. They contaminate the circulatory and respiratory organs, causing damage to the lungs and brain.

What Causes Air Pollution?

Most air pollutants cannot be seen, but smelling chemicals like ammonia and Hydrogen sulfide may create awareness easily.

Generally, air pollution is classified by its sources:

Stationary: these are mostly pollutants from oil refineries, power plants, factories and industrial facilities.

Mobile: many carbon monoxide emissions are from buses, cars, tricycles, trains and trucks.

Area: they include poultry, farms, bush burning, and wood burning fireplaces. Livestock produces waste that pollutes the air, like ammonia and methane. The latter causes ground-level ozone that triggers respiratory illnesses like asthma.

Natural: the air polluted during heavy wind, volcano eruption, wildfires, and a hurricane is mind-blowing. When these happen, sand and dust travel thousands of miles carrying harmful elements that cause lung cancer in the long run.

What Are the Various Types of Air Pollution

Air pollution is of two major types: outdoor (ambient) and indoor (household) pollution.

Indoor pollution is easily caused by burning fuel like wood, kerosene or coal in poorly ventilated areas or from carbon generated by vehicles on the road.

Both indoor and outdoor air pollution could contribute to each other when air is moved from inside to outside a building.

Air Pollution: Who is Affected?

The poor are usually the hard hit by air pollution. This is because of their socio-economic status and high exposure to air pollutants in the environment.

Despite these, specific populations are at higher risks of health challenges due to exposure to polluted air.

Young children and infants

The elderly (65 years and older)

People who:

Have cardiovascular and lung disease

Exercise or work outdoors

Live in poor neighborhoods

Spend so much time in traffic or at bus stops

work in industrial facilities

smoke cigarettes or marijuana or exposed to second-hand smoke

Air pollution is dangerous but could be significantly reduced if carbon emissions and the burning of chemicals are averted or controlled, thus implementing Air Security. Secondly, you could experience less exposure if you avoid highly polluted places and improve your indoor air quality.