Ridhima Pandey (12), a Uttarakhand-based climate change activist, in his two-page handwritten letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that his worst nightmare is going to school with an oxygen cylinder and has asked the first minister to ensure that “an oxygen cylinder does not become an essential part of children’s lives, which we have to carry on our shoulders everywhere in the near future.”
Pandey said she was forced to write the letter because she felt that the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) had shown that if human activities are limited and regulated, “we can have less pollution and clear blue skies.”
“We observe the first International Clean Air Day for Blue Skies mandated by the United Nations (UN) on Monday (September 7) to raise public awareness at all levels that clean air is key to health, productivity , the economy and the environment. So I chose this day. I hope the Prime Minister receives my letter and responds. I have sent the letter to the PM by mail ”.
HT has a copy of the two-page handwritten letter.
My name is Ridhima Pandey. I’m 12 years old. I live in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. I hope you read this letter of mine and respond … Once at school, our teacher asked us about our worst nightmares. I had told her that mine would come to school with an oxygen cylinder because the air was so polluted. This nightmare continues to be my greatest concern, ”the letter said.
He cited dangerous levels of air pollution in many densely populated cities.
“I am concerned that if nothing is done about this problem soon, in the next few years we will have to carry an oxygen cylinder to breathe clean air and survive … kindly help by making sure an oxygen cylinder does not become a part essential of children’s lives, which we have to carry on our shoulders everywhere in the near future … ”adds the letter.
Pandey said that in the midst of the pandemic, he has come to know of many research studies that suggest a link between air pollution and Covid-19-related incidences and mortality. “This is disturbing. Every year in many parts of India, the air becomes very polluted. It becomes very difficult to breathe after October. I am concerned that if a 12-year-old child like me finds it difficult to breathe, how it must be for babies or children younger than me in cities like Delhi and others, ”the letter said.
He stated that “before the national shutdown, we thought we could never breathe clean air, but the restrictions proved us wrong. The air became cleaner and the skies blue. It showed that it is possible to breathe clean air for the Indians … ”
He said the prime minister has accepted climate change as a reality.
“On Monday, on the occasion of the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, on behalf of all the children of India, I would like to make a request. Think about our future. Please give strict instructions to all authorities and officials in charge of pollution management throughout the country, ”the letter read with a passionate plea.
Last December, Pandey had launched an online campaign urging the prime minister to speak out about the alarming air pollution situation in the country on his monthly broadcast on Mann Ki Baat radio and declare the threat a public health emergency.
Last year, Pandey joined Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg and 14 other children at the United Nations Climate Action Summit, an annual conference held within the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. (UNFCCC), and filed a complaint to protest against the government’s inaction on the climate change crisis.
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