Mumbai: ‘My Pollution Story’ campaign invites people to share personal pollution experiences

Sumitra Roy, a tea seller from Durgapur, West Bengal, who spoke about the dangers posed by chulhas. Pics/Instagram/@mypollutionstory

A new initiative called My Pollution Story has been launched as a community-driven initiative on social media to highlight the personal impact of air pollution through stories of people living, working, and navigating life through various kinds of pollution. Launched on Instagram by the Clean Air Collective (an unbranded network of about 150 people and organisations working on air pollution), the My Pollution Story initiative aims to become a community-owned platform where everyone can share their stories and experiences.

[popcorn number="150" desc="Number of people and groups that comprise the Clean Air Collective" class="Default"]

Clinton Sodoke, 23, a Ghanaian man living in Handewadi, Pune who raised concerns about dust pollution in the Katraj suburb

It has invited individuals from various cities and communities to share how air pollution affects their daily lives or the lives of those around them, capturing voices of those most affected by air pollution, such as auto drivers, street vendors, workers, students, women, traffic cops, small businesses and residents.

With this, the campaign seeks to make an environmental crisis personal and visible, and move awareness regarding pollution beyond numbers towards empathy and action. The initiative aims to eventually become a publicly accessible repository of pollution-related experiences through such stories that can become anecdotal evidence of the impacts of pollution.

Mohit Modi, a student living in Andal, West Bengal, who raised the issue of pollution being emitted from a power plant

What kind of stories does the initiative want to capture?

Health Impacts
>> Respiratory illnesses and breathing difficulties
>> Allergies, eye irritation, skin problems, and other health concerns
>> Effects on children, elderly persons, and vulnerable populations

Livelihood Impacts
>> Reduced productivity due to pollution
>> Impacts on street vendors, transport workers, farmers, fishers, waste workers, and other occupations
>> Increased healthcare expenses affecting household income

Daily Life Experiences
>> Changes in daily routines due to pollution
>> Experiences during severe pollution episodes
>> Challenges faced while commuting, studying, exercising, or spending time outdoors

Community and Environmental Changes
>> Changes observed in neighbourhoods for public spaces

Stories of action
>> Community-led solutions
>> Local innovations
>> Citizen action
>> Positive changes resulting from collective efforts

Share your story here: https://www.instagram.com/mypollutionstory

Aims of My Pollution Story

>> Capture the lived experiences of people whose daily lives are affected by polluted air, contaminated water, waste mismanagement, industrial emissions, noise pollution, and other environmental challenges

>> Highlight unheard stories of the impacts of pollution, experienced in different ways by different people, including impacts on health, income, and the local environment