As air pollution increases, people in New Delhi are wearing masks or face coverings once again on the streets. Primary schools are to close this week, while building projects and cars that emit pollution have been outlawed by the local authority. The skyscrapers and monuments of New Delhi are shrouded in a heavy layer of haze. Officials in the Indian capital are having difficulty bringing down the levels of extreme air pollution. Over 20 million people in New Delhi are impacted by the annual and ongoing health issue caused by air pollution. Tuesday’s air quality index for small particle matter was almost at 400. That is regarded as a risky level. The primary environmental agency of India, SAFAR, stated that it is more than ten times the level deemed safe. This is the area’s fifth day in a row with poor air quality.
To reduce the pollution, officials have released anti-smog guns and water sprinklers. Additionally, they announced a $240 fine for drivers of buses, lorries, and cars powered by gasoline or diesel that produce pollution. Physicians have recommended locals to wear masks and stay indoors as much as possible in the meantime. Locals, including Renu Aggarwal, 55, are concerned that the smoke may get worse this weekend as Diwali draws near. Fireworks are lit at the Hindu festival of light. Aggarwal stated that her daughter’s allergy to pollen gets worse when there is pollution. She is having trouble breathing. She finds it difficult to even go to the bathroom because of the pollution, even though we keep the doors and windows closed in our house. And she runs out of breath,” she remarked.
Almost annually, New Delhi comes out on top of the list of Indian cities with the worst air quality. It gets worse in the winter when colder temperatures produce smoggy conditions and crops burn in nearby regions. One of the biggest causes of pollution in north India is the burning of crop residues at the beginning of the winter wheat season. By providing funding to purchase equipment to turn the soil, officials have been attempting to dissuade farmers from adopting the technique. However, according to the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, 25% of New Delhi’s pollution is still caused by smoke from agricultural burning. A team called Respirer Living Sciences monitors environmental indicators such as air quality. According to the report, New Delhi had a steady increase in airborne particulates in 2022 and 2023, a decline of 44% in 2021, and a sudden surge of 32% in 2019 and 2020.
Every city dweller is impacted by the acute air pollution problem, but millions of those who work outside are particularly vulnerable. An automated rickshaw is driven by Gulshan Kumar. He claimed that the dirt in the air frequently gets into his eyes, throat, and nose. His kids beg him to go back to the state of Bihar, where he was born. He remarked, “They ask me why I work in this sick and polluted city.” “I wouldn’t have come to work in Delhi if I had a job back home.”
Leave a Reply