Delhi is the capital territory of India and also one of the most polluted cities in the world. The air quality in Delhi is terrible in any prominent city in the world. Delhi pollution is also influencing the districts touching its boundaries. Heavy smog has encircled Delhi since the Diwali festival. The air quality in Delhi has been serious as the pollution levels reached a new height. Air pollution leads to various life threatening diseases including asthma and chronic respiratory disease.
Who is responsible?
Generally the air quality index of Delhi is normal (101-200) from January to September. It drastically worsens to poor air quality index (401-500) or even unsafe levels (above 500) between October to December. It happens due to several factors including cold weather, vehicle pollution, industries, road dust and stubble burning.
Delhi pollution is also caused by animal agriculture as farmers burn their crops that produce smog and harmful particles. About 80{c3851e72db8c59172f314c71a8270c8062c295414d5e0a064080f2eb2c184194} of agricultural land is used for animal agriculture so it can be considered as a factor responsible for Delhi air pollution.
Why does it happen every year?
It happens every year due to growing population, growing industries, and construction works, vehicular emission and stubble burning. Situation gets awful around the Diwali due to seasonal Pollution generating activities and other weather conditions. Stubble burning is a major cause of air pollution and in winters.
Delhi government and their attitude towards pollution
Arvind kejriwal the Chief Minister of Delhi has introduced 8 mantras to combat air pollution in Delhi. In the past few days, Due to the worst situation in Delhi, the kejriwal government has introduced many measures to attack air pollution. That includes anti dust campaigns, launch of electric vehicle policy, bio composer technique for stubble burning and tree transplantation policy etc. To reduce air pollution in the national capital, Delhi government is also placing a smog tower which is known to clean the polluted air.
In order to curtail the vehicular emission in Delhi, the government has started the new electrical vehicle policy. Government is also offering incentives and stipends on electrical Vehicle investment to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles. Government has deployed anti-smog guns at large construction sites as the pollution levels are rising in the national capital. 10 plus anti-smog guns have been installed in such sites for dust control.
Kejriwal government has invented a bio decomposer solution under the advice of Pusa Agriculture Institute. This liquid solution is formulated and tested by Pusa Institute and is acknowledged as an achievable alternative to stubble burning. This solution can be drizzled in the fields after farming to turn the hard stubble and straw into waste. It is provided to the farmers free of cost. CM kejriwal has also requested other states to use this solution to help reduce the effects of stubble burning.
The Delhi government has set up a war room to monitor anti-pollution measures. They have also introduced an app, Green Delhi App through which people can report pollution causing activities in the city. This war room monitors the success of introduced measures daily and this report is personally analyzed by CM.
Why Delhi people don’t come out on street and protest against this situation
In October 2020, a 9 years old climate activist and 12 years old Aarav protested against air pollution outside the parliament house in Delhi. They were detained by Delhi police for 40 minutes. Even the Central Industrial Security force was called to take the protesters. They were warned not to protest again or would be arrested next time.
Somewhere Delhi people are also responsible for the pollution. They should stand against the government if the government is not taking actions against the increasing pollution. People should also take the measures introduced by the government. Only Delhi people can improve the condition because they themselves are responsible for it. Delhi government and residents both need to work together to improve the air quality and overall pollution levels in the national capital.
Effects of Delhi pollution:
Children lives are in danger
Children are more accessible to the adverse consequences of air pollution as they are in their growing and developing stage and they inhale a higher rate of air per Kg of their body weight. Children also spend more time outside, which means they are more exposed to pollution and polluted air. Poor air quality in Delhi irreversibly harms the lungs of 50{c3851e72db8c59172f314c71a8270c8062c295414d5e0a064080f2eb2c184194} of children. Pollution can diminishes the immune system in children. High levels of pollution increase the risks of diabetes, epilepsy, cancer and adult onset diseases (multiple sclerosis) in children.
People life is in danger
Pollution is not just dangerous for children but all people of the polluted area are in danger. Pollution gives birth to a variety of diseases. Many people reported that thick smog which causes watering eyes and bitter taste in the mouth. Common health effects of air pollution include allergy, asthma, and irritation in eyes, chest constriction and breathlessness. Poor air quality and air pollution lead to lung cancer, poor lung capacity, fatigue, cough, sore throats, headaches and early death. In the past few days’ hospitals have reported a high rise in patients of respiratory distress with children and seniors the worst hit.
Covid19 and pollution
Pollution levels in Delhi declined snappily after the lockdown. PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations reduced by half in comparison to before the lockdown period. CO and NO2 have shown substantial decline during the lockdown. Air quality in the industrial and transportation locations has improved by 60{c3851e72db8c59172f314c71a8270c8062c295414d5e0a064080f2eb2c184194}. Utmost improvement has been seen in the air quality of eastern and central Delhi. Just after 2-4 days, the air quality in Delhi enhanced about 40-50{c3851e72db8c59172f314c71a8270c8062c295414d5e0a064080f2eb2c184194}.
What experts say
Environmental experts have put forward concerns over the feasibility of smog towers. Smog tower is a large scale air purifier that reduces air pollution. Experts say that Delhi should focus on the pollution precluding measures. With rising air pollution in Delhi and deteriorating air quality index, there has been a great boost in the harshness and number of covid cases as well as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It is because air pollution causes inflammation in the nose, airways and lungs increasing our defenselessness of developing respiratory infections (coronavirus).
Air pollution may heighten the transmission of coronavirus making people more susceptible to disease.
I request the central Delhi, state governments to work together in stopping the pollution, It does not matter who’s responsible, the point of great leadership comes from taking care of the people and not always making it a political issue, you must trust the people’s intelligence, we can see what is going on and in the end if you work together then we know who is the grown up person/ a authentic leader that people will vote, hence show your leadership and not kind garden behavior. We are waiting and watching what measures you will take to get rid of it and if we don’t get any pollution next year, we know who did not do their work.
In the end we all together can help the government to solve this. But we the people should start by changing our daily ways of using the transport system. Ask yourself, do I need to go out? Is there any other way I can do this? Mindfulness from every human being is needed. Together we can get rid of it completely and live a healthy life. What are we all waiting for?.
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