Air quality of India’s capital New Delhi has reached to extreme, schools are shut, declares emergency

India’s capital is facing hazardous air quality from last few days. Air quality levels was higher than 320 on the air quality index but now as per Swiss group IQAir, the air quality was as bad as 400 on the air quality index earlier this week, making situation worse for people. The schools have been decided to shut on the name of winter breaks, which generally starts from January. Whereas primary schools had already been shut due to smog and air pollution to protect young children from health conditions. Administration has decided to impose restrictions on vehicles to reduce rise in pollution. Delhi is mentioned in the list of most polluted cities in the world, however the contribution of administration to curb air pollution seems no good, every time winters hit Delhi.
Construction activities have been halted along with court order from country’s top court to stop farmers around the state to burn residue. Neighboring country Pakistan is going through a similar pollution wave where authorities have ordered to close the schools in Punjab province, one of the most populous cities in the country. While every winter, capital New Delhi witness worst air quality index, how it is affecting health of people and what extra measures are required from administration to control the situation is shared with EAT news by Doctor Manish Sharma.
Practicing medicine since more than 20 years, Dr. Manish thinks people living in Delhi is living under hazardous conditions that will deteriorate their health in coming years. He said, ‘Pollution level in capital Delhi has reached to a dangerous point. It should be declared emergency. And considering the fact that upcoming years the situation will get worse if no relevant steps are taken is so worrisome. If I compare the situation of earlier years and present, the climate change and environmental crisis has made the air quality toxic.’ Furthermore, he said that administration is not doing enough and more needs to be done. The pollution limit set by World Health Organization (WHO) has been crossed and is now setting new record.
The country is hosting Cricket World Cup 2023 and is providing hospitality to teams such as South Africa, Australia, New Zealand. Meanwhile lot of questions are arising over administration’s part. Balraj is a resident in Delhi and while talking to EAT news called administration’s liberation over farmers. ‘I have lived in Delhi all my life. I have seen the air quality getting down. But the I have also seen state administration or central administration not doing enough to reduce it. They have not paid attention from the beginning’, he said. In addition, he blamed burning of residue as the main reason adding on to the pollution. Farmers from neighboring states burn crop residue during this period and it affects the air quality of all around. Every year we face this after Diwali, but somehow, we are witnessing it before Diwali and it is very bad this time’, he said. Farmers living in Punjab and Haryana burn crop residue during the commencement of winter season in India to clear the fields for sowing another cycle of crops, but due to shortage of funds and availability of machinery, they are forced to get rid of them through this process. And according to the study conducted under ‘Environment and Health Impacts of crop residue Burning: Scope of sustainable crop residue management practices’ (Raza, et. al, 2022) presented the process ‘has become a significant concern for climate change mitigation efforts worldwide. This practice has led to air quality impairment, smog, haze, heat waves and different heal problems.’
Few health problems severe air pollution can result into are chances of stroke heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, cataract, shared by Dr. Sharma. ‘Air pollution is not harmful for a specific body organ but for the whole body. But according to individual’s immunity and history of health disease, it impacts differently. Specifically, lungs are the vulnerable part of the body under particular threat’, he said.
Measures such as artificial rain, odd-even (specific days have been assigned for four wheelers), complete restrictions over trucks, construction activities are the common emergency measures adapted by administration each year. But is this enough? Balraj along with a concerned citizen, also is the head of his residential society. He believes to reduce air pollution at such a larger level, certain steps needs to be taken. ‘I urge administration to bring alternate ways for the farmers to get ride of crop residue. How other countries deal with it. Burning is not the only solution. Agriculture is the primary source of living in India and it should be a prime duty of administration to come up with flexible and sustainable ways to deal with agriculture related activities’, he said.
People in Delhi are wearing mask and avoiding going out. Balraj is alarmed about the situation after Diwali because the celebration includes burning of firecrackers.