'Gas Chamber' Delhi Is Becoming Unlivable In Winters
Holding an extreme view and carting the ball out of the park is what interests him most. He is a hard hitter at all times. Fasten your seatbelts and read.
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By Slogger
First publised on 2021-11-13 12:02:43
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Holding an extreme view and carting the ball out of the park is what interests him most. He is a hard hitter at all times. Fasten your seatbelts and read.
View all posts by this Author
The ambient air quality of Delhi has worsened to such a level that the Supreme Court was constrained to ask the Centre to take emergency measures to tackle the menace, even imposing a two-day lockdown if need be. The court wanted the government to bring down the air quality from severe (above 400) to at least poor (within 200 to 300) within 2 days by doing all that needed to be done in this respect. It also asked neighbouring states to stop stubble burning for two days to help in this endevour. The air quality was alarming in 2019 but had improved in 2020 due to the Covid situation and the restrictions imposed due to that, but it threatens to surpass the 2019 levels this year.
Delhi's air quality has always worsened with the onset of winter. This is a yearly phenomenon and it regularly tops the charts as the most polluted city in the world. A host of factors, including (but not limited to) calm winds at night and light winds during the day, a drop in temperature and moisture in the air which prevent the pollutants from dispersing and stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana and western UP which exacerbates the situation by pushing the smoke to Delhi, are responsible for this.
The Supreme Court wondered what had happened to the smog towers that the government had earlier said it would install to provide relief. It also said that since stubble burning machines (that do not create smoke) are expensive and beyond the means of most farmers, the Central and state government could think of buying and giving them to the farmers for this purpose, or alternatively they can take stubbles and burn them. It recognized that the issue of stubble burning needed a long-term solution but emphasized emergency measures were needed now.
There are a series of meeting scheduled today with both the Delhi government and the Centre trying to find a way out to retrieve the situation. But the main problem is that this is becoming a yearly drama. There is a lot of noise and concern is shown by all and sundry during this period. But once winter goes, no one bothers to think of a long term solution. If, as alleged earlier, stubble burning is the main problem which adds a few hundred points to the AQI, why is it not being tackled seriously? Delhi's air quality will become better only if serious measures are taken, not if only heads are shaken and concern is expressed.
Update
After the day's meetings, the Delhi government took some decisions like suspending schools for one week from Monday, banning construction activities for three days from November 14-17 and asking government employees to work from home a week. While the first will ensure that children are not exposed to the pollution, the combined effect of much lesser vehicles on the roads due to closed schools and WFH for government staff will reduce vehicular pollution. No construction activity will also mean that dust particles will not be spread in the air, bringing some relief.
