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Read, Debate: Engage.
| topic: | Air Pollution |
|---|---|
| located: | India |
| editor: | Hanan Zaffar |
As has become the norm each year, the Indian capital, Delhi, witnessed a significant rise in its air pollution as Diwali, the festival of lights, was celebrated earlier this week. Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) breached the 300 mark following Diwali for four consecutive days, which is categorised as ‘very poor’.
While the nation's capital usually has dense smog, each year, pollution levels spike in Delhi around Diwali, which brings with it grey skies and suffocating air. Construction activities, industrial releases, and enormous vehicular presence has made tainted air a constant fixture in the city. However, stubble burning in neighbouring states and increased local emissions due to the use of firecrackers cause a spike in pollution levels during late October and November, which coincides with the festival of Diwali, rendering the Delhi air unbreathable.
During this season, the most harmful pollutants, which find excessive presence in the air of Delhi and are closely associated with premature mortality, are fine PM 2.5 particles. These penetrate deep into lung passageways and can cause irreversible damage and deaths. According to a study, air pollution caused an estimated 54,000 premature deaths in Delhi in 2020, with lung ailments, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), on the rise, as the air sees no decrease in toxicity. An analysis by the National Clean Air Program NCAP Tracker of data from CPCB’s 33 monitors in Delhi showed that PM 2.5 levels in the capital city this year were lower than in 2021, but continued to be above the daily safe limits.
The worsening air quality specifically around Diwali means that those suffering from respiratory illnesses, like asthma, cannot leave their homes. Last year in November, Delhi saw a 30 to 40 percent increase in the number of patients admitted to hospitals with respiratory problems, and hospitals reported 25 to 30 cases of respiratory disorders per day. This also included an uptick in the number of people without any history of respiratory illnesses.
While the government - both at the central and provincial levels - comes up with numerous initiatives and guidelines, little to no impact translates on the ground. Both the Delhi government and Indian Union government constantly put blame on each other for the polluted air, and any effort from one is rejected by the other.
For example, the rise in pollution during November saw both governments at the centre and the union territory ruled by different parties trading blames and accusations. The Delhi government, which had imposed a complete ban on firecrackers ahead of Diwali, was termed ‘anti-Hindu’ by the BJP. Despite the ban doing little to stop firecrackers from bursting across the national capital, it became a political tool for the two parties to attack each other. Similarly, another campaign initiated by the Delhi government to tackle vehicular pollution did not receive the approval from the central government-appointed Lieutenant governor, resulting in its postponement.
On the other hand, the issue of stubble burning (the burning of agricultural residue in the neighbouring states of Delhi), which results in a spike in air pollution in the region, has received little attention or implementable solutions for several years now. Left with no alternatives due to financial or technical constraints, most farmers burn the excesses of their produce - mainly straw. The most viable options available for stubble burning are the on-site treatment of stubble (mixing the stubble back into the soil), off-site treatment (where some companies collect stubble for their use), and the alteration of cropping patterns. However, the government has so far failed to provide these alternatives to farmers.
In the long run, authorities seem to be less concerned about the overall health of the air, particularly in one of the most polluted capitals of the world, even as citizens continue to face the harmful effects of breathing the poisonous air.
Photo by Anirudh
