A toxic haze has blanketed the streets of Delhi since the festival of Diwali
Authorities in the Indian capital,
Delhi, have shut all schools and colleges indefinitely amid the worsening
levels of air pollution.
Construction work has also been banned until 21
November but an exception has been made for transport and defence-related
projects.
Only five of the 11 coal-based power plants in the
city have been allowed to operate.
A toxic haze has smothered Delhi since the festival
of Diwali.
The levels of PM2.5 - tiny particles that can clog
people's lungs - in Delhi are far higher than the World Health Organization's
(WHO) safety guidelines. Several parts of the city recorded figures close to or
higher than 400 on Tuesday, which is categorised as "severe".
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A figure between zero and 50 is considered
"good", and between 51 and 100 is "satisfactory", according
to the the air quality index or AQI.
Some schools had already shut last week because of
pollution and the Delhi government said it was mulling over a lockdown to
improve air quality as dense clouds of smog engulfed the city.
A mix of factors like vehicular and industrial
emissions, dust and weather patterns make Delhi the world's most polluted
capital. The air turns especially toxic in winter months as farmers in
neighbouring states burn crop stubble. And fireworks during the festival of
Diwali, which happens at the same time, only worsen the air quality. Low wind
speed also plays a part as it traps the pollutants in the lower atmosphere.
A sense of déjà vu:
By Geeta Pandey, BBC News, Delhi
Every year as winter approaches, there's a sense of
déjà vu for us living in Delhi. The morning skies take on an ominous grey
colour, we complain of stuffy nose and itchy eyes, and hospitals start to fill
up with people complaining of wheezing and breathing difficulties. Those of us
who can afford it, rush to buy expensive air purifiers. The mere act of
breathing in Delhi becomes hazardous.
The city routinely tops the list of "world's
most polluted capitals" and we obsessively start checking apps that
provide a reading of the air quality index. We look at the levels of PM2.5, the
lung-damaging tiny particles in the air that can exacerbate a host of health
issues, including cancer and cardiac problems, and PM10 - slightly larger
particles, but still pretty damaging.
Levels of PM2.5 below 50 are considered
"good" and under 100 "satisfactory". Right now, it's 363 in
Delhi - in some areas, it's almost 400. In the suburb of Noida, it's nearly
500.
Every year, as the air turns murky, the Indian
Supreme Court hauls the state and federal governments into court, asking them
what they intend to do to clean up the air. On Tuesday, after a prodding from
the court, the authorities took some action.
But these measures are like putting a bandage on a
bullet hole - they have been tried in the past and have made little difference
to the city's air in the long term. Experts say cleaning up the air requires
drastic measures that are not a priority for the country's leaders. They warn
that at the onset of winter next year, we'll be back where we are now.
This year, the pollution has become so dire that it
prompted a stern warning from India's Supreme Court, which directed state and
federal governments to take "imminent and emergency" measures to
tackle the problem.
Following the hearing, a meeting was called by
Delhi's Commission for Air Quality Management and emergency measures were announced.
Other measures announced by the panel include a ban
on the entry of trucks in Delhi and the neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh,
Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan until 21 November, except those carrying
essential commodities.
The panel also directed Delhi and other states to
"encourage'' private offices to allow 50% of their employees to work from
home during the period to cut down vehicle emissions and dust levels.
India's pollution problem is not just limited to
Delhi.
Indian cities routinely dominate global pollution
rankings and bad air kills more than a million people every year, a report by
US research group, the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC),
said. It added that north India breathes "pollution
levels that are 10 times worse than those found anywhere else in the
world" and, over time, these high levels have expanded to cover other
parts of the country as well.
acknowledgements to Mick Holder
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