Coughing and wheezing in smog choked Delhi

The air quality on Wednesday reached the hazardous level in many parts of Delhi

GN Bureau | November 8, 2017


#air quality   #Arvind Kejriwal   #Delhi smog   #crop burning   #smog   #Delhi pollution   #PM 2.5   #air quality  
Fog and haze along the Himalaya (Courtesy: NASA)
Fog and haze along the Himalaya (Courtesy: NASA)

This NASA image only shows half the truth. People living in the Delhi NCR region are experiencing the real horror. Breathlessness, itchy eyes and sore throat are the immediate reactions. Only time will tell the long term effects of this deadly smog.

It is history repeating itself for people living in Delhi-NCR, which is choking again due to the severe air pollution. It seems neither the government nor the people have learnt any lessons from last year. Shifting the blame to the neighbouring states, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has written to his counterparts in Haryana and Punjab to work on a solution for the stubble burning by farmers.

Some emergency measures have been taken by the government like closing primary schools, restricting outdoor activities for kids, increasing parking fees in the capital and reducing metro fares during peak hours.
 
The supreme court-appointed Environment Pollution and Control Authority (EPCA) has also suggested some emergency measures to curb the alarming pollution. Among others, it has recommended a fine of Rs 50,000 to be imposed on road construction agencies violating dust pollution norms in Delhi-NCR and has asked the Delhi-NCR governments to start odd-even soon. Read EPCA list of measures when the air quality touches ‘emergency’ level. 
 
But are these measures enough? A year has passed since the last year’s deadly smog; and still no preventive or precautionary measures have been taken by the government. It is yet again restoring to emergency measures only; and no long term solutions.
 
As per the national air quality index, air quality on Wednesday shot up to more than 500, reaching ‘hazardous’ level in many parts of Delhi.
 

Comments

 

Other News

Wired for good: Building sustainable cities with AI

The First Industrial Revolution in the 18th-19th centuries ushered in a paradigm shift in how cities were imagined. Fueled by railways, factories and grids, and obsessed with speed and scale, it was an ode to efficiency, which spurred unprecedented economic growth. Now, as the Fourth Industrial Revolutio

How social media is reshaping elections

Since Brazil’s return to direct presidential elections in 1985, no candidate who finished second in the first round of polling had ever won the presidency. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, now 81, has just done it. What explains the comeback, and what changed in Brazilian politics to make it possi

Cabinet approves Dearness Allowance, Dearness Relief

The union cabinet chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved the release of an additional instalment of Dearness Allowance (DA) to central government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners with effect from 01.07.2026 representing an increase of 3% over the existing rates of 6

Cyclone Arnab strikes Andhra as warming oceans amplify storm risks

Cyclone Arnab made landfall along the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts in the early hours of Wednesday as a very severe cyclonic storm, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 125–135 kmph and gusts reaching 150 kmph. Its rapid intensification has raised concerns about how warmer oceans, global warmin

Counting matters but which ones?

The first instinct of public policy is to count. Its harder task is to count what counts. We have become remarkably good at measuring the reach of the welfare state vis-à-vis beneficiaries covered, rupees transferred, houses built, connections installed and services delivered. But some of the most

Inching closer to a trade deal with America

The cooperation between India and the United States goes back quite a time. We need to relegate that era to the backburner when Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru visited US in the times of president Dwight Eisenhower and called the American let-off of 10 million dollars in defence aid to Pakistan as a “gun w

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter