Particulate matter causes an increased health risk in New Delhi – with values many times higher than the maximum recommended value. Ideally, residents of the region should stay at home. Parents ask that schools be closed.
Smoke from thousands of fires in harvested fields engulfed India’s capital in toxic smog on Thursday. According to international air quality monitoring company IQAir, the level of particulate matter in the air was 588 per cubic meter, 40 times the daily maximum set by the World Health Organization (WHO). IQAir classified air pollution as “hazardous”. A score above 400 affects healthy people and has serious implications for people with existing illnesses, according to the federal government. In some areas of the city, the index was above 800, according to data from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee.
A gray veil hung in the early morning over the metropolis of New Delhi. Police officer Hem Raj said it was “the worst time to be outside”. When he wakes up, he feels tired and lethargic, so during the day “his eyes are watering and his throat is itchy”. Parents and environmentalists used social media to call for schools to close.
Each winter, fresh air, smoke from fields burned by farmers after harvest, and exhaust gases from industry and traffic in the capital region combine to create a noxious cocktail.
Experts blame air pollution for thousands of premature deaths in and around New Delhi. “I know children don’t vote for you, but still, I urge all ministers in Delhi city (capital region) to close all schools immediately,” environmental activist Vimlendu Jha wrote on Twitter. “It’s not NORMAL to inhale more than 500 AQI, not for our children, where one in three children already has lung weakness.”
“Crimes Against Humanity”
“What’s happening with air pollution in Delhi is nothing but a crime against humanity,” author and socialite Suhel Seth wrote on Twitter. Nobody feels responsible for that either, says Setz.
Delhi’s top politician Arvind Kejriwal, whose party also governs the state of Punjab where fires are rampant, said on Twitter that “the people of Punjab and Delhi are taking all measures at their level” to stop the fight against pollution.
The Indian capital halted most construction and demolition work this week in a bid to reduce dust pollution. City dwellers are urged to avoid car and motorbike rides, if possible, or hitchhiking. Home office is also recommended.
(APA/AFP/Portal)