Delhi Pollution: We Are Choking To Death But The Taj Mahal Gets An Air Purifying Van!

All everyone has been talking about for the past few weeks is the “gas chambers” we as Delhi-NCR citizens are living in. An emergency in the Northern belt of the country has been declared and the number of patients in hospitals has increased multifold. Most citizens are complaining about constant headaches, congested sinuses, cough, and chest pain but it’s still not being taken as seriously as it should. 

The air quality has dropped to hazardous levels and the visibility is very poor. The AQI (Air Quality Index) in the capital was recorded at 434 which is severe as declared by the Central Pollution Control Board. Just to put it in perspective- 0-50 is considered healthy on the index chart. 

Today, the Supreme Court of India considered a special report by The Environment Pollution Prevention and Control Authority. The bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra said, “Can we survive in this atmosphere? This is not the way we can survive. No one is safe even inside homes; it is atrocious. Delhi is choking every year and we are not able to do anything. Question is that every year this is happening. People are dying and it can’t happen in a civilised country”.

Taking note of the stubble burning in the agricultural states of Punjab and Haryana, the court asked the center to call environmental experts and find a solution. The bench added, “Things are happening every year under our nose. People are being advised to not come to Delhi or to leave Delhi. State governments are responsible. People are dying in their state and neighbouring states. We will not tolerate this. We are making a mockery of everything.”

Quartz India

On the occasion of Chhath Puja, thousands of devotees offered prayers along the bank of the river Yamuna. Unfortunately, thanks to our environment quality men in dhotis and women in sarees stepped into the river with toxic water which had hazardous white foam floating on the surface of it. They didn’t get a view of the rising sun either because of the thick smog that is currently engulfing the capital city.

According to NDTV, Yamuna is one of the most polluted rivers in the country owing to the 19 drains that empty out in it contributing to 96% of the river’s total pollutants. 

NDTV

Over the weekend, the matters were even worse as many parts of the capital showed an AQI of 999 because beyond that the reading doesn’t show. 

Schools in Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida, and Gurgaon remain shut till Tuesday. The Delhi government has also undergone a massive drive to distribute five million protective masks to the citizens as well as started the odd-even vehicular restriction scheme in the state. Construction activities have also been banned in the area and people seen breaking the rule will be heavily penalised. 

According to another report by NDTV, Punjab CM Amarinder Singh has fined 2,923 farmers in the state for contributing to the problem. The Directorate General of Health Service (DGHS) also issued a health advisory for the general public. Here are the do’s and dont’s. 

Not surprisingly the sales of air purifiers and anti-pollution masks have gone up by 70% as Delhiites continue to breathe in toxic air that is causing respiratory problems for many.

Live Mint

Agricultural scientist, M S Swaminathan took to Twitter to share a conclusive solution to the problem of stubble burning and his thread has been going viral.

Citizens of Delhi-NCR are frustrated and #RightToBreathe has been trending on Twitter. People are asking basic questions- how basic a demand does it have to be if they are asking for clean air to live a healthier and longer life?

Everyone is disillusioned

When will we start tackling the issue?

What are we leaving behind for the future generation?

Are we really living?

The situation is terrible

Is there no solution?

According to a report by News 18, a survey conducted shows that 40% of residents from Delhi-NCR want to move to another city because of bad air quality and 16% want to travel during this period. 13% of the people also believed that they have no option but to deal with this pollution. 44% of the residents said that they have had health issues because of the pollution around them but have not visited doctors. 

While citizens cry for help, the authorities in Uttar Pradesh have deployed an air-purifying van at the Taj Mahal to save the iconic monument. This is said to purify 15 lakh cubic meter air in eight hours within a 300-meter radius and is deployed so that the AQI levels reduce in the area and don’t cause permanent damage to the monument. 

Unsplash

To bring notice to the grave issue, a shoot was done where the bride was seen wearing an anti-pollution mask. 

The dulhan-to-be and her husband did their pre-wedding photoshoot in the smog of Delhi to highlight how grave the situation is.

Instagram

Instagram

There has still been no conclusive action being taken to tackle the problem head-on. The authorities in India work on a reactionary basis and wait for the situation to reach a point of no return when they decide to take action. We are not investing enough resources and researching enough into eco-friendly ways to get rid of stubble crops. We as citizens are fed up with living in unhygienic and unhealthy environments and we demand a change. Is anyone listening to us trying to catch a breath?

Featured Image Source: Indian Express, India TV

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