Do you live in Delhi? Can you breathe freely? The answer would be ‘No’! The ‘black menace’ hovering over India’s capital city is the reason. As per the World Health Organization’s Air Pollution Report 2016, New Delhi is the 11th most polluted place in the world with an annual average PM 2.5 measurement of 122.
“The severity of Delhi’s pollution problem is increasingly becoming the cause of many chronic lung and respiratory diseases among Delhiites,” states a senior pulmonary specialist from MGS Hospital.
The pulmonologistfrom MGS Hospital further explains that the particulate matterin the air that is smaller than 2.5 micrometersusually comes from dust, soot and smoke. He elucidates, “These dangerous particles penetrate deep into the lungs andintensify thechances of being afflicted byheart and lung diseases, which may also include life-threating ailments like asthma and lung cancer.”
Premature deaths resulting from ingestion of PM10 from construction dust, trash burning, vehicle exhaust, and industrial processesis another serious concern. According to a study, air pollution contributed to around 80,665 premature deaths in Delhi in the year 2015.
The dark, hazy, and thick swathe that paints the capital is certainly impacting the city’s overallhealth and productivity.Not to miss, the additional smoke emanating fromfirecrackers during Diwali every year makes the hazardinevitable.
Surging air pollution levels and deteriorating air quality is a clear threat to survival, especially when it is about thriving in the capital. “The need of the hour is to take stern steps to clear Delhi’s acrid air,” says an expert from the Department of Respiratory Medicineat MGS Hospital.
Keeping a tab on diesel-powered public transport system, controlling the burning of fossil fuels, and managing industrial pollution is already on the Government’s agenda. Having said that,a bit of contribution from every Delhiite can work wonders in bringing the city’s pollution levels down. Be it planting more trees, recycling waste, or reducing the number of cars on the road by pooling, every little effort can make a difference.
However, the toxicity in the air is just not limited to Delhi. Alarming pollution levels across India makes it a national problem.This brings us to the World Health Organization’s report, which points towards the fact that half of the world’s 20 most polluted cities are in India. According to WHO's urban air quality database 2016, Gwalior topped the list for being the most pollution-stricken Indian city, followed by Allahabad, Patna, Delhi, Ludhiana, Kanpur, Khanna, Firozabad and Lucknow.This indeed is shocking for a nation that aspires to be an indomitable superpower.
A number of global environment groups and NGOs have, thus, volunteered towards nature conservation and pollution control in India. One of the Greenpeace India campaigners rightly stated, “Our pollution reduction strategies needs to be much more ambitious, systematic and with focused targets with clear timelines. Accountability and compliance mechanism should be in place, with no leniency towards fossil-fuel dependent sectors, such as power and transport.”
It is, certainly, high time for the citizens of India to turn into green activists. Best solutions will crop from the realisation that pollution is just like an incurable disease that has to be prevented in order to be controlled.