The smog shrouds the Kartavya path in mist and the India Gate triumphal arch is almost invisible in the background. Image AFP
In some places in the metropolis of Delhi, the AQI reached a level of 498 on Friday. That is a hundred times more than the limit set by the World Health Organization (WHO). In response, the government closed schools and temporarily banned non-essential construction work.
The spike in air pollution in Delhi is an annual winter phenomenon caused, among other things, by the sharp increase in the number of crop burning carried out by farmers in neighboring states such as Haryana and Punjab. On Sunday, Punjab saw a 740 percent increase in farm fires, with more than a thousand in one day.
Toxic clouds of smoke
Indian farmers burn fields with remains of the summer harvest so that they can sow their winter crops as quickly as possible. The result is that huge clouds of toxic smoke are generated and are blown into Delhi by the northwesterly wind. Due to a drop in temperature, the fine particles remain in the capital.
A structural cause of air pollution is the relatively central position that the city occupies in the country. Furthermore, there are many cars driving in the metropolis of 33 million inhabitants, resulting in a significant amount of exhaust fumes. And due to the many different industries in the city, additional (unhealthy) substances are released into the air through combustion.
The toxic air is a major problem in India. It kills 1.6 million Indians every year, accounting for 18 percent of all deaths. According to the Energy Policy Institute, affiliated with the University of Chicago, an average person in India would gain about 5.3 years in life expectancy in 2021 if particulate matter pollution met the WHO guideline. In the specific case of Delhi, this would amount to 11.9 years of potential additional years of life.
Critical situation
Another monitor from IQAir, a Swiss company that tracks air quality in cities around the world, confirms how critical the situation is in India. In 2022, 14 of the world’s 20 most polluted cities were in India, with Delhi in fourth place behind Lahore (Pakistan), Hotan (China) and Bhiwadi (India).
On several occasions, the current Delhi government has attempted to stem the rising tide of air pollution. For example, there is a driving ban for trucks that run on diesel and several coal-fired power stations around the city have been closed in recent years.
In 2021, two meter-high ‘smog towers’ were built, consisting of forty fans and five thousand filters. The idea is that they suck in the contaminated air and blow it out as clean air. Despite the high cost of more than 2 million dollars each, they do not seem to have the desired effect. In fact, one of the two towers has been closed for eight months.
One measure that may be introduced again is the ‘odd-even policy’. Private vehicles with license plates ending in an odd number may only drive on odd dates and vice versa.
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2023-11-03 20:12:16
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