Air Pollution : Oh Not Again ! Gasping For Breath

Wearing masks seems to have become a norm of the day. Though the world is declared free of Corona virus, it seems air pollution is the new virus, forcing people to stay indoors, schools declaring holidays, offices offering work-from-home. Delhi-NCR’s air quality is deteriorating at an alarming pace breaching ‘400’ danger mark on a scale of 500 with AQI reaching alarming levels in several places. Unfortunately, as Delhi remains under the thick blanket of haze, the smog tower, which was inaugurated by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in 2021 amid much fanfare, is ‘locked up’.

The Rs 23 crore-smog tower located in Connaught Place is not operational despite the fact that the national capital and its neighbouring areas are seeing hazardous air quality levels. The 24-metre tall smog tower had the capacity to clean 1,000 cubic metres of air within a one-kilometre radius per second. Equipped with 40 fans and 5,000 air filters, the tower sucks in polluted air and releases filtered air. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) had suggested the shutdown of the smog tower after a two-year-long project revealed that the reduction in Particulate Matter (PM) was only around 12 per cent to 13 per cent at a distance of 100 metres from the smog tower.

However, Delhi’s Environment Minister Gopal Rai said in a press conference that the smog tower in the city’s Connaught Place has been in-operational due to non-payment by the Centre. Rai said as the Delhi Air Quality Index (AQI) worsened, several BJP leaders went to the Connaught Place-located smog tower and made videos accusing the Aam Aadmi Party of being behind it. He said, “I thought it was important for the people in Delhi to know under what conspiracy the smog tower in Delhi was shut and who did it.”

The environment minister added that the smog tower in Connaught Place has been shut down arbitrarily on the orders of Delhi Pollution Control Committee Chairman (DPCC) Ashwani Kumar. He alleged that Kumar, who assumed the role of DPCC chairman in December last year “stopped the release of funds” to IIT-Bombay and other agencies working on the project.

Meanwhile, to name a few, Anand Vihar station, Punjabi Bagh station, Mundka station have recorded AQI levels in ‘severe’ category that is above 400 AQI mark, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. Looking at the severity of the situation, ban on non-essential construction work and the closure of primary schools in Delhi has been announced. Further, restrictions have been imposed on diesel and petrol vehicles operating in and around Delhi.

Government agencies have further warned that pollution levels could worsen in Delhi-NCR over the next 15-20 days due to a surge in farm fires along with expected drop in temperature and air speed. Smoky haze has blanketed the skyline of national capital since Thursday and is expected to continue for the next few days.

The concentration of PM2.5 exceeded the safe limit of 60 micrograms per cubic metre by a 7 to 8 times across various locations which can trigger respiratory and health problems. Smoke from stubble burning accounted for 25% of the PM2.5 pollution in Delhi on November 2 and may reach as high as 35%, according to Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune.

Whatever the reasons may be, people cannot be held as fugitives in their own houses, fighting for fresh air and healthy lives. Laws need to strictly enforced without doing any politics, and culprits be brought to the table. Rampant construction should be brought under the lens too, for it is one of the main reason contributing to the haze, as burning stubble is not new to the Indian farmers as it has been done for generations. Let the people and children breath clean air for everyone deserves a healthy life.