A SHOT OF SMOKE FOR DELHI - Abhidyu Adukia

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INTRODUCTION

I wake up to the sights of Qutub Minar every day, but every year there comes a time when I am unable to see it. As soon as winter starts setting in, a big layer of smog engulfs the city, making it difficult to see and breathe. The people of the north are literally suffocating. Currently, regions such as New Delhi have an Air Quality Index of 250 which means that the air is extremely unhealthy. In such areas, It is advised that people should avoid going outside if possible and members belonging to the sensitive groups (old people, children, etc.) shouldn’t step out of the house at all costs.


CAUSES

There are a few factors that create a man-made cloud cover (smog) in the Northern region. Firstly, it can be attributed to industrial pollution. Delhi has the highest cluster of small-scale industries in India. These clusters don’t meet limits on air, soil, and water emissions. Emissions close to 200-1000 tonnes/year are found near these zones which heavily impacts the air quality. Secondly, it can also be attributed to vehicular emissions. It is rightly known that if the number of vehicles in Delhi is lined up, the line would be longer than the river Nile itself. There are more than 1 crore vehicles on the street of New Delhi. This is why the transport sector is the main source of air pollution around the year. It contributes to ~28% of the pollution. Finally, there is crop burning in neighbouring states. Every November, farmers in the neighbouring states of Punjab, Haryana, etc. burn off excess paddy straw after the rice harvest. Farmers use fire as a fast and cheap way to clean and fertilize the land before the winter sowing season. This burning also coincides with falling temperatures and slow wind speeds which end up trapping smoke in the atmosphere hence leading to a phenomenon called smog.


IMPACT

To combat air pollution, the Delhi government has issued several emergency measures. It has instructed all government offices to work at full capacity from home till November 21. Construction and demolition activity in Delhi has been banned until November 21, while schools and other educational establishments in the national capital will remain closed until further orders, according to the environment ministry. From 1995 to 2015, the Disability-Adjusted Life Year (DALYs) in Delhi due to particulate matter concentration increased from 339296.03 to 750320.60. From 1995 to 2015, the projected economic cost of PM 10 pollution in Delhi grew from USD 2.714 billion to USD 6.394 billion at constant 2005 prices. This is taking a huge toll on the environment, finances, and even health. If the current scenario continues then the spending to counter air pollution is only going to multiply. 


CONCLUDING REMARKS

The problem of deteriorating air quality isn’t new, yet there are few concrete steps that are taken to solve the issue. Every year, some short-term solutions are implemented like the odd-even policy. Such solutions don’t address the real issue. The Delhi government spends crores of its budget on pollution yet, there is no visible progress. I think it is easier to blame firecrackers than to address the inefficiencies in the system which lead to drastic levels of pollutions each year.

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