What are the Causes of Delhi’s Pollution?
- In Current Affairs
- 07:40 AM, Nov 24, 2016
- Sharon Mathew
I wake up at 7:30AM, get ready, and start from home at around 8:30AM. As soon as I enter my Uber, I request the driver to tune into 94.3FM and I begin my fairly comfortable journey to my office in Vile Parle. The comforts of an air-conditioned car keep me unperturbed from the traffic on the Western Express Highway.
After a long day’s work I head back home where my family is hosting a dinner party for a few close friends. At the party the burning topic is the issue of the smog that has been hanging over the city of Delhi for the past few days.
(The residents of the NCR have been subjected to the worst instance of this toxic haze of smoke-laden fog in the past 17 years. With each passing day, the newspapers report an increasing number of victims as the Delhi pollution levels a “death sentence” for the children and the aged.[1] This gas chamber claims over 30,000 lives annually as it becomes the fifth largest cause of death in the country states the ‘Body Burden 2015’ report released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)[2].
The atmospheric particulate matter (PM), in particular the finer particulates (PM 2.5) that are the primary cause for respiratory diseases, reached an alarming level this November. While the World Health Organization (WHO) prescribes a maximum passable level of 25 micrograms, the capital city witnessed a staggering 347 microgram per cu. meter on Diwali day, which rose to 577 micrograms on Nov. 2, and 639 micrograms on Nov. 5.[3] )
As the night progressed, my vehement stand against this pollution crisis also increased- Being aware of the poor air conditions as early as in January, how could the government have let the matter get so out of hand? Why wasn’t the government of Delhi taking strict action against the farmers burning crops in Haryana and Punjab? Why did the government let this catastrophe continue for over 7 grueling days and why is there still no air quality management plan in the NCR? My blame game was on point and as usual- the Government always bears the brunt of ANY problem our country faces. But for a moment, let’s truly analyze the problem from an unbiased point of view-
On a Monday morning when the residents of Delhi woke up to a thick layer of smog blanketing the city and a near-zero visibility in many areas in the city[4], the officials of State bodies like SAFAR (System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research) scrambled to find a reason behind this quandary. The Director, Gufran Beig reported that the spike in pollution in the last two days was likely to have been caused by smoke from crop burning in Punjab and Haryana.[5] Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal likened the city to a "gas chamber" with main reason being smoke from farm fires in Punjab and Haryana. Herein started the beginning of the blame game. For the next few days, various state agencies and media houses condemned Punjab and Haryana for the consequences of their actions. The government of Delhi subsequently issued letters to the state government of UP, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan and also to the Union Environment Minister asking him to direct authorities in the neighboring states to prevent burning of agriculture residue.
However, a week into this, the Union Environment Minister Anil Dave clarified that only about 20% of Delhi’s pollution came from the crop residue burning in the neighboring states whereas 80% of the contaminants originated in the national capital.[6] So what exactly constitutes this 80%-
Road Dust constitutes the the majority of air pollution that has plagued the city. It is essentially the earthen material or dirt that becomes airborne, primarily by the friction of tires moving on unpaved dirt roads and dust-covered paved roads. While our first instinct is to pass the buck to the government in asserting that they ought to provide better roads and facilitate vacuum sweeping of the major roads, we mustn’t forget that the amount of road dust is directly proportional to the number of vehicles on the road. We, as individuals, must opt for means like public transportation or car pooling in order to curb the increasing road dust.
Public transportation, while maybe not as enjoyable as commuting in your own personal vehicle is a wonderful way to reduce emissions, reduce your carbon footprint, and enhance the overall air quality of the community. The onus is on us to decide whether we’d rather be subjected to poison infused fog that clogs our lungs and burns our eyes than sacrifice that extra bit of comfort and luxury we receive with a personal car. In a city that sees over 8.9 million registered vehicles and additionally, the 570,000 personal and passenger vehicles that enter Delhi every day, it begs us to ask the question as to why on average, every household in the city owns more than two personal vehicles (which could be cars, motorcycles or a combination of both). [7] The inter-ministerial committee on 'Decongestion of Traffic in Delhi' concluded that the explosive growth in automobile population needs to be checked quickly by adopting a 'carrot and stick’' policy of enabling increased use of public and non-motorized transport and disincentivising use of private vehicles through deterrent parking pricing and congestion tax for every additional vehicle in a household.[8]
Another factor that contributed to the deplorable air quality were toxic pollutants released due to bursting of firecrackers on Diwali. The levels of PM 2.5 nearly doubled on the day after Diwali, taking Delhi’s air standards from “very poor” to “severe”. Gufran Beig, reported that- "Almost 60-70% of the smoke came from the firecrackers."[9]
Two years ago, in 2014 the Central Government issued a public notification to completely ban the sale of the cheaper, more harmful Chinese firecrackers. While these firecrackers are more profitable for traders and are preferable to consumers as they make more noise, burn brighter and go higher in the sky; the high content of potassium chlorate in these firecrackers are responsible for the skyrocketing levels of pollution and toxicity in the air. This year the government also endeavored to tighten he noose on the sale of these firecrackers by deploying 11 inspection teams who would check the availability of imported firecrackers in the market. [10]
However, this move proved futile as the banned crackers continued to remain a profitable venture as vendors began to devise ways to sell them discreetly. Hawkers, on the other hand, are changing 'Made in India' to 'Made in China' depending on what customers want.[11] And for those vendors who refuse to sell the Chinese firecrackers, the intention is more rooted in a feeling of patriotism and the need to “teach China a lesson” for supporting Pakistan than out of the need to be more environment conscious. The sale of these firecrackers will continue so long as consumers like you and me have a demand for it.
The weather conditions in the NCR didn’t help to mitigate the effects if the pollutants as low wind speed, high humidity and low temperatures aggravated the formation of smog. The increase in the amount of suspended particulates in the air is responsible for scattering the sunlight thereby resulting in a drop in temperature. [12]This drop in temperature towards the surface of the earth caused a ‘temperature inversion’ in Delhi caused a reversal of normal behavior of temperature in the troposphere in which a layer of cool air at the surface is was overlain by a layer of warmer air. [13] This phenomenon resulted in trapping the pollutants and smog below the inversion, acting like a gas chamber for the citizens of the city.
The only immediate relief was the increase in wind speed over the duration of the week as it helped to dissipate the huge amount of dust and toxins looming over the skies of Delhi. It is regrettable that the residents of the capital city are at the mercy of nature, hoping that the next few days brings an increase in wind speeds, while they continue to push nature to its limit. This ought to be a wake up call, not only for Delhi, but also for the world as a whole, that we reap what we sow. We are the cause of the diseases that plague our people and only we are the cure.
I wake up at 7:00AM, get ready, and start from home at around 7:50AM. I walk to the bus stand and catch the first bus to Andheri Station. I take a slow train from Andheri to Vile Parle and then proceed to walk to my office, which is less than a kilometer away. The shoving and pushing involved in merely getting on to a crowded Mumbai local train, the discomfort of sweaty bodies cramped in a small train compartment and the amount of walking I have to do to reach my office are the little inconveniences I am willing to endure in the hope that someday my decision helped a generation breathe cleaner air.
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