NEW DELHI - The infamous and apocalyptic post-Diwali (Deepavali) pollution spike has kept its annual rendezvous with Delhi, masking the city's landmarks behind a pall of smog, reducing the sun to a pale orb and forcing residents into coughing fits for several days now.
The severity of the pollution since October 28 has been such that it forced the Delhi state government to declare a rare public health emergency on Friday, a day recorded as the most polluted in around two years with an average air quality index (AQI) of 484. AQIs between 401 and 500 are classified as severe and fall in the worst category in India's air quality index. The average AQI on Saturday (Nov 02) afternoon was 410.
The state government attributed the decision to impose an emergency to "non-tolerable levels of air pollution making Delhi a gas chamber". It ordered all schools in Delhi to be shut until November 5 and began distributing five million pollution masks to schoolchildren in the city.
Residents have been advised to avoid personal exposure to the polluted air and construction activities have been halted until Nov 5. From Nov 4, the city will also introduce a temporary scheme until Nov 15 that allows cars with odd and even number plates to ply on alternate days in a further bid to cut traffic pollution.
Besides vehicular and factory emissions, the toxic smog that hangs over Delhi, as well as its suburbs, is a mix of construction dust, lingering emissions from Diwali fireworks and farm fires in adjoining states. The contribution of stubble burning to the recent spike has risen significantly - the government-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) attributed 15 per cent of the PM2.5 levels in Delhi to external bio-mass burning on October 28, a figure that rose to 44 per cent on October 31. It is expected to abate early next week.
Ms Rinku Singh, a 45-year-old Delhi resident who has been on medication for allergy due to pollution for the last two years, told The Straits Times that the recent spike has left her with a burning sensation in her throat as well as her nostrils. "My voice has changed since Diwali and I become breathless even while walking inside the house," she said. "I now avoid going out but for my job," Ms Singh added, urging authorities to stop the farm fires and ban firecrackers entirely on Diwali.
According to SAFAR, the PM2.5 level in Delhi on Saturday noon was recorded at 285, more than ten times the WHO's daily average safe limit of 25 micrograms per cubic meter. These particles can seep into the lungs as well as the bloodstream, causing premature deaths. A recent Delhi-based hospital study analysed lung cancer surgeries over the past 30 years and found that nine out of ten cases in 1988 affected smokers. In 2018, the ratio was, however, evenly split between smokers and non-smokers.
The problem of air pollution is not just confined to the capital; urban agglomerations across the country are saddled with foul air. 15 of the world's 20 most-polluted cities are in India, according to IQAir AirVisual 2018 World Air Quality Report released in March this year.
But public and institutional apathy still hobbles the anti-pollution drive. Pollution masks remain a rarity as morning joggers and yoga addicts go on with their daily regimen despite the soupy air. A major literature festival went on as usual at an outdoor venue over the weekend. Bangladeshi cricketers were also spotted practising with their masks on ahead of a match with the Indian team in Delhi on Sunday. The federal government too organised a mass run to celebrate the 144th birth anniversary of independence-era leader, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, on October 31 with several children running in the toxic air.
A citizens' protest has been planned for Monday to try and get authorities to accord the problem greater attention. "Delhites. Join the one day strike against polluted air on Monday. Stay at home. Give all staff the day off. This is no way to live. Let's show the govt we won't take this disaster," tweeted Ms Bharati Chaturvedi, the founder-director of the Delhi-based Chintan Environmental Research and Advocacy Group.
