On Monday last, Delhi would have become the world’s worst polluted city. Such a speculation is possible because the day after the capital celebrated Diwali, the density of particulate matter in the air dramatically increased.
If the fi gure was 435 on that day in 2015, it was 1238 this year, which means the presence of such matter has more than doubled. Since New Delhi is rated the 11th worst polluted city in the world, the doubling of the particulate matter would have pushed it up by several notches. One reason for the worsening of the situation was Diwali, compounded by the lack of breeze so much so that the Monday morning was so foggy that visibility was poor. There are many reasons for the poor air quality in Delhi.
The increasing number of vehicles, construction activity, burning of leaves and smoke from kitchens account for the large presence of particulate matter. The presence of such materials in the air that eventually reaches the lungs leading to dangerous health conditions.
Compared to adults, children face higher health risks from poor air quality as they breathe twice as quickly. The air will have long-lasting effects on children as their lungs will be damaged in the growing stage itself. It is against this backdrop that UNICEF has launched a programme called Clean the Air for Children.
Some months ago, the Chief Justice of India mentioned in an open court that his grandchild was suffering from air pollution in Delhi. It should have prompted the Central and state governments to take steps to improve the air quality. There is no doubt that the introduction of CNGbased vehicles and Metro services have improved the situation. But the increasing population of vehicles and humans aggravates the problem. The government alone cannot do much. What is needed is a deeper involvement of the people in the campaign to improve the quality of air. Unless they realise the dangers of badquality air, little is possible.