NEW DELHI: Vivek Gahlot usually begins stocking up on N95 masks towards the end of October. This year, however, the 53-year-old pharmacist in Anand Vihar has been forced to look for supplies earlier. “Mask sales began to pick up soon after the monsoon retreated and have skyrocketed over the past week,” he said.
A look at the Central Pollution Control Board’s bulletin reveals the reason behind the Anand Vihar resident’s troubles. At 8:30 am on Monday, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in the locality stood at 454, the worst in Delhi. This puts the AQI in the ‘severe’ category, which according to the CPCB, “affects healthy people and seriously impacts those with existing diseases.”
Over the years, Anand Vihar and the nearby Vivek Vihar have consistently seen some of the worst air pollution in the capital. Last November, Anand Vihar recorded a ‘hazardous’ AQI of 999.
Multiple factors are responsible. “Factories in nearby Sahibabad and Ghaziabad often use unclean fuel, impacting local air quality,” said environmentalist Varun Gulati.
Then, National Highway-24, which passes close to Anand Vihar, is a major traffic corridor, heavily congested with vehicles entering and exiting Delhi, significantly contributing to vehicular emissions.
An air quality monitoring station, managed by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), is located within the Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT) at Anand Vihar. The ISBT sees high levels of vehicular pollution, as hundreds of diesel-powered inter-state buses operate daily from the terminal. Unlike Delhi, where fuel restrictions are imposed, neighbouring states allow diesel vehicles, further escalating pollution levels in the area.
Result is that residents struggle to grapple with the consequences of consistently breathing in polluted air. “In the past, we used to conduct lung health check-up camps, but there’s no point in doing so anymore. The authorities have done nothing to curb the root cause of pollution,” says local resident BS Vohra.
Meanwhile, the National Green Tribunal has sought a response from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee and other authorities about the heavy metal pollution in east Delhi’s air.
The green body was hearing a matter in which it had taken suo motu cognisance of a report on a study by IIT-Delhi detecting “alarming levels of heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, and nickel in the air in east Delhi,” which could cause respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
Worsening AQI across Delhi
A monitoring station at Anand Vihar sees high levels of vehicular pollution, as hundreds of diesel-powered inter-state buses operate daily from the terminal
Last November, Anand Vihar recorded a ‘hazardous’ AQI of 999, with residents constantly complaining about toxic ambient air
Across Delhi, daily average AQI is likely to remain in the ‘very poor’ category (between 301 and 400) in the coming days
Following GRAP-II on Monday, curbs are imposed on the use of coal and firewood, including tandoors at hotels, restaurants, and open eateries