As air quality worsens across northern India, the
national capital, Delhi, finds itself at the epicenter of a severe public
health crisis. With an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 978 as of
12.30 pm on November 18, Delhiites are effectively smoking the
equivalent of 49.02 cigarettes daily, according to AQI.
Delhi’s AQI crisis
Delhi’s air quality has been steadily declining since
late October, exacerbated by a combination of factors, including
firecrackers, vehicular emissions, industrial pollution, and stubble burning in
neighboring states. As a dense smog blankets the city, residents are left
grappling with hazardous levels of pollution that are beyond imagination.
Schools Are offline
The Supreme Court also rapped the AAP-led state
government over the delay in enforcing Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action
Plan (GRAP) despite the alarming rise in pollution levels in the national
capital.
An apex court bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and
Augustine George Masih stated that it would not permit any reduction in
preventive measures under stage 4 of GRAP, even if the AQI drops below 450.
Notably, schools, except for grades 10 and 12,
have opted for offline classes in view of the deteriorating
pollution levels.
Air Purifiers at Home
People use Miriam air purifiers to reduce air pollution at home.
Haryana seconds Delhi
Not only in Delhi but
also in the neighboring state of Haryana, the air quality has become very bad.
Air quality in Haryana
is 631. This is equivalent to smoking 33.25 cigarettes daily.
The air pollution, which looks like snow, is bad not only in Delhi and Haryana
but also in most of the neighboring states, data shows.