With cough, eye irritation, headache, and other health issues, borne out from hazardous air, afflicting an average resident, Delhiites’ are condemned to struggle to breathe with no end in sight to their woes.
Stagnant pollutants in the city’s air have been choking the residents of the national capital for over ten days now.
Meanwhile, the air in the city continued to reel under the ‘severe’ category on Thursday. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the average Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital was recorded at 437 on Thursday evening.
Several places remained covered with a thick haze canopy, more so in morning hours here. People are increasingly complaining of breathing problems in the air that is both heavy and dusty at the same time, especially around busy intersections like Dhaula Kuan and other heavy traffic areas where commuters wait to board buses, etc.
Five places in Delhi recorded air quality levels above 460, including Bawana- 466, Nehru Nagar- 464, Punjabi Bagh- 461, RK Puram- 460 and Wazirpur- 460.
Meanwhile, cities adjoining the national capital like Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, and Faridabad are also facing a tough time with air pollution remaining at the ‘severe’ and very poor levels.
Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj informed that Environment Minister Gopal Rai has expressed displeasure over the ineffective implementation of GRAP-IV measures by concerned officers.
He was speaking after the pollution review meeting held by the environment minister, where it was mentioned that the entry of trucks and diesel buses from other states was going on unhindered and unabated indicating the laxity of the officials in the implementation of GRAP- IV measures.
As an extraordinary solution to air pollution amid the severe air situation, the Delhi government is also considering the execution of a pilot project of artificial rain in Delhi in a bid to improve air quality.
Experts from IIT Kanpur and CII have been asked to submit a proposal to the Delhi government, and the same could be produced before the Supreme Court to obtain permissions and further look at its possibilities.
Amid the bad air conditions, the CPCB on platform ‘X’ shared with people the harmful effects of burning crackers ahead of Diwali festivities, discouraging the use of firecrackers. It said bursting of firecrackers could add to the blood pressure and increase heart ailments.
The pollution control body also said that poisonous gases also affect pregnant women and generally cause respiratory issues like asthma, coughing, sneezing, and lung infections.
Medical experts have been reiterating that rise in air pollution is already bad for health and especially way more harmful for existing heart and lung patients and those with comorbidities.
They have suggested people, mainly the elderly and children stay indoors until there is an improvement in severe air quality.