Delhi is turning into a gas chamber with the air quality index hitting the hazardous 400-500 'severe plus' category. Schools have been shifted to online mode, companies forced to announce work-from-home for their employees, and vehicles face restrictions.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva and Union Minister Harsh Malhotra took part in the demonstration, wearing respiratory masks to raise awareness among the people about the dangers of increasing pollution.
He emphasized the alarming rise in pollution levels, which have been exacerbated by stubble burning and other factors, with several areas recording very high AQI readings surpassing 400.
A day after a minimal drop, the Air Quality Index (AQI) on Saturday again reached the ‘severe’ category with a combination of smog and fog enveloping the national capital, reducing the visibility to 200 meters in the morning.
The decision came during a high-level meeting Rai held with the officials on the implementation of GRAP-III restrictions in the city.
Additionally, there is a special emphasis on optimising the use of mechanized road sweeping machines, implementing effective manual road sweeping, and utilizing water sprinklers to suppress dust particles.
The smog guns to be operational on the main roads of the New Delhi area from 8 am to 5 pm are GPS-enabled.
A small study of brain autopsies has provided evidence that prolonged exposure to air pollution may raise the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
Charcoal, dung, wood etc., used as fuels before the mid-19th century were responsible for the problem of smoke, or miasma.
Besides leading a sedentary lifestyle and eating junk food regularly, acute smoking and air pollution also triggers cardiovascular diseases, starting from heart attack, cardiac arrhythmia, hypertension to stroke.
