India’s New Delhi choked by toxic smog again, as fears of respiratory health disaster grow
- Officials are taking measures to deal with the public health crisis, such as imposing ‘odd-vehicle’ limits and suspending work on construction sites
- Some residents have banded together to push for cleaner air, but are dismayed the New Delhi authorities have failed to find a lasting solution
In what has become a miserable winter ritual in the Indian capital of New Delhi, primary schools are shut, people with breathing difficulties are flocking to hospitals and those who can afford it are fleeing the pollution-hit city, where air quality levels have soared to hazardous levels since last week.
The Air Quality Index, which measures the level of fine particulate matter in the air, has for the past several days rated the city over the 450 mark – nearly 10 times the acceptable limit – as farmers in surrounding states burn crops to prepare for the next planting season.
Officials are tackling the public health emergency by restricting trucks from entering the city and banning diesel cars. They have also suspended work on all construction sites, while half of government workers have been told to work from home.
From next Monday, the number of cars will be restricted as part of an “odd-even” scheme, whereby cars with odd number licence plates will be allowed on the roads on odd dates and even-numbered plates will be allowed on even-numbered dates.
Every winter, the lack of rain, low wind speeds and crop burning across two states close to the capital – Punjab and Haryana – by farmers preparing the soil for the next harvest, conspire to create a firestorm.
