Breathing pollution

Every winter season(October to March), a filthy smog forms over Delhi as cold, heavy air traps construction dust, vehicle emissions and smoke from crop stubble burning in neighbouring states, causing a surge in respiratory illnesses among the city’s 20 million people. October to December has become “air pollution season” for millions in Delhi, surrounding areas of the capital, and other densely-populated northern cities like Agra, Lucknow and Kanpur. Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, disclosed that stubble burning contributes to a little over 25 % of the air pollutants that cause smog over Delhi. Air pollution has also pushed politics to become polluted as parties ruling Delhi and Haryana and Punjab blame each other for the pollutants. While the AAP government in Delhi is leaving no stone unturned to blame the BJP government of Haryana, the latter has held the AAP governments in Delhi and Punjab responsible in failing to put adequate measures to check the abnormal increase in pollution. While the blame game continues to fly thick and thin, the ground reality is that the situation has become alarming. On November 6, Delhi’s “Air Quality Index” hit 488 on the 0-500 scale, according to IITM, Pune. Doctors in Delhi say the city’s relentless, toxic air pollution is leaving non-smokers in their twenties and thirties with “smokers’ lungs”. Northern India is in the grips of deadly levels of air pollution once again, threatening the health and lives of millions of people, with no permanent solution in sight. November 6 was the fifth, straight day when air pollution remained in the “severe” category of 400 and over, nearly 10 times the healthy limit. A rating anywhere between 301 and 500 is considered “hazardous,” and air quality at that level will trigger health warnings. At that level and beyond, everyone should stay indoors and reduce activity levels. Doctors in Delhi also say that breathing in the thick smog is like smoking 25-30 cigarettes a day. The doctors also disclosed that they have seen a steady increase in patients with sore throats, headaches and breathlessness in recent days. There has also been an increase in cases of asthma attacks. According to Dr Sumit Ray, head of critical care at Holy Family “many young people who have been in Delhi for a long period of time, who have never smoked, now have a smoker’s lung.” He said a 40-year-old will have the lungs of a person who has smoked for 20 years almost. Increases in fine particle pollution, called PM2.5, are also responsible for lung and heart-related issues developing in healthy people. Doctors say such chronic air pollution reduces lung capacity. A child growing up in Delhi with high levels of pollutants, will eventually have serious health problems by the 30th to 40th year. Air pollution is already known to shorten the average life expectancy of Delhi residents by approximately 11.9 years, a 2023 study from University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute found. Dimapur is the most polluted town/city with dust from bad roads and stone crushers contributing to increase in particulate matters. The concentration of Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) in Dimapur air is above 100 µg/m3. Over exposure to RSPM in Dimapur can cause cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and even cancers. It is the responsibility of the authorities and NPCB to address this issue in Dimapur.