“Breathing in the Indian capital this month was like smoking 50 cigarettes a day”
Cancelled flights, car crashes and delayed trains are only a few problems faced by the locals in Delhi.
The concentration of the 2.5 PM airborne particles had increased so much that merely breathing the air in Delhi, was at its worst, like smoking 50 cigarettes a day.
Much of the pollution in Delhi comes from farms in the nearby states of Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh. With the harvest season over, farmers resort to burning crop stubble – a practice which has given Delhi its notorious reputation for being the most polluted city in the world.
Smoke from the stubble burning is mixing with the pollution from inside the city – from vehicles, fires the lower class families use to keep themselves warm, construction dust and dust arriving from sweeping. The mix of rural and urban pollution strengthens in the winter allowing the dirty air to linger.
In conjunction with stubble burning, the topology of Delhi serves as a disadvantage. Delhi is trapped by the Himalayan mountain range which prevents the smooth movement of air. Moreover, in winters, the mist traps the particles close to ground level, making the air heavy and polluted.
There are several other reasons Delhi is a victim to air pollution, and it is absolutely imperative for us to collectively take action and encourage the government to do so too.
#pollution #delhi #air #pollutedair #savetheplanet #environment #planetearth
Navya's blog 