Air that looks almost opaque: Smog chokes Delhi residents as pollution hits severe levels
Experts have blamed prolonged Diwali celebrations, when thousands defied a ban on setting off firecrackers, for the worst air quality the Indian city has seen in two years.
NEW DELHI: Pulmonologist Ashish Jain has been busier than usual in recent weeks.
Pollution has choked the air in Delhi, forcing residents to mask up like they did during the COVID-19 pandemic.
More patients have been visiting Dr Jain’s clinic, complaining of a range of respiratory problems from coughing and wheezing to worsening asthma symptoms.
“The number of admissions in the hospitals – they (have gone) up,” said the director and head of respiratory medicine at Max Healthcare, adding there are also increased admissions into the intensive care unit as well as a higher mortality rate.Â
New alarms have been raised over the public health risk that kills more than 2 million people in India every year, according to medical journal BMJ – the second highest mortality rate after China.
Last week was one of Delhi’s most polluted weeks this year, with the average Air Quality Index hovering between unhealthy and hazardous. It dropped to the severe range in some areas on Tuesday (Nov 5).
Experts have blamed the prolonged Diwali celebrations over the past weekend, when thousands defied a ban on setting off firecrackers, for the worst air quality Delhi has seen in two years.
The Supreme Court has also asked the city’s police force to explain why the ban, which was meant to keep pollution levels in check, was not implemented effectively.
BLANKET OF SMOG EVERY WINTER
Delhi’s air quality is frequently ranked the worst of any major city in the world due to industrial and vehicular emissions, dust, and burning of crop remains in nearby states.
This year, studies have shown that the city’s own pollution sources and its inability to control them have been bigger factors.
This perennial problem means the Indian capital is enveloped in a thick blanket of smog every winter.
Doctors say this smog is a deadly combination of toxic gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides.
Coupled with dust and PM 2.5 particles – fine particulate matter in the air that causes the most damage to health – the smog irritates the eyes, nose and throat, even causing death in some instances.
While some homes have air purifiers running round the clock, the deep inequality across India means most residents cannot afford such luxury.
A study by the Lancet medical journal estimated that some 12,000 deaths in New Delhi between 2008 and 2019 can be linked to pollution.
The Indian government refuted the findings, saying there is no conclusive data that directly and exclusively correlates death with air pollution.
The effects of the smog, however, are difficult to ignore.
“It’s an extra burden on the hospitals, extra burden on the government and increased mortality in the society – that’s the worst part of it,” said Dr Jain.
STUBBLE BURNING A KEY CONTRIBUTOR
For Delhi, the burning of crop residue in neighbouring states like Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh is a key contributor to pollution.
The practice is known as stubble farming and has been banned, but farmers continue the burning of thousands of hectares of crop debris, typically around October, ahead of the new planting season.Â
For many farmers in Northern India, the cheapest and quickest way to remove leftover crop stubble following harvest is to simply burn it down.
Researchers say the smoke from this burning gets trapped in Delhi’s surrounding areas due to local weather patterns, choking the city and its population of more than 33 million people.
For instance, data shows that on certain days, stubble burning could be contributing as much as half of the total PM2.5 load in Delhi, according to the International Forum for Environment, Sustainability and Technology.Â
The non-profit research organisation’s founder and CEO Chandra Bhushan said: “I believe that technological changes, some incentive in terms of managing stubble so that (the farmers’) time can be saved, and providing some sort of economic incentive can solve this problem. We have not done all three so far.”
HAVE FINES WORKED?
While some states are now offering subsidies for farmers to avoid burning stubble, the main deterrent has been monetary penalties like imposing fines.
New data has shown a reduction in such farm fires since the practice was outlawed in 2015. Stubble burning events dropped by half in Punjab between 2021 and 2023, while Haryana reduced it by two-thirds.
But India’s most populous state Uttar Pradesh is still seeing a worrying uptick, with stubble burning up by 45 per cent last year to 808 instances.
Experts said one solution is for farmers to use harvesting technology that can better reduce crop residue.
That, however, does not address the problem of pollutants from other sources, like emissions from transportation and industries.
As Delhi residents struggle to breath amid toxic smog, the government has deployed about 200 movable anti-smog guns that will sprinkle water to help clear the air but experts say their impact is limited.
Authorities have also banned construction and demolition activities for the moment.
Environmentalists are calling for a more aggressive year-round inspection programme to check vehicular pollution and industrial emissions, saying the battle for clean air must be fought on all fronts.Â