Delhi
Faces Worst Smog In 17 years
Delhi is slowly choking herself into a grave, risking the
lives of 17 million people to several chronic diseases. On Wednesday, the
capital witnessed the worst smog in 17 years with the pollution levels soaring
to 62.7% higher than on Diwali night. This comes as a presage to what lies
ahead during the winter that is on its way.
Visibility remained poor as a thick layer of haze blanketed
the city, forcing severals schools to shut down. No measures have been taken so
far to bring the present situation under control.
What is Smog?
Smog is a mixture of air
pollutants—nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds. Smog is a kind of
air pollution, originally named for the mixture of smoke and fog in the air. It
is a problem in a number of cities and continues to harm human health.
What can smog lead to?
Smog can cause or aggravate health problems
such as asthma, emphysema, chronic bronchitis and other respiratory problems as
well as eye irritation and reduced resistance to colds and lung infections.
Children bear the highest risks from exposure to smog. They are more prone to
respiratory ailments than adults.
Smog also inhibits plant growth and
can cause widespread damage to crops and forests.
What have been cited as reasons for the Delhi smog?
Enough scientific proof has been cited that
shows air pollution in Delhi has aggravated due to the increase in the number
of vehicles plying on the roads. The number of vehicles has tripled in the last
five years to 8.9 million, and this is one of the biggest contributors to
toxicity in Delhi’s air. In 1975, vehicular air pollution was just at
2.35%, and in next 40 years, it rose to about 60%.
Burning of crackers during Diwali has
however overtaken vehicular pollution. Not only Delhi, but the entire country’s
pollution level was alarmingly high during the Diwali weekend. This is
certainly because of a combination of adverse factors like slow wind speed and
moisture in the air, a major hindrance in the dispersion of suspended
pollutants.
However, a recent image by NASA has
revealed that more than vehicular pollution and Diwali celebration, burning of
crop stubble is considerably impacting the pollution levels. Farmers in
neighbouring Punjab and Haryana have been setting fire to paddy stubble in
their fields after cultivating the crop as part of the slash and burn process.
As per The New York Times report,
farmers are burning around 32 million tons of leftover strawBy Manmeet Kaur
The recent study has shown that smog has broken the record of past 17 years. Punjab and Haryana are the major contributors in the air pollution according to THE NEW YORK TIMES report.
ReplyDeleteMany people in Delhi complained of the irritation in the eyes and breathing problems just because of this smog.
ReplyDeleteDelhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday spelled out the list of measures to be undertaken by the government in an effort to reduce the worsening air pollution in the city. Speaking to reporters after an emergency Cabinet meeting on the issue, Kejriwal announced a ban on construction activity for the next five days and shutting down the city’s Badarpur power plant for the next ten days. Schools will also be remained shut for the next three days, said Kejriwal.
ReplyDeleteSave yourself from delhi's poisonous smog. Tips for detoxification :
ReplyDelete1. Eat 3-4 tulsi leaves every morning on empty stomach.
2. Increase the intake of turmeric (haldi) in your foods like in sabzi, dal etc....or you can make a simple haldi kaadha with water, haldi n 2 spoons of milk.
3. Drink the lemon water every alternative day. (Put lemon juice into 3/4th cup of water, WITHOUT sugar or salt etc.. )
4. Avoid intake of dairy products at all costs
5. Have as much water as you can.
Its a myth that detoxification happens in a day or two...its a long process...continue upto 2-3 months even after the environment normalizes.
LIVE SAFE and HAPPY!!!
Also stubble burning must be stopped. As this is the time of sowing, farmers burn stuble to clear land for next cultivation. Sarpanch the head of farmers must be held responsible in case of any farmer burning stuble in district under him. They must be given responsibility of regular visits to control the burning. Appropriate waste management should be adopted like burying it in landfills.
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ReplyDeletepeople living in Delhi and NCR region avoid using your carbon emitting vehicle for this coming week.
ReplyDeleteWearing mask wont do anything..we have to work from ground 0.banning burning of stuble and banning old deisel vehicles..planting trees..
ReplyDelete