POOR AIR QUALITY

INDEX IN DELHI

By Vardan Bhangalia
(class X-A)
 Delhi And Air Pollution
The air quality in Delhi, the capital territory of India, according to a WHO survey of 1,650
world cities, is the worst of any major city in the world. It also affects the districts around
Delhi. Air pollution in India is estimated to kill about 2 million people every year; it is the
fifth largest killer in India. India has the world's highest death rate from chronic respiratory
diseases and asthma, according to the WHO. In Delhi, poor quality air irreversibly damages
the lungs of 2.2 million or 50 percent of all children.
On 25 November 2019, the Supreme Court of India made statements on the pollution in
Delhi saying "Delhi has become worse than narak (hell)".Supreme Court Justice Arun
Mishra said that it is better to get explosives and kill everyone
 What Is Air Quality Index?
An Air Quality Index (AQI) is used by government agencies to communicate to the
public how polluted the air currently is or how polluted it is forecast to become.Public
health risks increase as the AQI rises. Different countries have their own air quality
indices, corresponding to different national air quality standards.
Think of the AQI as a yardstick that runs from 0 to 500. The higher the AQI value, the
greater the level of air pollution and the greater the health concern. For example, an
AQI value of 50 or below represents good air quality, while an AQI value over 300
represents hazardous air quality.
The AQI is divided into six categories. Each category corresponds to a different level
of health concern. Each category also has a specific color. The color makes it easy for
people to quickly determine whether air quality is reaching unhealthy levels in their
communities.
 Poor Air Quality In Delhi
Smog in Delhi is an ongoing severe air-pollution event in New Delhi and adjoining
areas in the National Capital Territory of India. Air pollution in 2017 peaked on both PM
2.5 and PM 10 levels.It has been reported as one of the worst levels of air quality in
Delhi since 1999.
Low visibility has resulted in accidents across the city, notably a 24 vehicle pile-up on
the Yamuna Expressway.
"The Great Smog" also led to cancellation and delay of public transport, primarily trains
and flights, causing many hindrances to the people.
 Causes of poor air quality
• Lack of active monitoring and reaction by authorities.
• Motor vehicle emissions are one of the causes of poor air quality.Other causes include wood-burning fires,cow dung cake
combustion, fires on agricultural land, exhaust from diesel generators, dust from construction sites, burning garbage ,and
illegal industrial activities in Delhi. Although pollution is at its worst from November to February, Delhi's air misses clean-
air standards by a wide margin for much of the year. It is a noxious mix of emissions from its 9 million vehicles,
construction dust and burning of waste. On the worst days, the air quality index, a benchmark ranging from zero (good) to
500 (hazardous), exceeds 400.
• The Badarpur Thermal Power Station, a coal-fired power plant built in 1973, was another major source of air pollution in
Delhi. Despite producing less than 8% of the city's electric power, it produced 80 to 90% of the particulate matter pollution
from the electric power sector in Delhi. During the Great smog of Delhi in November 2017, the Badarpur Power Plant was
temporarily shut down to alleviate the acute air pollution but was allowed to restart on 1 February 2018.In view of the
detrimental effect to the environment, the power plant has been permanently shut down since 15 October 2018. ]
• The drift/mist emissions from the wet cooling towers are also a source of particulate matter as they are widely used in
industry and other sectors for dissipating heat in cooling systems.
• Although Delhi is kerosene free and 90% of the households use LPG for cooking, the remaining 10% uses wood, crop
residue, cow dung, and coal for cooking. (Census-India, 2011)
• Fire in Bhalswa landfill is a major reason for airborne particles in Delhi.
• Heavy metal-rich fire-crackers
• Agricultural stubble burning also affects Delhi's air quality since 2002 when crops are being harvested.During the crop-
burning season, the practice can account for up to 45% of Delhi’s pollution, according to government meteorologists
 Effects of poor air quality
Effects on children
2.2 million children in Delhi have irreversible lung damage due to the poor quality of the air.
In addition, research shows that pollution can lower children's immune system and increase
the risks of cancer ,epilepsy, diabates and even adult-onset diseases like multiple sclerosis.
Children are more vulnerable to the negative effects of air pollution as they are growing and
developing which means that they breathe a higher rate of air per kilogram of their body
weight. They also spend more time outside and are thus more exposed to it.

Effects on adults
Poor air quality is a cause of reduced lung capacity, headaches, sore throats, coughs, fatigue,
lung cancer, and early death. During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, in case the particulate
matter (≤ pp10) is not controlled, the aerosols would work as virus carriers/host in the rapid
spread of the pandemic.
Control Measures Instituted by the
Government of Delhi
The nodal ministry for protecting the environment is the Ministry of Environment and Forests
at the Centre and the Department of Environment of the Government of National Capital
Territory of Delhi. The Central Pollution Control Board set up in 1974 under the Water Act is
the principal watchdog for carrying out the functions stated in the environmental acts,
implementation of National Air Quality Monitoring Programme and other activities. The
Delhi Pollution Control Board is the body responsible at the state level.
From time to time, the judiciary has taken strong note of the deteriorating environmental
conditions in Delhi in response to public litigations. One of the earliest such instances was the
judgement passed by the Supreme Court of India to deal with the acute problem of vehicular
pollution in Delhi in response to a writ petition filed in 1985. Subsequently, it ordered the
shutdown of hazardous, noxious industries and hot-mix plants and brick kilns operating in
Delhi.
 Conclusion
The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi has taken several steps to reduce the level of air pollution
in the city during the last 10 years. The benefits of air pollution control measures are showing in the readings.
However, more still needs to be done to further reduce the levels of air pollution. The already existing measures
need to be strengthened and magnified to a larger scale. The governmental efforts alone are not enough.
Participation of the community is crucial in order to make a palpable effect in the reduction of pollution. The use
of public transport needs to be promoted. The use of Metro rail can be encouraged by provision of an adequate
number of feeder buses at Metro stations that ply with the desired frequency. More frequent checking of Pollution
Under Control Certificates needs to be undertaken by the civic authorities to ensure that vehicles are emitting
gases within permissible norms. People need to be educated to switch-off their vehicles when waiting at traffic
intersections. Moreover, the “upstream” factors responsible for pollution also need to be addressed. The ever-
increasing influx of migrants can be reduced by developing and creating job opportunities in the peripheral and
suburban areas, and thus prevent further congestion of the already-choked capital city of Delhi.
Health, as we all know, is an all-pervasive subject, lying not only within the domains of the health department but
with all those involved in human development. Many great scholars from Charaka to Hippocrates have stressed
the importance of environment in the health of the individual. Therefore, all those who play a role in modifying
the environment in any way, for whatever reason, need to contribute to safeguard people's health by controlling all
those factors which affect it