Hay Smoke And Vehicle Exhaust Is A Deadly Combination Creating Dangerous Air In New Delhi

Illustration of the corner of Agra, India (Photo by Mitchell Ng Liang An on Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Air quality in New Delhi, India has reached dangerous levels. It even exceeds the daily maximum limit set by WHO.

Last Thursday 2 November, the air in New Delhi, called the monitoring company IQAir, was observed to be very unhealthy with a value of 241 US AQI.

All of that from hay and crop smoke fires in northern India combined with emissions from vehicles and other sources combine to create a deadly smog that reduces visibility in the city of 20 million people.

The level of the most dangerous particles - PM 2.5, so small that they can enter the bloodstream - is 588 per cubic meter.

"This is really the worst time to go out in Delhi. One never wakes up refreshed with this pollution," police officer Hem Raj told Channel News Asia.

"Body feels tired and lethargic in the morning... Eyes are always watery and throat is itchy after spending hours on Delhi roads," he said.

In 2020, a Lancet study linked 1.67 million deaths to air pollution in India in 2019, including nearly 17,500 in the capital.

Delhi authorities regularly announce various plans to reduce pollution, for example by halting construction work, but to little effect.

Burning of rice fields after harvest in Punjab and other states continues every year despite efforts to persuade farmers to use different methods.

"As of today, Punjab, the state run by the AAP, has seen an increase in farm fires of more than 19 percent during 2021," environment minister Bhupender Yadav, who is from the BJP, tweeted on Wednesday.

"There is no doubt who has turned Delhi into a gas chamber," he added.

"I have been here for a long time and the situation is getting worse. We spend 8 to 10 hours on Delhi roads every day and it is difficult because pollution affects everyone," said Brij Lal, 54, another police officer.