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Pollution disrupted transport services in Delhi
Winter has arrived in Delhi and with it, a familiar sense of gloom. The sky here is gray and there is a thick layer of smog visible.
If you stay outside for more than a few minutes, you can almost taste the ashes. You will feel out of breath within minutes if you try to run or even walk at a brisk pace in smog.
Newspapers are once again using words like toxic, deadly and venomous in their main headlines.
Most schools have been closed and people have been advised to stay indoors – although those whose livelihoods depend on outside work cannot afford to do so.
Delhi's air quality index was between 1,200 and 1,500 on Monday and Tuesday, according to different monitoring agencies. The acceptable limit is less than 100.
These scores measure levels of particles – called PM 2.5 and PM10 – in the air. These tiny particles can enter the lungs and cause many diseases.
On social media, people expressed shock, disappointment and anguish that this would all happen again.
Added to this gloom is a strong sense of deja vu – as we have seen time and again over the past 15 years.
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Many people still brave the poisonous air to go for walks
I recorded this video of my commute to the office in 2017, when smog reduced visibility to less than 2m.
On Tuesday, my commute to the office seemed even worse.
And we've covered every twist and turn of this story over the past two decades.
Here , here and here we have reported on how pollution is making people sick and reducing their life expectancy.
We reported that India's Supreme Court has ordered the government every year to take urgent measures to reduce pollution. The court did the same this year.
We have reported how pollution affects children the most and how their freedom is taken away here, here and here.
We've written here, here and here about how politicians blame each other for the problem every year.
We have discussed the root cause of the problem here, here and here.
We also talked about solutions – both those that worked poorly and those that failed miserably – here, here and here.
We explained how pollution affects the poorest the most and how many of them have no choice but to go to work in the smog here, here and here.
EPA
Smog guns that spray water are part of anti-pollution measures used in Delhi
Covering this story is like watching (and participating in) the same dystopian movie every year – following the same characters, plot and storyline. The result is always the same: nothing changes.
The parks are empty again: people, especially children and the elderly, have been asked to stay at home.
Those who have to work – day laborers, rickshaw pullers, delivery men – cough but continue to go out.
Hospitals are welcoming more and more people suffering from respiratory problems.
And in the midst of all this, we come back to the same question: why is nothing changing?
The answer is simple: solving Delhi's air problem requires monumental efforts and coordination.
The sources of the problem are numerous. One is the practice of farmers burning the remains of their crops to quickly clear their fields to sow seeds for the next yield.
This mainly occurs in the neighboring states of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Smoke from farm fires engulfs Delhi every winter and remains low in the atmosphere as wind speeds decrease during the winter months.
But this cannot be entirely blamed on farmers, as it is the cheapest way to clear fields.
Different governments have talked about providing machines and financial incentives to stop crop burning, but very little has happened on the ground.
Reuters
Vehicle emissions contribute significantly to pollution in Delhi
Delhi itself produces much of the pollution – emissions from vehicles, construction and factories.
Every year during the winter months, people get angry, journalists write and produce stories, politicians accuse each other, and the courts fume – until it all starts again the following year.
A public health emergency like this would trigger massive protests in most democracies. But the anger in Delhi is mostly confined to social media.
Campaigners say the reason is that pollution does not pose immediate problems for most people. Ingesting high levels of PM2.5 leads to a slow deterioration of health. A Lancet study found that pollution led to more than 2.3 million premature deaths in India in 2019.
And then there is the class division. People who can afford to temporarily leave the city do so, those who can buy air purifiers do so, and those who can vent on social media do so.
The others, who do not have these options, continue to go about their business.
The collective angst has so far not led to mass protest and, as the Supreme Court has already observed, politicians are content to “pass the buck” and wait for the season to end.
Experts say governments at the federal and state levels need to abandon their political parties and work together to solve this problem. They must focus on long-term solutions.
And citizens must hold politicians accountable and courts must issue decisive orders months before pollution worsens.
This year we are still in peak season and temporary measures have been announced, such as a ban on construction work.
But can they bring back Delhi's elusive blue skies? Evidence from recent years does not give much hope.
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