Rising Air Pollution in Delhi: The crisis and Governments actions by Mannat Malhotra
Air pollution in major cities of India, including Delhi, continues to be one of the most serious
environmental and public health challenges. Though the government endeavours to take various
measures, the problem remains unaddressed. The AQI levels reach their worst from bad. Experts
analyse the situation like inhaling several cigarettes throughout the day. I heard some experts on
television deliberating that the lungs of people living in mountains or less polluted places have a pink
colour, while on the other hand, the lungs of people living in polluted cities gradually turn blackish in
colour.
The air pollution is increasing the risks of respiratory diseases like asthma and cancer for people
belonging to all age groups. Taking steam every day to clean your respiratory tract has become a
daily routine in homes.
When I travel abroad, my eyes and nostril never burn. But I often go through these issues when the
pollution levels are high. The stamina reduces, the nostrils become dirty with lots of dust, and the eyes
also burn. I have observed that the picture quality on the phone is also hazy, which shows that the vision
quality also becomes poor.
The Delhi government has taken initiatives like expanding the electric bus fleet, promoting public
transport, smart parking pricing to discourage private vehicle use, increasing green cover, and
decongesting traffic hotspots. The city has also deployed water sprinklers, mechanical sweepers, and anti-
smog guns, and strict dust control efforts to limit emissions from roads and construction sites. But
despite all these measures, the pollution level does not reduce significantly, and all of us wait for
rainfall to have some respite from AQI levels.
I do not know with population of more than three crore people in the city; how effective these
measures are going to be. The race of governments to make Delhi increasingly affordable has
drastically increased the population in the city. I think the government needs to take some stern
measures and stop the appeasement policies. The population burden on resources cannot be
negated. The citizens also need to take moral responsibility in reducing pollution levels and contribute
in making the environment ambient again.
