A sick smog descends upon Delhi NCR and people are choking
Maybe it’s because of the firecrackers; maybe not. But one can no longer deny the near-asphyxiating quality of air in Delhi-NCR. Monday (the morning after Diwali) found the city and its suburban areas covered in a blanket of smog. Things started to improve on Tuesday. But today, again, things are as bad as ever. As late as 12PM, residents of Noida, Gurugram and Delhi found themselves in the yellowish, dirt-ridden haze of smog.
The ideal PM (particulate matter) of 10 has reached toxic levels of 999. For context, that is more than 10 times higher than what is considered safe to breathe. The PM 2.5 rose to 743, according to The Indian Express.
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| The environment ministry attributes this sudden spike in pollution levels to four main factors. [Photo: Reuters] |
While Delhi's deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia has promised to take aggressive steps to tackle the problem of growing pollution, the citizens of the National Capital Region are, for the time being, going to be stuck with toxic fumes and reduced visibility.
We also seem to have lost the qutub minor, which should be here. And some socks. pic.twitter.com/YDbqUpb28M
— π (@pi_alize) November 2, 2016
@pi_alize it's pretty apocalyptic outside. pic.twitter.com/SiL4ceatd6
— KR$NA (@realkrsna) November 2, 2016
Noida at 11 am. Toxic. Eyes burning, child coughing constantly. Happy Diwali everyone. pic.twitter.com/9GWKHJYN1p
— Rituparna Chatterjee (@MasalaBai) November 2, 2016
If you're in Noida today, please cover yourself as much as possible if you plan to venture out. Tip: Don't. pic.twitter.com/M6toER6DRE
— Pooja (@Peswani_) November 2, 2016
#Winter is finally here. Love-like stuff happening. The #Noida weather right now. Sigh. pic.twitter.com/yxBPiKpjBG
— Ananya Bhattacharya (@ananya116) November 2, 2016
visiblity down to 400 mtr in delhi.Amritsar airport shutdown.Dense smog cud be seen in pic @Zeebusiness@Noida@11AM pic.twitter.com/Llrrm75sv7
— Shailesh yadav (@shaileshyadav75) November 2, 2016
Brb, dying.#Noida #Delhi #Diwali #Pollution pic.twitter.com/SXqFMiIto2
— Neha Gupta (@nehagupta2918) November 2, 2016
Visibility just 100 m... Harmful #pollution layers today at #Noida #postdiwali #dangerous pic.twitter.com/UAvRkDSRKU
— anil (@anilberry) November 2, 2016
View from my sister-in-law's house in Noida - 16th Floor pic.twitter.com/UEJI5QP6OQ
— Madhu Menon (@madmanweb) November 2, 2016
Greater Noida right now. #Smog #Pollution #whereareweheading pic.twitter.com/LPs80usg5o
— vipra shrivastava (@Vipra_s) November 2, 2016
According to a report, Sisodia said vacuum cleaning and sprinkling of water will be done on arterial roads, and a team will be constituted to focus on decreasing the dust at construction sites and prohibiting burning of leaves.
The PWD is also examining the installation of air purifiers at traffic intersections. The deputy chief minister said that Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has been told to strictly carry out regular inspection at construction sites having area more than 20,000 sq metres.
Is this fog? Smog? Or pure polluted air? From my balcony at 9am #Noida pic.twitter.com/iM6m6vDmHE
— vijaita singh (@vijaita) November 2, 2016
Noida morning : Dense thick smog, visibility 100 meters, difficulty in breathing, eyes burning. Welcome to Dangerous Living. pic.twitter.com/OHicXiQ5FR
— Roevan S (@RoevanScoob) November 2, 2016
Don't just blame firecrackers for smog in delhi , constant toxic fire and smoke from garbage mountain from Ghazipur dump in east delhi pic.twitter.com/lFXBg9Vb9v
— ❅ Keep Smiling (@upma23) November 2, 2016
Delhi: A thick blanket of smog engulfs the national capital two days after Diwali festivities pic.twitter.com/XUsAKtSyDx
— ANI (@ANI_news) November 2, 2016
Delhi: Two days after Diwali festivities, thick smog covers the national capital (Visuals from India Gate) pic.twitter.com/Hp3gwZIg6U
— ANI (@ANI_news) November 2, 2016
@GulPanag Smog in delhi , Even 150 mtr visibility is poor. pic.twitter.com/KsWK8FSk01
— yatendra singh (@rao_yati) November 2, 2016
View 4m Noida City centre at 10 am. Not worth living in NCR #smog #delhipollution pic.twitter.com/tTgC1zUwW8
— saurjyesh (@saurjyesh) November 2, 2016
2 days of firecrackers and the air is a thick, white thing in your face! #delhipollution #DiwaliCrackers pic.twitter.com/cxQOYvpFd2
— Rukmini Kumar (@rukminikumar) November 2, 2016
Diwali make Delhi polluted , can Delhi quit there own vehicle and use public transport for one month pic.twitter.com/bIcP2UxPqH
— sumit singh (@sumitsingh115) November 2, 2016
Wtf delhi??? I don't want to step out of the plane now. pic.twitter.com/z5YSZlmyrr
— Manu Chandra ???? (@chefchandra) November 2, 2016
#delhi let me #breathe #pollution after #diwali @ArvindKejriwal Sir @mnreindia @JPNadda pic.twitter.com/47EyiDWnqc
— Shiv (@ShivGupta90) November 2, 2016
The Aam Aadmi Party government has also planned to relaunch the Swachch Delhi App in an effort to keep the city cleaner.
Pic1- Faridabad -->Gurgaon - 8 amPic2- Gurgaon DLF Phase 1- 1030 amHorrific #gaschamber is Delhi NCR- smoked out #delhipollution pic.twitter.com/PQmuLu0LXV
— Monica Jasuja (@jasuja) November 2, 2016
Gurgaon. Enough said. pic.twitter.com/JCXAuoS1HT
— Shakti Shetty (@Shakti_Shetty) November 2, 2016
This ain't fog. It is poisonous pollution! #gurgaon pic.twitter.com/8qBPhDj6WK
— ashishkashyap (@ashishkashyap) November 2, 2016
Gurgaon. 11.50am. What a shame! pic.twitter.com/yg5dH3dPdp
— Swapan Seth (@swapanseth) November 2, 2016
Gurgaon or Gurugram at 10-40 am today. Delhi has beaten Beijing in air pollution. @arunkumarhg pic.twitter.com/6V1BpvmQOe
— DP SATISH (@dp_satish) November 2, 2016
Even though this steep rise in pollution levels is suspiciously close to Diwali celebrations, one cannot discount additional factors that may have caused it. The environment ministry attributes the sudden spike in pollution levels to four main factors (which do not, of course, include firecrackers).
“It has been observed that open burning of solid waste in and around Delhi, vehicular emissions in Delhi, dust by the roadside and around construction sites in Delhi and stubble burning of crop residue in neighbouring states of Delhi are major contributors to pollution in Delhi,” said the environment ministry in a press release.
The reasons may be manifold, but it seems like we have reached a breaking point in terms of air pollution, at least in Delhi-NCR.