India pollution and extreme heat discussion

[Gabbar Singh]

Recently a NYT writer based in Delhi quit the city and returned home because he said the pollution was getting too much for his son after it impacted his health. Initially the reaction to this article on social media followed the trend of 'oh a foreigner moaning and lecturing us about pollution etc etc' however now that the dust has settled (excuse the pun) public reaction seems to have changed and many now agree with the writer.

Air pollution not only kills people prematurely but it also cuts crops yields, keeps tourists away etc and this significantly impacts the wider economy - it's in everyones interest that something is done about it. Politicians however are unwilling to act because they are scared of losing votes - for example would anyone have the guts to follow some of the schemes we've seen in Beijing where cars have been banned during times of high pollution, or factories shut and even open air cooking temporarily banned?

'Delhi is unlivable': NYT reporter has every reason to abandon city

Some call it “capital punishment” that kills slowly; others simply put it as air pollution — a lethal cocktail of toxic gases spewing from vehicle exhausts and factories mixed with dust and microscopic particles that sticks to human lung walls like industrial sludge.

Welcome to Delhi, the capital of Asia’s second-largest economy and one of the bottom-ranked megacities for foul air in recent World Health Organization data.
Or, goodbye Delhi!

The New York Times correspondent Gardiner Harris did exactly that after completing a three-year assignment and his parting shot was an article which whipsaws Delhi’s plague, its poisonous air.

He cynically demonstrates how the city is annihilating its future generation, which probably will have a very weak heart and weaker lungs thanks to a prolonged policy paralysis on air quality.

Harris begins his article with a deeply personal experience when his eight-year-old son, Bram, began gasping one terrifying night nine months after he moved with his family to this megacity.

“We gradually learned that Delhi’s true menace came from its air, water, food and flies. These perils sicken, disable and kill millions in India annually, making for one of the worst public health disasters in the world,” he wrote.

“Delhi, we discovered, is quietly suffering from a dire pediatric respiratory crisis, with a recent study showing that nearly half of the city’s 4.4 million school children have irreversible lung damage from the poisonous air.”

The article is another piece in a long list, reprising the rapidly growing developing world’s inescapable horror. The WHO says air pollution was responsible for over seven million premature deaths in 2012, one million more than tobacco, and around 88% of the dead belonged to low or middle-income countries.

Delhi, with a population of more than 16 million, could be described as the den of this monster because in places such as Dwarka and Anand Vihar, particulate matter pollution was three times the national standard. The city's air is more than twice as polluted as Beijing’s, according to the WHO.

The booming megapolis is a mother lode of opportunities attracting prospectors from across the world, not to mention the teeming millions from the country’s small towns and countryside looking to live their dreams. For some, the dream quickly fades because of the city’s unbreathable air and those having an option to leave, pack up and scoot.

The prime polluters are vehicles, factories and untrammeled constructions. Delhi adds over 1,000 vehicles every day to its overburdened roads and air; and an overwhelming number of trucks cram its streets at night.

The statutory National Green Tribunal recently banned old, fume-belching diesel vehicles from plying in the city and took up the onerous task of checking factories dotting Delhi and its neighbourhood, which are the prime suspects in contributing to the capital’s air menace.

Unless Delhi and its neighbours clean up their act together, as experts often point out, the national capital will continue to suffer.

Environmentalist Vikrant Tongad blamed builders in the national capital region, spanning the states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh besides Delhi, for the air pollution. “They are violating norms… heaps of soil at construction sites make the air dusty, causing respiratory infections.”

Much like land-locked Beijing, Delhi’s air is governed by its neighbours. Straddling one of the world’s filthiest rivers, the Yamuna, the city is buffeted by highly industrialised zones such as Gurgaon, Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad, where a housing construction boom ensures a 24x7 blanket of building material dust in the air.

A shout away from Ghaziabad, the east Delhi suburb of Anand Vihar recorded 490 on a scale of 500 in the air quality index maintained by the Central Pollution Control Board on May 28. Such “severe” category pollution seriously affects healthy adults. What it can do to people with existing diseases and children can only be imagined.

Just as Harris wrote, children are by no means the only ones harmed. Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had to leave the city for 10 days in March to cure a chronic cough, a byproduct of the poisonous air.

The Delhi high court was so alarmed over a report last week about poor ambient air quality on its premises that it hauled up its own maintenance and construction committee for not doing anything on the issue. It also sought to know what action the Delhi government and Centre were taking to restore Delhi’s dwindling green cover, which was supposed to be 30% but fell to 10.2% in 2009.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/newde...spondent-to-leave-india/article1-1353527.aspx

 

[Sattarbuksh]

Living in Delhi is the same as being a cigarette smoker. [emoji377]

 

[Slog]

I remember reading an article few years ago abt how Delhi has become so much cleaner than before. Apparently 10-15 years ago there was so much air pollution that you could not even see the blue sky but that has changed

 

[Statsman]

I remember reading an article few years ago abt how Delhi has become so much cleaner than before. Apparently 10-15 years ago there was so much air pollution that you could not even see the blue sky but that has changed

This. OTT article. Delhi is much greener and the air is much cleaner that what it was during the 90s. A lot of credit goes to Ajay Makken and his party for implementing strict laws during that period. No way is it "unlivable", lol, it has one of the highest population densities in the world and people are certainly living there with not much issues.

 

[Lurker_Ind]

Pollution problem is no joke. I get sick every time I visit India. Th smoke, dust gets me in just 24 hours. I have breathing issues too. Just makes life miserable.

Whenever a car passes on a road, the amount of dust that goes up in the air is unbelievable. Since most of the houses are located right on the streets, that dust gets into our houses very easily making everyone sick.
Those auto rickshaws and the buses are the major culprits with their emissions. Try to stand behind a Auto rickshaw in traffic and you wish you are carrying your own oxygen tank.

We do not have the concept of landscaping in India. It is considered luxury.

 

[Slog]

This. OTT article. Delhi is much greener and the air is much cleaner that what it was during the 90s. A lot of credit goes to Ajay Makken and his party for implementing strict laws during that period. No way is it "unlivable", lol, it has one of the highest population densities in the world and people are certainly living there with not much issues.

I guess its relative. it might be much better compared to the Delhi if a decade ago but compared to other major metropolis its prolly lagging behind

 

[Slog]

Pollution problem is no joke. I get sick every time I visit India. Th smoke, dust gets me in just 24 hours. I have breathing issues too. Just makes life miserable.

Whenever a car passes on a road, the amount of dust that goes up in the air is unbelievable. Since most of the houses are located right on the streets, that dust gets into our houses very easily making everyone sick.
Those auto rickshaws and the buses are the major culprits with their emissions. Try to stand behind a Auto rickshaw in traffic and you wish you are carrying your own oxygen tank.

We do not have the concept of landscaping in India. It is considered luxury.

lmao toughen up!

or did you grow up in the west ?

 

[Gabbar Singh]

This. OTT article. Delhi is much greener and the air is much cleaner that what it was during the 90s. A lot of credit goes to Ajay Makken and his party for implementing strict laws during that period. No way is it "unlivable", lol, it has one of the highest population densities in the world and people are certainly living there with not much issues.

According to the state-run Delhi Pollution Control Board pollution levels in recent years are worse than pre 2001 levels.

Delhi’s Air Pollution Worse Than Ever
Over the past week, the air quality index for PM 10 in Delhi ranged from 600 to 800, according to data collected by state-run Delhi Pollution Control Board.

New Delhi’s current pollution levels are higher than those recorded before 2001, when, in a bid to improve air quality, the local government made it mandatory for buses and auto rickshaws to run on compressed natural gas.

http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2012/11/08/delhis-air-pollution-now-worse-than-ever/

 

[Lurker_Ind]

lmao toughen up!

or did you grow up in the west ?

Grew up in India. Struggled all my life in India with breathing issues. That affected my studies as I was on some sort of medication most of the times. Made me drowsy and inattentive in the class.

 

[desi_launda]

New Delhi is like a park,too much greenery.But the air is terrible,you can smell the vehicular smoke.And there's dust.A lot of dust.

 

[Deosai]

The problem with the pollution in India is that it's passing over into Pakistan, the foreign office needs to take this up with India, cause it's affecting our air quality and we don't even have many industries yet

 

[desi_launda]

The problem with the pollution in India is that it's passing over into Pakistan, the foreign office needs to take this up with India, cause it's affecting our air quality and we don't even have many industries yet

Even Chinese pollution is coming to India

 

[Gabbar Singh]

Air quality in Delhi ‘hazardous’, worse than Beijing

Air quality in Delhi remained “hazardous” on Tuesday and was far worse than the choking smog over Beijing that maintained an “orange” pollution alert, the second-highest level, keeping students indoors and asking factories and construction sites to reduce work.

However, no health advisories were issued in Delhi over the current air quality to the public.

As thick smog blanketed the national capital and visibility was down to about 200 metres, leaving buildings silhouetted in the haze, the city’s air quality index (AQI) remained above the dangerous 400 mark.

Punjabi Bagh in western Delhi remained the most polluted with an AQI of 456 while Anand Vihar in the east that has been consistently recording bad air, registered 399 on the index. Both figures fall in the “hazardous” category, a condition several areas in the city have been witnessing for the past fortnight.

The US embassy’s monitoring station in leafy Chanakyapuri recorded an air quality index of 292, which puts air pollution levels well into “very unhealthy” territory.

Delhi tests people’s lung power much more than Beijing’s choking air, although Chinese cities get more global attention for their factory and construction haze.

The Indian capital has more deadly particles in the air — those smaller than 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) — which can cause more damage to the lungs.

A new analysis by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2014 said 13 of the world’s top 20 cities with the worst air are in India, with Delhi perched atop the pecking order. WHO data on Tuesday showed Delhi’s air pollution index was 91.95, compared with Beijing’s 89.09.

Readings of the tiny poisonous PM2.5 particles reached the “extremely high” 153 micrograms per cubic meter through Delhi, as compared with the WHO safe level of 25. The Beijing was safer at 56.

India set new standards in 2010, in line with WHO recommendations, but the yardstick for lung-damaging fine particles is much less stringent.

Air quality in Delhi is usually bad during the onset of winter when smoke from the burning of crop stubble in the neighbouring states hangs heavy over the city of 16 million. Traffic fumes add to the menace as these are trapped over the city by a temperature inversion and the lack of wind.

In Beijing, authorities ordered schools to keep students indoors while factories and construction sites were told to reduce work. People complained of a smoky, pungent odor and many wore tight-fitting face masks.

People in Delhi chided the government for failing to minimise the risks to their health from air pollution.

“The situation is really very bad and the quality of air in the coming days is going to be the same following the smog and stagnancy in the air,” said Vivek Chattopadhyaya of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a green think tank.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi...han-beijing/story-1hrgZ1wtHj6XIA4o0MrXXI.html

Ruling AAP Suggests Shutting Schools as Delhi Pollution Becomes 10 Times Worse

New Delhi: The ruling Aam Aadmi Party of Delhi has proposed that schools of the city be shut and children stay home in view of mounting pollution over the last 24 hours, following the example of Beijing, which has been wrapped in thick smog for the last three days.

The pollution reading in Delhi has been 500 units since yesterday - the maximum that can be recorded by the scales of Pollution Control Board. It means that the level of particulate matter in Delhi's air is at least 10 to 16 times higher than what is considered safe.

"If the pollution levels reach a point where it can cause irreversible health damage to people, we have to shut down schools and markets... and I think it has come to that point now," said Ashish Khetan, Vice-chairman of Delhi Dialogue Commission, an advisory body of the AAP government.

But the Delhi pollution board disagrees. "Can somebody say that pollution levels at home are better than pollution levels in school? Such knee-jerk reactions are of no use," said Ashwini Kumar, chairman of Delhi Pollution Control Committee. The need of the hour is to tackle the problem, but "not through hypocrisy and fear", he said.

The presence of particulate matter in air, which is high enough due to consumption of fossil fuel like coal, increases here in winter due to copious burning of leaves, rubber and garbage in every neighbourhood by the poor.

The issue comes in the backdrop of the global climate in Paris, where India has contended that the developed countries take the lead to counter climate change.

With 200 million people with no access to electricity, India has said it will not accept any restrictions on its use of coal. But Prime Minister Modi had outlined an ambitious programme under which the nation will increasingly generate and consume clean energy.

The AAP government, meanwhile, is looking to citizens for fresh ideas. The Delhi Dialogue Commission and the University of Chicago have started a joint venture and a first-of-its-kind competition focussed on improving air quality by soliciting ideas from citizens. The prize money is Rs. 2crore.

http://www.ndtv.com/delhi-news/aap-...-times-worse-1249823?pfrom=home-lateststories

 

[Syed1]

ISI did it

 

[endymion248]

Doubt Pakistan is much better, still don't understand how people live in Karachi and Lahore.

 

[WC-Passion]

ISI did it

Shiv Sena approves

 

[Syed1]

Doubt Pakistan is much better, still don't understand how people live in Karachi and Lahore.

Don't know much about Lahore/Delhi but Karachi is spread over a huge area and the downtown/industrial areas are very polluted but generally the residential places are fine. Besides there is a huge shoreline right next door which blows away pollution further inland.

 

[endymion248]

Don't know much about Lahore/Delhi but Karachi is spread over a huge area and the downtown/industrial areas are very polluted but generally the residential places are fine. Besides there is a huge shoreline right next door which blows away pollution further inland.

Except the pollution is not just from industry and incineration, a big part of it is vehicles and especially rickshaws, which are omnipresent in most subcontinental cities. It is more of a case of being used to it, which is why foreign vistors are more sensible to it. Not that western cities are clean (as you can see on the map), I doubt there is any city in the world with clean air but asian cities are just on a different scale.

 

[Zak_Fan]

Delhi is very green, there are trees everywhere, yet pollution is real bad. My brother is hyper-sensitive to this, rarely ever visits Delhi.

 

[endymion248]

Don't know much about Lahore/Delhi but Karachi is spread over a huge area and the downtown/industrial areas are very polluted but generally the residential places are fine. Besides there is a huge shoreline right next door which blows away pollution further inland.

The map above is PM2.5 levels which are 117 for Karachi and 68 for Lahore on average according to WHO. That places Karachi in the orange part of the scale while Lahore is yellow. Nowhere near the 999 for delhi, of course. The recommended level by WHO is 10 micrograms/m³, which means Delhi more than hundred times above recommended while Karachi is 12 times.

 

[Zak_Fan]

So many Indian cities! I bet pollution has already taken away a good 5 years of my life.

 

[endymion248]

So many Indian cities! I bet pollution has already taken away a good 5 years of my life.

View attachment 62409

It goes far above that in winter:

 

[Syed1]

^Surprising to see so many of the smaller cities in there.. I would have thought the bigger cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad would have been there.

 

[cricketjoshila]

My city does so much better.

 

[Raw deal]

New Delhi is much cleaner. I have been to south Delhi once and I couldn't believe my eyes how different it is from new Delhi.

 

[Thivagar]

^Surprising to see so many of the smaller cities in there.. I would have thought the bigger cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad would have been there.

The smaller cities are where manufacturing plants are located and they do most of the environmental damage.

 

[Thivagar]

My city does so much better.

Kolkata most polluted metro in India, has highest pollution level among eight countries: Study

he study, on distribution and identification of source of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) was conducted in eight countries – Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, India and Japan.

According to the study, India has highest PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), a carcinogenic persistent organic pollutants (POPs) as compared to cities of other countries, the research paper published in Marine Pollution Bulletin, an international scientific journal, said.

Among major metropolis in India, Kolkata was found to be the most polluted city with its pollution levels recorded highest among the eight tropical Asian countries, the research paper added. The research was undertaken by Indian scientist Dr Mahua Saha at Japan-based Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology.

"In urban areas, the highest PAHs were found in India with an average of 11300 nano grams per gram and the lowest in Malaysia which was 206 nano grams per gram," it said.

According to the researcher, results were alarming for a country like India as its pollution levels were high compared to other tropical Asian countries.

POPs are organic compounds that are resistant to environmental degradation through chemical, biological, and photolytic processes.

"Public concern about contamination by POPs exists due to the multitude of evidence showing the negative effects of POPs on human health and the environment.

Several compounds have been identified as hormone disruptors which can alter normal function of endocrine and reproductive systems in humans and wildlife. Cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity, and diabetes have also been linked to POPs," she said.

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/repor...ion-level-among-eight-countries-study-2030909

 

[Thivagar]

People's health will get used to it, not a big issue. There is always fair and lovely.

 

[JaDed]

^Surprising to see so many of the smaller cities in there.. I would have thought the bigger cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad would have been there.

There is less construction and also industries around the cities you mentioned.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

There is less construction and also industries around the cities you mentioned.

Not only that I've noticed that coastal cities have somewhat of an advantage when it comes to pollution no? I'm actually surprised that Bangalore is not that polluted compared to other cities in India. Its easily ten times worse than what it was twenty years ago

 

[speed]

China is on another level, they have cancer villages now because of the toxic levels of pollution.

 

[JaDed]

Not only that I've noticed that coastal cities have somewhat of an advantage when it comes to pollution no? I'm actually surprised that Bangalore is not that polluted compared to other cities in India. Its easily ten times worse than what it was twenty years ago

Comparison basis for sure also i remember going to Delhi in 2013 i couldn't breathe but this time around it was much better even though i went during the same time.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

Delhi Air So Dirty You Can Taste And Smell It

New Delhi : Even for a city considered one of the world's most polluted, the national capital hit a new low this past week.

Air so dirty you can taste and smell it; a gray haze that makes a gentle stroll a serious health hazard.

According to one advocacy group, government data shows that the smog that enveloped New Delhi was the worst in the last 17 years.

The concentration of PM 2.5, tiny particulate pollution that can clog lungs, averaged close to 700 micrograms per cubic metre. That's 12 times the government norm and a whopping 70 times the WHO standards.


The Delhi winter, once a glorious time of clear, crisp days that meant holidays and weekends spent picnicking in its many public parks - is now a time of annual health woes.

As millions struggle with hacking coughs and burning eyes, many schools across the city have either shut down or ended all outdoor activities. Doctors have asked people to stay indoors during the worst days.

Yet many of the problems that turn Delhi's air so toxic continue unabated. People still set off massive amounts of festival fireworks, piles of garbage burn all night and dust from the construction projects that dot the city is unchecked.

And at the start of every winter, farmers in the states bordering the city begin burning straw from their rice paddy crop to clear the fields for planting wheat.

"Sources of pollution in Delhi and outside of Delhi have exponentially increased in the last couple of days," said Polash Mukerjee, a research associate with the Centre for Science and Environment, a Delhi-based research and lobbying organization.

He said that wind direction is blowing towards Delhi from all directions, especially from Punjab and Haryana, "where there are large incidences of crop fires that we are detecting even today."

Over the last two years, the government has tried a slew of measures to control air pollution, including stricter emission norms for cars and a tax on diesel-fueled trucks that enter the city.

New Delhi also has attempted to limit the number of cars during the winter months, when air quality is at its worst. Twice the city imposed a two-week period in which cars were allowed on the roads only on even or odd days, depending on the vehicle's license plate number.

Last month, the city launched a smartphone application called "Change the Air," inviting residents to send photos and complaints about sources of pollution, from the burning of leaves and garbage in public parks to construction crews working without dust control measures.

But despite announcing new measures, the city has struggled with enforcing them on a regular basis.

One of the biggest struggles is crop burning in neighbouring areas, where despite attempting to impose cash fines on farmers enforcement has been hard. For the farmers, it's cheaper to burn rice paddy straw than hire people to carry it away.

"Pollution is also caused by diesel cars, factories and many other sources. Farmers only do this for one month of the year," Bijendar Singh, a farmer in neighbouring Haryana, said as he watched his paddy straw burn.

"It is a compulsion for farmers to do this. Because of this compulsion, we spread air pollution. As much as it harms the people sitting in Delhi, it harms us and our children even more," he said.

Mr Mukerjee, the research associate, said that the government hasn't worked out a strategy to help farmers dispose of their crop waste.

"Paddy straw that lies in your field today, as a farmer, it is absolutely worthless to me. I don't earn anything out of it. Why should I spend money collecting it?" Mr Mukherjee said.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/m.ndtv...se-1621756?amp=1&akamai-rum=off?client=safari

 

[troodon]

^ There is no solution.

Ban all buses, Auto RIckshaws and even 2 wheelers. Horrible smoke whenever we are out on road no matter which city you are in India.

 

[Donal Cozzie]

Even the Ranji Trophy games in Delhi are affected, play today was abandoned due to smog.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

But fire crackers are here to stay. Is it a coincidence that smog appeared immediately after the diwali?

 

[Gabbar Singh]

But fire crackers are here to stay. Is it a coincidence that smog appeared immediately after the diwali?

I don't think anyone is denying that.

“Almost 60-70 per cent of the smoke came from the firecrackers,” said Mr Beig, who said the situation had been widely expected, given that Diwali is always one of the worst periods for pollution. “It was already predicted that the levels would increase several notches,” he told AFP.

In health guidance on its website, Safar said there was a “serious risk” of respiratory problems for people living in Delhi and people should avoid all physical activity outdoors. Those with heart or lung disease, older adults and children should stay indoors and keep activity levels low, it added.

Levels of pollution traditionally surge over Diwali but the situation this year was exacerbated by high levels of moisture in the air and the burning of crop stubble by farmers on the outskirts of the capital or in neighbouring states, Mr Beig said.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...-city-shrouded-smog-air-quality-a7388756.html

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

And people were complaining about Arvind Kejriwal's odd even solution.

Dunno if its proven to have worked or not (some say it did...some say it didn't)...but atleast he is trying.

This issue is now not some fancy little debate topic. Delhi's issue does seem to be absolutely serious.

What are the legitimate solutions that can work?

 

[PetroDollars]

So the major problem here is crop burning, not rickshaws or busses.

Seems like Lahore has also become a victim to Indian Punjabs pollution which is spilling over.

 

[Dman]

Mumbai is comparatively less polluted, good to know that.

 

[Noman]

im in Lahore right now. The smog and pollution was crazy here 3-4 days ago. It better for 2 days.

 

[big_gamer007]

Feels like living in hell at the moment.

 

[desirous of desire]

So the major problem here is crop burning, not rickshaws or busses.

Seems like Lahore has also become a victim to Indian Punjabs pollution which is spilling over.

infact, NASA has revealed an image describing crop burning in Indian Punjab is the main cause of this smog. Pakistan has decided to take this matter on an international forum. It was very difficult for me taking breath as our house is very open to the atmosphere.

 

[big_gamer007]

But fire crackers are here to stay. Is it a coincidence that smog appeared immediately after the diwali?

That's one of the reasons major.. Delhi is just too overcrowded TBH need to shift capital to some other city and let places near that grow and develop..

 

[jeetu]

Its terrible environment here. I have never seen pollution this bad in Delhi. Night Sky is pink now. I can't even spot brighest star "Sirius".

 

[troodon]

infact, NASA has revealed an image describing crop burning in Indian Punjab is the main cause of this smog. Pakistan has decided to take this matter on an international forum. It was very difficult for me taking breath as our house is very open to the atmosphere.

Hope Pak takes this issue and puts an end to this pollution from India.

People say Hyderabad has cleaner air and trust me. You go on a main road, it becomes difficult to breathe with trucks, buses and 2 wheelers and 3 wheelers blasting smoke on our faces. I feel for people who deal with this everyday.

 

[Slog]

Apparently it's been really bad in Lahore over past week. Does it have anything to do with Diwali firecrackers in India?

 

[desirous of desire]

Hope Pak takes this issue and puts an end to this pollution from India.

People say Hyderabad has cleaner air and trust me. You go on a main road, it becomes difficult to breathe with trucks, buses and 2 wheelers and 3 wheelers blasting smoke on our faces. I feel for people who deal with this everyday.

yeah,I heard this time around farmers in India are using machines that leave a foot or more of the crop uncut. it is not difficult to design a mechanism that can cut crop very close to the ground(just like razor machine teeth design or anything else) and then have a cap that covers the puff containing dust. It will be a lot cheaper if not faster.

 

[desirous of desire]

Apparently it's been really bad in Lahore over past week. Does it have anything to do with Diwali firecrackers in India?

Perhaps dewali contributed to the dust , burning crop to the smoke and wind carried it here (smoke +fog = smog)

 

[Tera Gawaandi]

Isn't usage of term smog inappropriate by media given actual winters (Dec-Jan) have not arrived yet. Its all and only smoke. Without pollution atmosphere will be crystal clear.

Biggest contributor is 6 laning of many highways in North India. My city is all dug up, huge construction work is going.

 

[jeetu]

It feels like i am back in the hostel sharing room with chain smokers.

 

[Zak_Fan]

I feel choked in Delhi right now, and this is when the city is one of the greenest in India. Any Delhite thinking about moving out for a few months?

 

[Suleiman]

I feel choked in Delhi right now, and this is when the city is one of the greenest in India. Any Delhite thinking about moving out for a few months?

People I know who have lived in New York feel the same way.

It starts out as a dream, but over time you feel like the walls are closing in on you.

I guess with the pollution in Delhi, it actually feels like that.

 

[Pakistanian]

Cows actually contribute to pollution by releasing gas. Maybe this pollution in India has something to do with a surplus in the cattle population cause of the beef ban. #justsaying

 

[Varun]

For all the problems that Bangalore has (beginning with the colossal traffic problem), I would never live in Delhi out of choice. And pollution seems only one of the many issues there.

 

[Tera Gawaandi]

For all the problems that Bangalore has (beginning with the colossal traffic problem), I would never live in Delhi out of choice. And pollution seems only one of the many issues there.

What problems? Delhi has best education, best transport, infrastructure wise its best in India. Last year 3 Lakh cars were sold in Delhi, compared to only 1.3 Lakh in Bangalore. Roads are wide and lush green.

 

[Zak_Fan]

For all the problems that Bangalore has (beginning with the colossal traffic problem), I would never live in Delhi out of choice. And pollution seems only one of the many issues there.

If it wasn't for pollution, Delhi would be well ahead of most Indian cities.

 

[Tera Gawaandi]

Delhi is a behemoth.

Annual car sales in Delhi is more than combined sales of Mumbai, Calcutta and Bangalore.

 

[Slog]

Delhi is a behemoth.

Annual car sales in Delhi is more than combined sales of Mumbai, Calcutta and Bangalore.

View attachment 70464

Why? Doesn't it have one of the best metro systems in South Asia?

 

[street cricketer]

Delhi is a behemoth.

Annual car sales in Delhi is more than combined sales of Mumbai, Calcutta and Bangalore.

View attachment 70464

I suspect that's a part of the problem [MENTION=132715]Varun[/MENTION] was mentioning.

 

[CricketCartoons]

Delhi is one of the most ghatiya cities to live in. So much pollution that even the trees have smoke stained leaves. Walking in this city is like living in a gas chamber. Plus there are metro trains, in which you enter wearing your perfume and leave out carrying others odour. People are one of the most untrustworthy. They smile and talk sweetly but will fleece you of your money. The worst city ever.

 

[Tera Gawaandi]

Why? Doesn't it have one of the best metro systems in South Asia?

Its North Indian trend in general, North India has 40% of car sales, South and West 25, East only 10. Car ownership is considered must here, Punjab cities like Ludhiana and Chandigarh have disproportionate number of German luxury cars.

 

[CricketCartoons]

Its North Indian trend in general, North India has 40% of car sales, South and West 25, East only 10. Car ownership is considered must here, Punjab cities like Ludhiana and Chandigarh have disproportionate number of German luxury cars.

Agreed. Too much materialism and wannabe culture in north (delhi, punjab, haryana), while east and south are more towards spiritual and intellectual pursuits. No wonder punjab has a massive drug problem, and most of its songs are about women, alcohol and cars.

 

[Someguy]

India is one the most polluted countires in the world with kolkata havig having the largest slum in the world and the highest number of people deficating outdoors polluting water supply due to a lack of toilets https://www.google.com/amp/indianex...-study/lite/?client=ms-android-hms-tmobile-us
So contraay to what they show in their movies, no, india is not quite Tokyo and has a long way to go. Pakistani cities are cleaner in comparison and fewer people are forced to deficate outdoors. So maybe instead of building ballistic missiles and satellites, they should spend that money on toilets and clean water for majortity of the country without acess to toilets as per UN stats.

 

[Someguy]

Cows actually contribute to pollution by releasing gas. Maybe this pollution in India has something to do with a surplus in the cattle population cause of the beef ban. #justsaying[/QUOTt
This is actualy true as cows are the main emitters of methane in the atmosphere. So beef ban has and is contributing to global warming.

 

[santos11]

Delhi is one of the most ghatiya cities to live in. So much pollution that even the trees have smoke stained leaves. Walking in this city is like living in a gas chamber. Plus there are metro trains, in which you enter wearing your perfume and leave out carrying others odour. People are one of the most untrustworthy. They smile and talk sweetly but will fleece you of your money. The worst city ever.

Then which cities do you think are better ones in India?

Imo, a few aspects in which Delhi lags behind other Indian Cities is lawlessness and Gundagardi. It's also known as Rape Capital for a reason.

Southern Cities and Mumbai have more disciplined people, plus proper Law and Order.

Maybe it has something to do with Delhi's proximity to Hindi Belt regions.

 

[Varun]

Its North Indian trend in general, North India has 40% of car sales, South and West 25, East only 10. Car ownership is considered must here, Punjab cities like Ludhiana and Chandigarh have disproportionate number of German luxury cars.

Also account for all the chubby mantris and babus and their kids born with a silver spoon in their mouth, with their hands on the wheel of a Lexus.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

It was slightly better today.

 

[Donal Cozzie]

Spending a day in Delhi is the equivalent to smoking 40 cigarettes. We went to see for ourselves

INDIA OFFICIALLY HAS the filthiest air on the planet, and Delhi is its capital of smog. As part of a trip to charity projects in Mumbai and Dewas, I decided to check it out for myself. Twice. Despite temperatures that would have justified the term Indian Summer in Ireland, you couldn’t see the sun for days on end.

The pollution in Delhi was so bad you could taste and smell it – like a massive smoking room. It got so bad that the authorities closed schools for three days, banned all construction work for five days and temporarily closed power plants.

India’s capital is not one city, but seven cities built on top of each other. The latest layer – New Delhi – was built between 1911 and 1931 by the British, who inaugurated it as the new capital of an eastern empire that stretched from the edge of Iran to the straits of Singapore. The former Viceroy’s Palace is its architectural pinnacle. I’d like to tell you what it looked like, but I couldn’t see it. In fact, viewing anything much farther away than 10 or 20 feet was hugely problematic.

During our stay in the city, the recorded levels of PM 2.5, a type of fine particle pollution, soared to 1,000 – more than 16 times the limit considered safe by India’s government. Anything above 500 is considered “hazardous”. For context, Dublin’s air quality index this week was 19 – considered “good” – while the highest in London was 45. Experts say the damage from sustained exposure to such high concentrations of PM 2.5 as found in Delhi is the equivalent to smoking more than two packs of cigarettes a day Little wonder that Delhi’s chief minister has termed the city a “gas chamber” and hospitals recorded a large-scale outbreak of respiratory illnesses. The pollution is so bad that many Indians – and slack-jawed western tourists – have begun taking smog selfies.

A political decision managed to worsen the situation. During the nadir of the smog crisis, the federal government – led by right-wing Hindu nationalist BJP – decided to invalidate 85% of its banknotes in a bid to clamp down on tax evasion. In a country blighted by a caste system presaged on the prehistoric notion that lower castes and Dalit (or Untouchable) people must remain poor to burn up their “karma”, the cancellation of swathes of legal currency hit the poorest hardest.

Comments by the prime minister suggested that may have been the point all along. “Inflation becomes worse through the deployment of cash earned in corrupt ways,” prime minister Narendra Modi said. “The poor have to bear the brunt of this.” The controversial move involved shutting down all ATMs for days on end, leaving tourists unable to withdraw currency to pay for cabs, food and other essentials.

At the shrouded airport, waiting for a flight south, several locals said they were looking forward to the clean air of their destination – Mumbai, India’s commercial centre. (It’s a bit like saying you’re flying to London for a bit of peace and quiet.)

Most were, however reluctant to openly criticise central government policy. One man I spoke to, an IT worker used to travelling to Europe and the US, literally looked over his shoulder. Once persuaded I wasn’t going to shop him to the BJP, Sanjay* said that Narendra Modi’s administration seemed keen to push conservative Hindu policies upon India’s population, a population which includes 170 million Muslims, around 30 million Christians, 9 million Buddhists, and 52 million Sikhs, Jains and Zoroastrians.

Prior to coming to power, Modi was an international pariah for a decade due to his alleged role in mass killings of Muslims during his time as a regional minister. His opponents in Delhi say he has been slow to act on the smog crisis, due to a power struggle with Delhi’s chief minister, Arvind Jeriwal of the rival Aam Aadmi Party.

But the currency crisis isn’t just being felt in Delhi.

Landing in Mumbai Delhi, I needed to transfer between the domestic and international airports, but couldn’t get a taxi as I couldn’t access cash due to the ATM shutdown. I ended up booking into a cheap hotel, which then sent a taxi to transfer me between the airports. The hotel was then able to charge me for the cab through the hotel booking. It was expensive, but unlike many Indians hit by a double whammy of smog and demonetisation, I had enough to eat.

Despite spending billions on a huge army, nuclear weapons, and a space programme, India’s far-right BJP government presides over a population that remains one of the poorest in the world.
Hamstrung by a stubbornly resilient caste system, some 80% of its population are in the lower half of the global wealth distribution – a higher proportion than in Africa.

About half the population defecates in the streets daily. With winter approaching and very little fuel available, the country’s multitudinous poor resort to burning whatever they have to hand, including plastic.
Out in the countryside, meanwhile, rice farmers in the nearby states of Punjab and Haryana burn leftover straw every November, sending smoke over Delhi. Images from Nasa show the extent of the fires, which are swept towards the capital by prevailing winds. The problem contributes to 70% of the peak smog problem.

And then there’s Diwali. The Hindu festival is India’s version of Christmas – replete with red-and-white ads.
Commemorating the abduction of the god Rama’s wife, her rescue, and Rama’s questioning of her ‘honour’ on the way home, the festival is celebrated by widespread fireworks.

Visiting Delhi on the weekend of Diwali felt like the end of the world, as four times the population of Ireland began exploding fireworks that sound like munitions in the sky, then all took to the roads to escape the pollution. Dublin has never seemed so clean. The government responded by banning firecrackers for weddings – but not for religious festivals. Delhi’s chief minister appealed to his rival Modi to intervene with other state governments to help. A ban on crop burning is rarely enforced, and court judgments ordering ageing vehicles off Delhi’s roads are also routinely flouted.

Within India, the country’s widespread problems are routinely compared to those in China, which was recently overtaken by India for the number of premature deaths related to air pollution. India has a 62.4 concentration of levels of the poisonous PM2.5 particle, compared to 54.3 in China, according to the World Health Organisation’s ambient air statistics.

China Communist Party has managed to stem the tide of pollution by ordering factory shutdowns and cars off the road with ad hoc edicts. “We have repeatedly failed to implement the laws in India,” Mahesh Palawat, chief meteorologist at private weather forecaster Skymet, told AFP recently.

"China is using technology and strict implementation because the authorities recognise air pollution as a health emergency and are doing everything to control it." “But here in India, there is no political will and laws are never implemented on ground, mostly because no one takes pollution seriously.”

Although the wind has picked up in the past few days – bringing Delhi’s pollution back to merely atrocious – the fallout from the smog and currency crisis continues, with protests across several cities this week. Meanwhile, the millions of Indians still living in grinding poverty in a growing economy look in envy at China’s progress in modernising its society, untrammeled by the stigma of inhuman superstition.

http://www.thejournal.ie/delhi-smog-3097599-Dec2016/

 

[endymion248]

Hundreds of thousands, not a single tree.

 

[Slog]

Hundreds of thousands, not a single tree.

What is this?

If it's a satellite image then I'm sure there's some tres there just not noticeable

 

[Slog]

Btw this year there seems to be an insane amount of dust in the air in Karachi as well. What could be the reason behind this?

 

[Moiza]

Btw this year there seems to be an insane amount of dust in the air in Karachi as well. What could be the reason behind this?

No Barish is probably the reason. Water shortage is also becoming a headache because of this no Barish spell.

 

[endymion248]

What is this?

If it's a satellite image then I'm sure there's some tres there just not noticeable

Obviously there are a few trees, you can see some in the photo. It's hyperbole to show that these Delhi suburb neighbourhoods are barren urban hell.

 

[Markhor]

This is disgraceful. Clean air should be a human right. A number of public policy measures to tackle this must be considered not just in India but China where smog and air pollution is also wreaking havoc.

For starters, introduction of motor vehicle emission controls. CNG stations and plug points for electric cars ought to be made more freely available. Crop residues should not be burned and greater investment in public transport is needed to reduce the volume of cars on the roads. Air filters should be added to all industrial plants and further expansion of green energies like solar.

 

[LastManstanding]

What is this?

If it's a satellite image then I'm sure there's some tres there just not noticeable

Obviously there are a few trees, you can see some in the photo. It's hyperbole to show that these Delhi suburb neighbourhoods are barren urban hell.

Actually, Delhi has the highest tree cover among metros in India.

http://zeenews.india.com/news/eco-n...over-highest-among-metros-survey_1619494.html

 

[big_gamer007]

Obviously there are a few trees, you can see some in the photo. It's hyperbole to show that these Delhi suburb neighbourhoods are barren urban hell.

Delhi has trees mate, visit here sometime you'all see plenty of trees around.. It's just way too much over populated with factories and neighbouring states piling on the headache for pollution.. If it is feasible I would like to see the capital being shifted to some other city and let that city and its neighbouring parts develop would reduce population and pollution then for Delhi..

 

[endymion248]

Delhi has trees mate, visit here sometime you'all see plenty of trees around.. It's just way too much over populated with factories and neighbouring states piling on the headache for pollution.. If it is feasible I would like to see the capital being shifted to some other city and let that city and its neighbouring parts develop would reduce population and pollution then for Delhi..

Actually, Delhi has the highest tree cover among metros in India.

http://zeenews.india.com/news/eco-n...over-highest-among-metros-survey_1619494.html

The center (except Old Delhi) and the rich areas have trees. The slums surrounding the city are like the satellite photo above. And they have millions of people living in them.

Anyways, the Delhi pollution problem mostly comes from crop burning in winter.

 

[Rayyman]

Some places have to got to calm down when it comes to Industrialization and/or Modernization.

 

[TM Riddle]

Smog in Delhi

Surprised to find no thread on this.I am in the city right now and the quality of air is absolutely pathetic with the sun seemed to be set around 3:30 pm !!!
Cant even step outside at the moment , such is the condition here right now.
Why is nobody talking about this?