Combined geographical location and poverty have made the Indian capital one of the most polluted cities in the world.
Although Delhi is not the most polluted air city in the world; Kanpur, another city in northern India, topped the list of the world's most polluted air cities in 2017, with the highest levels of air pollution in 14 places. But Delhi, a city of 25 million people, is large enough in size and population compared to other cities, and its polluted air is likely to endanger the lives of a relatively large number of people. Every year, about 30,000 Delhiites die prematurely due to the effects of air pollution; Although medical scientists think this calculation is very insignificant. Because if you consider the growing incidence of lung cancer, diabetes, premature birth, and autism in recent studies; However, the number of victims and deaths due to this pollution will increase many times over. The amount of particulate matter (PM2.5) emitted daily in the air of Delhi is 8 times higher than the maximum tolerable level set by the World Health Organization. This amount increases further in winter and in the post-Diwali period (as a result of fireworks) this amount increases up to about 50 times. Recent studies have found that Delhi's air pollution can only be brought to the level set by the World Health Organization; However, the average life expectancy of Delhiites may increase up to 9 years from the present.
Now the question is why the air in Delhi is so polluted?
The answer to this question lies in the fog (smoke + fog) of Delhi's air. One reason is the geographical location of Delhi. The fertile plains of Delhi are well ventilated by the Himalayas and the air circulation is disrupted by these mountains. During the summer, condensed heat sends the fog to higher levels in the atmosphere, and at the same time, the monsoon winds from the Indian Ocean spread the fog over a larger area. In winter, morning fog condenses the dust and keeps it in contact with the soil, and rarely does it spread in a condensed state in the cool breeze from the mountains. This dust and smoke combine and spread in the air, creating a haze.
Where do these pollutants come from?
In addition to the conventional dust caused by warm weather, there are numerous under construction installations, millions of low-quality paved roads, burning bitumen with residual fuel in road construction, coal-fired thermal power plants, crematorium furnaces, burning weeds and straw in farmland The main causes of air pollution here are the use of millions of substandard vehicles and the low quality fuel oil used by them, diesel powered locomotive locomotives and generators and the use of cow dung and wood stoves for cooking.
Poverty has made this polluted environment more vulnerable. Farmers do not have expensive equipment to remove crop residues to make the land suitable for paddy cultivation immediately after harvesting wheat or paddy in the next winter. So it is easy for the farmer to burn this residue with fire and this practice has been going on for a long time. Decades ago, groundwater levels plummeted, forcing farmers in the northwestern states to delay their cultivation until the onset of the monsoon season. Although the water level was stable during the monsoon season, their late cultivation delayed the overall harvest. Now the monsoon season ends before the farmers start burning the remaining weeds after harvesting the paddy. Due to the lack of wind and insufficient rainfall to make this huge amount of smoke clouds disappear, the smoke goes south-east and accumulates in the sky of Delhi.
Government decisions often put the situation at greater risk. In the interest of achieving self-reliance in the energy sector, the Government of India has so far consistently given priority to coal-fired power plants over pollution-free power plants. Since almost all the farmers use diesel powered tractors and pumps, the government has fixed the price of diesel lower than petrol to get their votes. As a result, cities in India are filled with millions of foul-smelling diesel-powered vehicles, and carmakers and buyers are now turning to these cheap fuels for their vehicles.
The city of Beijing has made commendable progress in clearing the fog in its air. Delhi's main difference with Beijing is its governance and leadership system. The city's system of government has slowed down due to the electoral system and the tripartite system created by the same city under the three types of central government, state government and local government is complicating policy decisions and implementing them which is hampering the city's environmental development.
Although some significant progress has been made here lately. Most buses, taxis and autorickshaws in the city have been using natural gas as fuel for some 15 years. Some polluting mills and coal-fired plants have been shut down. In addition, the use of gas stoves instead of wood or oil stoves in homes has increased. This year, the central government has banned the import of polluting fuels used in mills and introduced the use of high-combustion octane-petrol and diesel. It has been decided that by 2020, all cars sold in India will use environmentally friendly fuels. The state government is trying to stop its farmers from burning crop residues on the land. The local government in Delhi has temporarily halted the entry of all lorry trucks into the city and temporarily halted several construction projects as the fog thickened in Delhi's air this month. Maybe one day, as a combined result of all these initiatives, this capital city of India will regain its blue sky. But the question remains when.