Commuters navigate through thick smog in New Delhi on November 13, 2024. – AFP
Residents of India's capital, New Delhi, struggled with a suffocating toxic smog on Wednesday as air pollution levels soared past 50 times the World Health Organization's recommended daily maximum. Cooler temperatures and stagnant winds exacerbate the trapping of deadly pollutants. At dawn on Wednesday, 'hazardous' pollutant levels in parts of the sprawling urban area, home to over 30 million people, reached 806 micrograms per cubic metre, according to monitoring firm IQAir. This is more than 53 times the World Health Organization's recommended daily maximum for fine particulate matter—dangerous cancer-causing microparticles known as PM2.5 pollutants that penetrate the bloodstream through the lungs. Many residents cannot afford air filters, nor do they have homes that can effectively seal out the foul-smelling air. The city is annually enveloped in acrid smog, primarily due to stubble burning by farmers in neighboring regions, along with emissions from factories and traffic. However, a recent report by The New York Times, based on air and soil samples collected over five years, revealed that dangerous fumes are also emanating from a power plant incinerating the city's landfill garbage mountains. Experts interviewed by the newspaper described the levels of heavy metals found as 'alarming'. India's Supreme Court recently ruled that clean air is a fundamental human right, directing both the central government and state-level authorities to take action. However, critics argue that disputes between rival politicians in neighboring states and between central and state-level authorities have exacerbated the issue. The WHO warns that air pollution can trigger strokes, heart disease, lung cancer, and other respiratory diseases, particularly affecting babies, children, and the elderly. A study in The Lancet medical journal attributed 1.67 million premature deaths to air pollution in the world's most populous country in 2019.
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