Editorial: Apocalyptic haze

The fact that one in every three children in Delhi is battling asthma or airflow obstruction due to air pollution should ring alarm bells in the government corridors

A day after the Diwali crackers lit up the sky, the apocalyptic images of toxic haze have come back to haunt the national capital, which has already earned the dubious distinction of being the world’s worst polluted city. Despite the Supreme Court’s stern directions to the authorities and repeated warnings by environmental experts, nothing much has changed on the ground as Delhi’s air quality continues to be hazardous with the PM 2.5 (Particulate Matter of 2.5 microns in diameter) levels shooting up to around 30 times the permissible standards. The World Health Organization (WHO) declares that no amount of this pollutant is safe to breathe. The post-monsoon season, which lasts from October to December, delivers an annual pollution bomb to Delhi. For common citizens of the national capital, it is a life in a gas chamber. There is enough research data linking air pollution to pulmonary disorders. More recently, research has also established links to other health issues that cause longer-term mortality – heart diseases and strokes, autoimmune disorders as well as neurological issues. Across the country, an estimated 1.6 million people die due to air pollution every year. The suffocating weather conditions caused by the cumulative effect of dust-producing construction work, vehicular emissions and stubble burning, along with slow wind movement, have, unfortunately, become an annual affair. The fact that one in every three children in Delhi is battling asthma or airflow obstruction due to air pollution should ring alarm bells in the government corridors.

The apex court has rightly identified paddy stubble burning in the neighbouring States of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh as a factor that contributes to pollution in Delhi and directed them earlier this month to launch a crackdown. The farmers have been refusing to cooperate on this front, despite repeated appeals from the governments. Under-reporting of farm fires has badly dented the credibility of the efforts to curb air pollution. The problem is unique to Northern States where farmers largely use combine harvesters that snip off the grainy part of paddy and leave behind a roughly 30-cm stubble. Every year it is a similar story as authorities remain mute spectators. Encouraging the farmers to opt for machines that do not leave behind such stalks could offer a solution. There is already an effort underway as governments are offering cash subsidies for farmers to be able to buy or rent machines that can get rid of stubble. A 2019 study found that 42% of the black carbon — a pollutant that contributes to haze formation and affects health — in Delhi in winter and autumn was from crop burning. Effective solutions will require reductions in multiple sources of emissions. The governments at all levels need to make clean air a priority by improving public transport and waste collection, and ensuring that people have access to clean fuel for cooking and heating.

---