Dying A Slow Death! 4 Out Of 5 Families In Delhi-NCR Affected By Air Pollution, Says Survey

How harmful is pollution in the national capital Delhi and surrounding areas? The answer perhaps lies in the findings of a survey that said that four in five families in the region have someone facing one or more ailments due to contaminated air.

The survey conducted by LocalCircles also said that 91 per cent of Delhi's residents believe authorities were entirely or partially ineffective in enforcing the ban on transportation, distribution and sale of crackers this Diwali. Over 34,000 responses were received from Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Faridabad for the survey. Out of the respondents, 66 per cent were men and 34 per cent women, reported Moneycontrol.

Findings Of Survey

In the survey, the respondents were questioned about their troubles since the last week as the Delhi-NCR's air quality turned severe. Sixteen per cent of respondents said they were experiencing sore throat or cough, or both. Another 16 per cent said they had a runny nose, congestion or burning eyes. The other 16 per cent said they were facing breathing difficulties.

About 20 per cent of the respondents experienced no impact of the pollution. On an aggregate basis, four in five families in Delhi-NCR are now experiencing one or more health problems due to polluted air. Meanwhile, 24 per cent of people experienced all the above-mentioned issues, while eight per cent experienced at least two of the symptoms.

About 22 per cent of the respondents said they or someone in their family have already consulted doctors or visited hospitals regarding air pollution-related ailments. Meanwhile, only 28 per cent of families in Delhi-NCR plan to use air purifiers and 61 per cent anti-pollution masks to cope with the current situation.

Meanwhile, the air quality index of Delhi was recorded in the 'very poor' category at 379 on November 9 at 11 am, data from AQI India showed. An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51-100 'satisfactory', 101-200 'moderately polluted', 201-300 'poor', 301-400 'very poor' and 401-500 'severe', while the AQI above 500 falls in the 'severe plus' category. Even Uttar Pradesh witnessed a steep decline in air quality, with AQI slipping into a 'severe' zone across Noida.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) directed the Governments of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to ensure strict implementation of Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) measures, including the sprinkling of water on roads.

States have been directed to maximise the production of power from existing natural gas-based plants to reduce the operation of coal-based power plants in the NCR region, intensifying public transport services, and introduce differential rates to encourage off-peak travel.

India Home To 35 Of 50 World's Most Polluted Cities

In 2019, the Supreme Court said that Delhi was no longer liveable and had become worse than "narak" (hell), with people dying of various illnesses due to pollution. According to IQAir, the national capital was the world's most polluted capital for the third straight year in 2020, a Swiss group that measures air quality levels based on the concentration of lung-damaging airborne particles known as PM2.5 reported Reuters.

This is despite the COVID-induced lockdown. India was home to 35 of the world's 50 most polluted cities, according to IQAir's 2020 World Air Quality Report, which gathered data for 106 countries. In 2020, New Delhi's average annual concentration of PM2.5 in a cubic meter of air was 84.1, the study said, more than double the level of Beijing, which averaged 37.5 during the year, making it the 14th most polluted city in the world. Air pollution will cause an estimated 54,000 premature deaths in New Delhi in 2020.

Also Read: IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman Promoted