Canadian singer-songwriter Bryan Adams recently wound up his five-city India tour. His latest performance at Gurgaon’s Leisure Valley Park on Sunday, October 14 left fans craving for more. However, after the performance, Adams took to his Instagram profile to share an image which draws attention to the city’s worsening air quality and pollution level.
Bryan Adams / Instagram
In the picture, one can clearly see the blanket of toxic smog which envelops the concert venue, where his silhouette can be seen against the dusty backdrop. What Adams called “Magical” is actually a sad reminder of the fact the Delhi’s air quality has already gone down significantly.
Low Air Quality in Delhi NCR
Recent data as per the National Air Quality Index (AQI) hints at rising air pollution in Delhi. As reported by Times Of India, PM 2.5 and PM 10, which are considered as the main pollutants are indexed at 168 (moderate) and 224 (poor) respectively. These are way off the healthy index which lies between 0 to 50. High levels of these pollutants in the air are considered very harmful for people of all ages and may cause a problem in breathing especially for those who suffer from asthma or heart diseases. Reportedly, the air quality in the NCR lies in the poor category.
According to the latest data on October 16, the AQI of Anand Vihar area in Delhi is at 365 with PM 10 being the primary pollutant. Such poor index may even cause respiratory diseases if people are exposed to it for a long duration. The speed of wind has also dropped, making the whole situation extremely dangerous.
The Reasons
Stubble burning is considered to be among the top reasons for the deteriorating air quality in Delhi. It is a practice by farmers of Punjab and Haryana wherein the hay is burned when stubble is left after the harvesting of paddy. As reported by Livemint, stubble burning is usually the only option for the farmers which is cost-effective and efficient, as the hay cannot be fed to cattle and use of machinery is very costly, so the farmers resort to the burning of hay instead. Other reasons include tons of diesel vehicles, emission from industries and thermal plants.
As reported by The Indian Express, the farmers had asked for monetary help from the government for not burning the stubble, but when no such help was provided the farmers started to make videos while the hay burned in the background, posting these videos on various social media platforms. Moreover, many paddy farmers in both states refused to follow the ban on stubble farming as they did not receive any financial assistance from the government for farm waste management. A farmer union leader named Resham Singh Yatri said that this reaction of making and posting of videos is due to the government’s threat of FIRs and fine against the farmers who are burning.
Precautions and Solution
Considering the rise in pollution, The Central Pollution Control Board devised a strategy on October 15 which was put into effect immediately as reported by NDTV. Authorities have also said that new machinery specifically targeting the pollution will be used on the roads to ensure that pollution levels are contained. The ‘emergency plan’ includes the closing of the Badarpur thermal plant, traffic management by police officials in highly exposed areas of NCR. The proposal will also target brick manufacturers to minimize the pollution from furnaces, and use of generators has been already banned in Delhi.
Public transport facilities like Metro are expected to be more frequent to reduce the number of vehicles on the road. As the pollution is expected to increase due to the bursting of firecrackers during Diwali, the authorities have planned to stop entry of trucks in Delhi. Also, there are chances that the Odd-Even rule will be used again in such an event. NBCC was asked to stop all construction related activities at Pragati Maidan as part of the plan. Reportedly, more than 40 teams will be monitoring these activities throughout the NCR region and will make sure that all the recommendations are being followed.
