Delhi’s Air Pollution: Government Inaction Amid a Dire Health Emergency
Shouldn’t It Be Classified as a Public Health Crisis?
November 28, 2024
Nov. 27 marked the “cleanest” day of the month in Delhi, with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) reporting a 24-hour average AQI of 303 for the city. According to researchers, breathing air with an AQI over 300 is roughly equivalent to smoking about 25 cigarettes a day. This implies that each winter, the millions of residents in and around Delhi effectively “smoke” at least 1,600 cigarettes, as the capital is shrouded in a suffocating blanket of smog for around 65 days between October and January.
Since the 1980s, the Supreme Court of India has issued directives aimed at curtailing the toxic haze enveloping Delhi. From relocating polluting industries to mandating the shift from diesel to cleaner fuel alternatives for commercial vehicles, the court prescribed tough measures. However, the implementation on the ground by government agencies such as the CPCB and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) seems to be inadequate.
The human cost of this inaction is devastating.
According to the Indian Health Ministry’s own warnings, the deteriorating air quality disproportionately threatens the most vulnerable: children, the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions, as noted by the BBC. Every breath in Delhi during these months potentially shortens a life, stunts a child’s development, or triggers a health crisis in homes.
A study published in The Lancet Planetary Health on July 4 analysed the impact of fine particulate matter (PM2.5, or atmospheric particulate matter that has a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres, which is about 3% the diametre of a human hair) on mortality across 10 Indian cities from 2008 to 2019. The cities studied were Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Shimla and Varanasi. The findings indicated that modest increases in PM2.5 levels can significantly elevate daily death rates, with locally sourced pollution worsening the effect.
Exposure to high PM2.5 levels for just 48 hours can decrease life expectancy, contributing to 7.2% of all deaths when levels exceed the World Health Organization’s guideline of 15 micrograms per cubic meter, the study noted, pointing out that PM2.5 levels in these cities surpassed WHO’s safe limit on 99.8% of the days.
Another study, as reported by The Guardian in November 2023, discovered a direct link between air pollution and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Specifically, the presence of PM2.5 particles significantly raises the likelihood of developing this condition, it said.
In India, a country already facing a severe diabetes crisis, 11.4% of the population, or 101 million people, have been diagnosed with diabetes, and another 136 million are considered pre-diabetic, the study noted. Urban areas report higher rates, often attributed to lifestyle or dietary factors. Now, pollution is identified as a significant contributing factor. The research found that with every 10μg/m3 increase in PM2.5, the risk of developing diabetes rises by 22%.
The air pollution situation in Delhi and other Indian cities warrants classification as a public health crisis, deserving the same level of urgency and sustained action typically reserved for an epidemic, as journalist and writer Om Thanvi told the BBC.
The accountability of government agencies like the CPCB and DPCC needs to be stringently reevaluated.
Delhi’s air pollution is not an insurmountable crisis. As seen in global cities like Beijing, determined governmental action backed by judicial support and public participation can lead to dramatic improvements in air quality.
Prior to the 2008 Olympics, Beijing often faced extremely high AQI levels, frequently categorised as “Hazardous” (AQI exceeding 300), especially during winter months when coal heating surged. In response, the city implemented a series of aggressive measures – including relocating heavy-polluting industries away from the city, introducing stricter emission standards for vehicles and industrial activities, expanding public transportation, and promoting the use of electric vehicles and cleaner energy sources.
By 2017, the average AQI of Beijing had dropped significantly. For instance, the PM2.5 levels decreased from an average of around 89.5 µg/m3 in 2013 to about 58 µg/m3 by 2017, moving the average AQI from “Unhealthy” to the upper ranges of “Moderate” (AQI under 100 on most days).
The central and Delhi governments must move beyond the cyclical hand-wringing and ineffective placation. It’s not just Delhi’s skyline that is at stake—it is the health of millions and the future of a city that continues to gasp for breath under the weight of its own growth and neglect.
