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Cse In News

Pollution is an airshed issue and govts’ inability to work together stalls action

SC panel EPCA’s long stint, with Sunita Narain and Bhure Lal at helm, has come to an end with the constitution of a commission for air quality management in NCR. Jasjeev Gandhiok & Priyangi Agarwal speak to them about what was achieved in 22 years, inadequacies of the system and what remains to be done So, India’s air is filthy, says Donald Trump, and our hackles go up? Earlier, airlines have cancelled flights to Delhi because of the smog. Years later, nothing much has changed. Do you think we are condemned to live with this? SN It is a bit unfair to say that. Overall, there is a sense of despair all around and we are a highly cynical people, but I think things have changed. We need to be clear that we are taking steps to clean up our air. That is more than I can say for Mr Trump, whose country’s emissions have actually increased in the past few years. The 2019 greenhouse gas emissions of the US are higher than they were in 2016. The US is not going to meet even its extremely meagre commitments under the Paris Accord. So, let’s not allow Mr Trump to determine how good or bad we are because it’s like the pot calling the kettle black. The air pollution agenda has moved ahead in three ways. Firstly, now we have huge public anguish about air pollution. Bhure Lal ji and I have struggled to make pollution a big issue as it was not central to policy or politics or in the minds of people. Today, there is anguish all around that there is pollution and that is pushing policy and politics. Secondly, through our efforts and efforts of the governments, there has been huge work to build a public information system on air quality in the region. We have a very dense network of monitors and we have built a health index so that you know and I know what’s the quality of air and how it impacts your health. Thirdly, a lot of efforts have been made over the past few years which I believe are beginning to show up other than in those two critical months whether it is BS VI fuel, bypasses or the RFID system. The moot point is, we need far more drastic action if we want clean air. You speak of the need for drastic action. What is required to bring about a change in the long term? SN You cannot deal with air pollution through knee-jerk and short-term measures. There is a difference between the two existing instruments of policy. Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is an emergency action plan. If there is fire, you do not talk about building a new fire station. You put out the fire. Then there is the Comprehensive Action Plan (CAP). Why did we see clean air during the lockdown? Because two critical sources of air pollution vanished – vehicles went off the road and no trucks were entering the city. Second, no industrial combustion was taking place. We still had dust, we still had garbage burning. If you are looking at an action plan for the future, then two big steps need to be taken. We have to get rid of pet coke and furnace oil in the region but it gets replaced by coal. In Delhi, coal has been banned but it is being used illegally in many areas. So, the biggest challenge today is to usher in the next CNG revolution. If you remember, EPCA started its journey by asking for a transformation in the fuel use in vehicles. We called it a leapfrog. We said, don’t just clean up diesel but move to CNG. We believe very strongly that we need a similar gas revolution in all of NCR, where natural gas or electricity must replace coal. You also need to reduce the number of vehicles on the road.

Crackers banned: Now over to enforcement

Bursting and selling crackers this season could attract a fine of up to R1 lakh, Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai said on Friday, a day after chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, in a bid to check the rising pollution levels, announced a complete ban on the sale and use of fireworks, including “green varieties”, in the capital till November 30. The ban comes into force Friday midnight. Rai said people caught selling or bursting crackers could be slapped with a fine up to R1 lakh under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act (1981). “Prosecutions will be made under the Air Act, which has a provision to fines going as high as R1 lakh. The amount of fine will depend on the scale of the violation,” Rai said. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) on Friday issued a detailed set of directions all the district magistrates and Delhi police, asking them to enforce the ban strictly. “The ban would be implemented from Friday midnight. We have asked the enforcement agencies to submit a daily action taken report. We will be monitoring the situation closely,” said a senior DPCC official. Pollution caused by firecrackers is a huge problem every winter, aggravating the quality of air already affected by other factors such as stubble burning, local emission, falling wind speed, weather conditions, etc. The environment minister will convene a meeting with representatives from the environment department, DPCC, divisional commissioners and Delhi Police on Monday to chalk out a detailed action plan. The enforcement teams said they were prepared to enforce the government order. Devesh Srivastava, joint commissioner of police (southern range), said special teams had already been constituted at police station and district levels to implement the earlier rule of allowing only green firecrackers (less-polluting varieties). “We had special teams of special staff and district vigilance to deal with the problem, but now that we have heard of a complete ban, we’ll have to go even further,” Srivastava said. A meeting of top police officers is likely soon to chart out the course of action. The officer said since it will be a challenge to enforce the ban in the city’s bylanes, meetings will be arranged with resident welfare associations and market bodies in each area to ensure individuals do not burst firecrackers. “We are activating our eyes and ears scheme particularly for this purpose so that a check can be kept on individuals as well, not just the sellers,” Srivastava said. Police said they will focus on the 167 shops that were granted temporary licences to sell green firecrackers before the ban was announced, to ensure the stock procured by them is not sold illegally. “While we were already out in the field to prevent the sale and purchase of illegal firecrackers, now we’ll push out our special teams a week prior to Diwali when people are actually seen lighting firecrackers,” said Srivastava. The police are relying on neighbours to tip off about individuals flouting the rules. Experts agreed that implementation of a ban of such a large scale would require public participation and awareness campaigns. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy), Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said the Supreme Court had banned the sale of traditional firecrackers in 2017, but the stock is still being sold illegally and its proof can be heard around neighbourhoods. “Enforcement is not easy when you have to track every bylane and neighbourhood. Getting crackers across the borders is easy. Effective implementation of the ban will only happen if people participate,” Roychowdhury said. The police said that to prevent people buying crackers from neighbouring cities such as Ghaziabad and Noida, they will intensify random checks at border points. Haryana has also announced a complete ban on the sale of firecrackers.

Here's Why India's Air Quality May Fuel COVID-19 Cases

As a thick quilt of smog wraps itself around India, signaling the start of the fall pollution season, experts warn that the worsening air quality could make the country’s COVID-19 problems even worse. One of the most common symptoms of severe coronavirus cases is breathing difficulty. And doctors are of the belief that if the ambient air suddenly becomes more toxic, as it does every year around this time in northern India, then more people who become infected by the virus might end up on hospital beds. Air pollution inflicts a massive toll on the Indian economy. Its scale, complexity and urgency necessitate a strong, coherent, and coordinated fiscal response by the government. However, recent relief and stimulus spending in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has crippled the Indian economy and led to a massive spike in public debt. With limited room available for fiscal manoeuvre, the Indian government faces the colossal challenge of funding procedures to improve air quality. “Air pollution increases the risk of non-communicable diseases—the same underlying conditions that make people more likely to experience severe illness or death from COVID-19,” said epidemiologist Sumi Mehta from the global non-profit Vital Strategies told AFP in an interview with Daily Sabah. India is now struggling with two major health challenges that are both mugging the respiratory system and peaking at the same time. The coronavirus cases are spreading far and wide, putting India on the pathway to have the main accounted virus caseload in the impending weeks. “There are serious worries that during winter when higher air pollution levels, in any case, worsens respiratory illness and increases hospitalization, the vulnerability to COVID-19 may be further enhanced,” added Anumita Roy Chowdhury of the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment said in a statement made to the Daily Sabah channel. The chief medical officer of Gurugram city near New Delhi, Virender Yadav, told the channel some recovering COVID-19 patients were experiencing a reoccurrence of respiratory conditions prompted by the heightened air pollution. There are various policies and programs that have been implemented in India to address the issue of air pollution. Like any other policy measure, the success and efficacy of these programs has been contingent upon collaboration and coordination across various stakeholders. One of the most recent policies launched to tackle air pollution is the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) launched in early 2019. The NCAP calls on 122 cities across India to develop city-level Clean Air Plans to implement mitigation strategies for ambient PM concentrations. In the background is India’s worrisome air pollution, which shoots up in the fall and winter. The rapid economic growth of the past two decades and along with it, increased urbanization and overcrowding has left India dreadfully polluted. This time last year, India was habitat to 14 of the 20 cities with the most dangerous air worldwide, and health experts have detailed how such conditions can lead to brain damage, respiratory problems, and early death. Far from passing its COVID-19 peak, India is creeping toward one of the worst phases of the ongoing pandemic. The smog’s return in the winter, a festival season with no mob management, and approaching political campaigns marked by large election rallies all pose an acid test for India. The upcoming months will determine if the nation finally shifts on the way to normalcy, or sees an additional spike that pushes it past the US as the nation with the most cases of coronavirus.

Public transport, power plant norms key to panel’s success, say experts

New Delhi: Experts on Friday welcomed the appointment of members of the newly formed Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR by the Centre on Friday and said that the body needed to look into strengthening the pollution control boards and work on a number of key sectoral issues, including scaling up of public transport and implementing norms for power plants. Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy), Centre for Science and Environment, said, “Setting up of the commission shows the intent of the government to give the issue of pollution the attention it deserves. This is the right time and opportunity to dive deep and take action in several sectors.” “The priority areas include implementation of power plant standards and access to reliable electricity, affordable clean fuels, scaling up of public transport, municipal infrastructure for waste management and elimination of solid fuels in households and open eateries. This will have to be achieved on a regional scale, which will require a strong compliance framework,” Roy Chowdhury added. Karthik Ganesan, fellow at Council on Energy, Environment and Water, said, “Delhi Pollution Control Committee and state pollution control boards need to be given a free hand to build scientific and human resource capacity to ensure compliance from large emitters. The commission must find a way of coordinating across multiple agencies responsible for acting against polluting activities, direct staff and provide necessary financial resources.” Environment minister Gopal Rai asked for stubble burning to be made a priority issue and consider using the biodecomposer solution developed by Indian Agricultural Research Institute in Delhi’s neighbouring states.

Film reviews: Movies with Sophia Loren, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane and eco-activists new and old

One good thing the COVID-19 drag on the movie houses has done is let small films get some attention. I deal with several like that today, some of them Canadian or made in Canada. But I start with the one big title of the week and the return of an iconic Italian. LET HIM GO: This week, in particular, you might be in the mood for a nostalgic movie about the American experience as it used to be. This one will do, and it’s in theatres. It’s a western of sorts, set in the 1950s or early ’60s (judging by the cars). You see plenty of big sky country and an actor who feels right at home there. Kevin Costner plays a retired sheriff, with another familiar movie star, Diane Lane, as his wife. (They played Superman’s parents in a couple of movies.) Here they lose a son in a riding accident and a daughter-in-law and grandson to a quick marriage to a sketchy and abusive guy from another state, then set out on a road trip to find them. All of this setup is so rushed, it’s hard to connect to it. But it’s easy to understand the urge of a grandmother to want to see her grandson. And to cringe at what they find. Courtesy of Focus Features Chief amid all that is Lesley Manville as the overbearing matriarch of a scary ranchland family. They are feared, though why isn’t clear. Hardly matters. Violent people acting crazy out there on the prairie are common in films like this. You don’t need to explain them. The film spends most of its time finding them, a good stretch building tension and anxiety, and then a quick, fiery and bloody denouement. It’s a common movie outcome, arrived at with a loping pace but a single-minded narrative force. A secondary character adds a brief sub-plot. He says he’s a victim of residential schools designed to drive “the Indian” out of him. The film, set in Montana and one of the Dakotas, but filmed in Alberta, is strong on atmosphere and traditional values, like family and sacrifice, but shaky in the storytelling. (International Village, Marine Gateway and suburban theatres) 3 out of 5 THE LIFE AHEAD: What a welcome return. Sophia Loren hasn’t been in a movie for 10 years. Her son, director Edoardo Ponti, has brought her back and has drawn an exceptional performance out of her. It is understated, though the backstory is bleak. In the film, she’s a Holocaust survivor but doesn’t talk about it. She prefers to show her survival instincts, which had her work as a prostitute for years, and she now helps other sex workers by running a sort of daycare for their children. It’s from a Romain Gary novel that was filmed 23 years ago as Madame Rosa and went on to win an Academy Award.

KTR inaugurates first ever construction & demolition waste management plant

In the nation, recycling has been instrumental for a larger extent. The latest findings of a study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) put forth that India monitors to recover and recycle only about one per cent of its construction and demolition (C&D) waste that remains littered in landfills or in the soil. KTR, minister of IT, industries, MA and UD Telangana has took a path breaking decision to encourage Hyderabad’s first construction & demolition waste management plant at Jeedimetla. The response comes after Construction and Demolition Waste Rules and Regulations of 2016, and even the Swachh Bharat Mission have urged the utilization of recycled material in August post CSE’s findings. KTR took to Twitter, to announce about the inauguration ceremony today morning. The post read, ”Will be inaugurating Hyderabad’s first construction & demolition waste mgmt plant at Jeedimetla. One more plant at Fathulguda coming up Plant has been developed in PPP mode to recycle the waste & create tiles/bricks, road metal, coarse sand to reuse in pavements, construction etc”, (Sic). The plant has a recycling capacity of 500 tonnes per day. It’s a ground breaking initiative by Telangana and also second largest plant in India. Minister CH Mallareddy, Mayor Bonthu Rammohan, MLC Raju Shambipur among others graced the ocassion.

Residents, experts welcome firecracker ban in Delhi; traders complain

On a day when Delhi’s air quality took a nosedive to reach severe levels, the Delhi government’s announcement to ban firecrackers came as a whiff of fresh air for residents. Environment experts also welcomed the move, saying this was the only way to prevent an impending air emergency ahead of Diwali. Menaka Ray, general secretary of South Delhi Residents’ Welfare Committee, said 53 parents of children below the age of 5 years had sent out a joint petition to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to take action against cracker bursting ahead of Diwali this year. She said the move has come as a relief to all those parents and many others. “My daughter was born with asthma and every year days before Diwali her condition worsens. Many parents like me are thankful for this move,” said Ray. Kejriwal on Thursday said the decision to ban firecrackers was taken after assessing the Covid-19 situation, which was made worse by pollution. Environment experts said while this ban shows intent on the part of the government, successful implementation can only happen with the participation of people. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy), Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said: “We need to be much more aggressive to control pollution. When you introduce such a ban, enforcement becomes tricky. People’s participation is of utmost importance now,” she said. TRADERS UPSET But the news came as a shocker to cracker traders, who had already procured licences and had stocked up on permitted ‘green crackers’. “How can the government announce a blanket ban on all firecrackers with no warning? We had invested lakhs and now we are just left to fend for ourselves?” Tushar Ramdas, a wholesale trader said. Many saw this as a rerun of the 2018 ban by the Supreme Court, which had left hundreds of traders in the lurch. “Many traders sell their wives’ jewellery and take shops on rent. How will these people survive now?” said Hardayal Singh from the Rajouri Garden cracker market association. Senior officials said all 93 licences issued by the department for sale of green crackers are now cancelled. ENFORCEMENT A senior Delhi Pollution Control Committee official said implementation of the ban will begin. Delhi Police said they are awaiting for orders. Last year, police had arrested 261 people for selling or bursting illegal firecrackers on or ahead of Diwali and had registered 433 FIRs. They had seized 9,758 kilos of illegal firecrackers. Most of these FIRs and arrests had happened on Diwali night.

Delhi air enters ominous ‘severe’ zone; local factors, stubble play crucial role

Local pollutants, weather factors, and a season-high contribution of stubble fire to the city’s air together pushed pollution in the national capital to the ‘severe’ throughout Thursday, with some areas perilously close to the 500-mark — the highest level on the air quality index (AQI) scale. In some areas, the levels of major pollutants exceeded the accepted safe-limit by eight or nine times. Data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed that as Delhi collectively gasped for breath on Thursday, pollution levels in areas such as Anand Vihar, Mundka, Bawana, Narela, Vivek Vihar, Jahangirpuri and Dwarka spiralled out of control. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that while weather did play a spoiler for Delhi, local pollution sources also acted up. In a meeting with the CPCB taskforce the IMD said that the primary pollutant in Delhi’s air on Thursday was PM10 (coarse particulate matter), which is primarily dust. Stubble fires also contributed to 42% — the highest so far this season — of Delhi’s PM 2.5 load on Thursday, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (Safar) under Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology. At 7am on Thursday, when the city’s hourly average AQI was moving upwards from 450, pollution levels in Anand Vihar and Narela were above 480. Bawana, Vivek Vihar and Dwarka were also quick to join the list with their hourly average AQI reading settling at 492, 488 and 482 respectively. In Anand Vihar, which is surrounded by two major inter-state bus terminals, the levels of PM 2.5 (ultrafine particulate matter with diameter less than 2.5 micrometres) started climbing during the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday. At midnight on Wednesday, the PM2.5 level in Anand Vihar was 507ug/m3, and though it consistently reduced through the night, it remained above the 300-mark. At 7am on Thursday, the levels were 385ug/m3. In west Delhi’s Mundka, the situation was no better. As winds calmed on Wednesday, the PM 2.5 levels around the area spiked to touch 567ug/m3 at 11pm on Wednesday. Data maintained by Delhi Pollution Control Committee (Dpcc) shows that at 7am on Thursday, the PM 2.5 levels in Mundka were recorded 416ug/m3, as against the acceptable standards of 60ug/m3. Shops owners around Mundka Metro station said the area was covered in a blanket of haze throughout Thursday. Despite the visible deterioration in air quality, industrial activities, private constructions and garbage-burning continued unabated, residents said. “It was like a scene from a Hollywood movie set in a post-apocalyptic world. The government claims that they are conducting high-level meetings to control pollution in Delhi, while all they need to do is fix the basics. The road here is broken, which means that any vehicle crossing from here pushes a cloud of dust all over. There is no check on industrial activities and open burning. Garbage is not picked up roadsides for days together and once or twice a fortnight, someone sets it on fire,” said RP Yadav, a businessman in Mundka. In residential areas such as Dwarka, dust became a primary contributor in Thursday’s pollution. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee’s monitoring station in Dwarka’s Sector 8 recorded a peak PM10 level of 902ug/m3 at 6pm, which dropped marginally, but remained above 800ug/m3 as of 9pm. In India, the acceptable standards for PM10 are 100ug/m3. In south Delhi’s RK Puram, the PM10 level saw a sudden spike after 4pm. Data shows that from 257ug/m3 at 4pm, the levels consistently rose to reach 659ug/m3 at 9pm. While locals in all of these areas complained of insufficient pollution measures by government agencies in these areas, enforcement teams continued to repeat their claims that action was being taken across the city to reduce pollution levels The latest action taken-report submitted by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation shows that the agency has deployed 134 water sprinklers in their jurisdiction to keep dust levels in check. Jai Prakash, north Delhi mayor said, “Sprinkling was done twice on Thursday, keeping in mind the high pollution levels. Apart from this, 48 vigilance teams were also put into action to check for violations. From October 29 to November 3, we have issued 113 challans amounting to around R17 lakhs.” Experts said since weather conditions become unfavourable during winters, it becomes imperative that enforcement be made effective. “In Delhi, even though we have bent the annual pollution curve, we still have to reduce levels of bad air by 60% to meet the clean air standards for PM2.5. So, if you are still so high above the acceptable mark and you also have the unfavourable winter conditions, action needs to be stepped up,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy), Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).

New Delhi connaît des pics de pollution et de coronavirus

New Delhi faisait face jeudi à un pic des contaminations au coronavirus conjugué à la pire pollution depuis un an qui accroît les risques de la pandémie, a averti le chef de l’exécutif local, Arvind Kejriwal, annonçant l’interdiction des feux d’artifices pour Diwali, la fête hindoue des lumières mi-novembre. “Delhi est actuellement sous le choc à la fois du corona(virus) et de la pollution”, a déclaré le ministre en chef de Delhi lors d’un briefing en ligne, “la situation du corona(virus) s’aggrave à cause de la pollution”. Il a précisé que les feux d’artifice traditionnels, qui contribuent à dégrader la qualité de l’air, seraient interdits pour Diwali, la principale fête hindoue prévue cette année le 14 novembre. L’indice de la qualité de l’air dans la capitale était le pire depuis novembre dernier, selon le service public SAFAR (System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research). Jeudi, la concentration de particules fines PM2,5 s’établissait en moyenne journalière à 242,1 microgrammes par mètre cube d’air, selon les mesures de l’ambassade américaine. L’Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS) recommande de ne pas dépasser une concentration de 25 en moyenne journalière. Chaque début d’hiver, un épais brouillard de pollution enveloppe New Delhi et ses 20 millions d’habitants en raison du mélange de fumées venues des brûlages agricoles alentour, gaz d’échappement et émissions industrielles, piégé au dessus de la ville par les températures plus fraîches et des vents faibles. Mais il a coïncidé mercredi soir avec l’annonce d’un nouveau record quotidien de contaminations au coronavirus dans la capitale (6.852 cas). L’Inde est le deuxième pays au monde en nombre d’infections derrière les Etats-Unis avec plus de 8,3 millions de cas. Le système de santé qui doit déjà faire face à la pandémie pourrait subir des tensions accrues avec la pollution qui risque, selon les experts, d’aggraver des maladies non transmissibles qui accroissent les dangers du Covid-19. “Les médecins ont averti que des poumons abîmés auront plus de mal à combattre le virus”, explique à l’AFP Anumita Roy Chowdhury du Centre for Science and Environment, un think-tank spécialisé de New Delhi. “Certaines études internationales ont déjà montré que l’effet de la pandémie est plus fort dans les régions plus polluées”. Des recherches ont indiqué que “l’exposition à la pollution peut accroître la sévérité de l’infection et la transmission du virus”, renchérit And Santosh Harish du Center for Policy Research de New Delhi. M. Kejriwal a dénoncé le rôle des brûlages agricoles dans la pollution, estimant que les gouvernements des Etats voisins n’aidaient pas les paysans à trouver des alternatives. Le SAFAR estimait jeudi les brûlages autour de la capitale au plus haut cette saison avec quelque 4.135 feux.

Dur de combattre le Covid avec des poumons abîmés»

New Delhi faisait face jeudi à un pic des contaminations au coronavirus conjugué à la pire pollution depuis un an qui accroît les risques de la pandémie, a averti le chef de l’exécutif local, Arvind Kejriwal, annonçant l’interdiction des feux d’artifice pour Diwali, la fête hindoue des lumières mi-novembre. «Delhi est actuellement sous le choc à la fois du corona(virus) et de la pollution», a déclaré le ministre en chef de Delhi lors d’un briefing en ligne, «la situation du corona(virus) s’aggrave à cause de la pollution». Il a précisé que les feux d’artifice traditionnels, qui contribuent à dégrader la qualité de l’air, seraient interdits pour Diwali, la principale fête hindoue prévue cette année le 14 novembre. L’indice de la qualité de l’air dans la capitale était le pire depuis novembre dernier, selon le service public SAFAR (System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research). Record quotidien de contaminations Jeudi, la concentration de particules fines PM2,5 s’établissait en moyenne journalière à 242,1 microgrammes par mètre cube d’air, selon les mesures de l’ambassade américaine. L’Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS) recommande de ne pas dépasser une concentration de 25 en moyenne journalière. Chaque début d’hiver, un épais brouillard de pollution enveloppe New Delhi et ses 20 millions d’habitants en raison du mélange de fumées venues des brûlages agricoles alentour, gaz d’échappement et émissions industrielles, piégé au dessus de la ville par les températures plus fraîches et des vents faibles. Mais il a coïncidé mercredi soir avec l’annonce d’un nouveau record quotidien de contaminations au coronavirus dans la capitale (6852 cas). Virus plus dangereux L’Inde est le deuxième pays au monde en nombre d’infections derrière les États-Unis avec plus de 8,3 millions de cas. Le système de santé qui doit déjà faire face à la pandémie pourrait subir des tensions accrues avec la pollution qui risque, selon les experts, d’aggraver des maladies non transmissibles qui accroissent les dangers du Covid-19. «Les médecins ont averti que des poumons abîmés auront plus de mal à combattre le virus», explique à l’AFP Anumita Roy Chowdhury du Centre for Science and Environment, un think-tank spécialisé de New Delhi. «Certaines études internationales ont déjà montré que l’effet de la pandémie est plus fort dans les régions plus polluées». Des recherches ont indiqué que «l’exposition à la pollution peut accroître la sévérité de l’infection et la transmission du virus», renchérit And Santosh Harish du Center for Policy Research de New Delhi. Arvind Kejriwal a dénoncé le rôle des brûlages agricoles dans la pollution, estimant que les gouvernements des États voisins n’aidaient pas les paysans à trouver des alternatives. Le SAFAR estimait jeudi les brûlages autour de la capitale au plus haut cette saison avec quelque 4 135 feux.

Delhi Battling Dual Crises Of Pollution And Coronavirus

New Delhi: The national capital is reeling from the double impact of the coronavirus and severe air pollution, New Delhi's Chief Minister warned Thursday, as the megacity reported a record jump in cases and its worst smog in a year. With fears growing about rising infections, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also banned firecrackers from being used this month during Diwali, the biggest festival on the Hindu calendar. The air quality index -- measuring the tiny particles which enter the bloodstream and vital organs -- was at its most dangerous since last November, according to the state-run System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR). The toxic haze blanketing Delhi, which regularly turns the city of 20 million people into the world's most-polluted, came as officials late Wednesday reported a new daily-high of 6,842 virus infections in the capital. And the filthy air is actually driving more cases of Covid-19, Kejriwal told an online briefing. "The corona situation is worsening because of pollution," he said, echoing medical analysis which says existing illnesses caused by poor air quality could make people more vulnerable to the coronavirus. Anumita Roy Chowdhury, of the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment, told AFP: "Some global studies have already shown how the effect of the pandemic is higher in more polluted regions." And Santosh Harish, at the Delhi-based Center for Policy Research, said: "Evidence from previous related infections and emerging research suggest that pollution exposure could increase severity of the infection, and the transmission of the virus." More crop burning Mr Kejriwal blamed the choking smoke on agricultural burning, saying regional state governments were not helping farmers to find alternative ways to clear their fields. "We will come together to celebrate Diwali without crackers. If we burst crackers, we are affecting the lives of our family and our children," he added. The cracker frenzy usually turns Delhi's grey winter skies into a putrid yellow. Every winter, Delhi is blanketed by haze from a build-up of vehicle fumes, industrial emissions and smoke from agricultural fires in regions around the capital. The pollution is exacerbated by cooler temperatures and slow-moving winds that trap pollutants over the city. SAFAR said Thursday that crop stubble burning in states near the capital was the highest this season with some 4,135 fires.

Delhi's pollution worsens, PM2.5 ten times the safe level

With the onset of winters, Delhi's battle with poisonous air has also started and Wednesday's hazardous condition proves the same. As per reports, the PM2.5 concentration reached ten times more than what is prescribed as safe. The Air Quality Index (AQI) also went from "poor" to "very poor" within a few hours and was recorded at 343 by 4 pm. "Stubble burning comes and goes, local actions must be strengthened" Anumita Roy Chowdhury, the executive director at Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), asserted that local pollutants must be controlled since they get trapped in adverse weather conditions.