Schools were closed in Delhi this week, not because of the pandemic, but because the air is so bad. At home, of course, it is no better, at most the children of better-off air filter owners breathe a little more freely there. But what helps to relieve traffic is currently being done. Home office is strongly recommended, people should stay at home on weekends, and many construction sites were closed until next Sunday. Trucks are no longer allowed to drive into the Indian capital unless they are transporting essential goods. And only five of the eleven coal-fired power plants in the greater Delhi area are currently allowed to fire to generate electricity.
It fits into the picture that these tough measures will be taken in the week following the climate summit in Glasgow, at which India urged that the final declaration on future coal consumption be mitigated. If there was initially talk of a “phase out”, this was reduced to a “phase down”, and the planned exit became a slow shutdown. Some participants were dissatisfied and there was bad press.
The CO₂ neurality by 2070, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also seemed too distant a goal. The more short-term measures have now been imposed by the “Committee on Air Pollution”, which is subordinate to the Ministry for the Environment, Forestry and Climate Change. Environment Minister Gopal Rai said the Times of IndiaThe own contribution of the 20 million metropolis to air pollution amounts to only 31 percent, “while the remaining 69 percent of the pollution comes from outside Delhi”.
The air in the capital is rarely good, and politicians often feel that firsthand. If you go for a walk in the relatively green government district on days when the smartphone says the quality is “bad”, the skin on your face feels like you’re sunburned after half an hour. Also in the eyes. Only a year ago, it was better, everyone had to stay at home, there are now pictures circulating in social networks where the smog phases are superimposed. Last year at this time: fine haze. This week: gray-yellow fog, really bad visibility. However, this is not solely due to traffic and industry.
Agriculture also has its share
In autumn and winter, the air is almost traditionally thick, because the farmers in the surrounding area burn off the stubble remains of their harvest, the smell is in your nose everywhere. Since the government has been at odds with the farmers for a year because of a failed agrarian reform, there is little that can be done at this point.
There are also car and industrial emissions. It all started this year with Diwali, the festival of lights. To this end, a large fireworks display is traditionally set off. It was two weeks ago, but since then the air has tasted as if the gunpowder smoke was still in the city. Low wind speeds cause the pollutants to collect in the atmosphere below.
About seven million deaths per year can be found according to the Times of India attributable to air pollution, it is based on the figures from the Swiss company IQAir, which manufactures devices for monitoring air quality and improving it. In fact, according to IQAir, the air quality in all Indian cities had greatly improved from 2018 to 2019. Even so, 22 of the 30 most polluted cities in the world are still in India.
It has already been declared a national goal to improve quality. The Indian government knows very well how big the problem is. There is no need to project abstract numbers into the future or study case studies to grasp the extent. At the moment, all you have to do in Delhi is open the window.