Breathing in Delhi has probably become synonymous with leading an unhealthy lifestyle by now. Who would have thought that the heart of a country once known for natural medicine and healthy practices would one day come to be known for being amongst the most polluted cities in the world. It seems that the already bad situation of the capital’s air quality index keeps getting worse each consecutive year.
With the onset of the year 2018, environmentalists and citizens alike had little to no optimism regarding the pollution levels which would peak during the winters and to no one’s surprise, peak they did.
Even after multiple measures to control and curb degradation of the air quality in the national capital, 2018 showed no signs of improvement. Rather, it was noticed that this new year proved that there is no longer a set “season” for the AQI of Delhi to reach alarming levels as the majority of the NCR region with the exception of the city of Alwar had an “unsatisfactory air quality” throughout the year.
Although the month of November was noted to be slightly visibly better as compared to 2017, it can be credited to the government recognising the rising pollution levels as a serious health hazard and declaring a state of emergency as the winter season neared.
With a temporary halt on construction activities in and around the city and citizens being encouraged to undertake judicial and sustainable practices like using public transport more often and minimising their carbon footprint their seems to be a small ray of light at the end of the tunnel as of now.
The first few days of the month of November especially the ones after the festival of Diwali face an acute rise in air pollution and often cause a menace to society, so much so that the government has more than once issued warnings suggesting citizens to refrain from indulging in outdoor activities for a few days in order to avoid breathing in large amounts of pollutants.
Delhiites have come together numerous times to fight injustice and evils which hamper with the wellbeing of our civilisation and it is high time that they take the evil that is the pollution lurking in the air seriously, come together and eradicate it before it starts to have an adverse affect on how they lead their lives.
