• Delhi smog: Schools and colleges shut as pollution worsens

    From David P.@21:1/5 to All on Wed Nov 17 21:46:14 2021
    Delhi smog: Schools and colleges shut as pollution worsens
    Nov. 17, 2021, BBC News

    Authorities in the Indian capital, Delhi, have shut all
    schools and colleges indefinitely amid the worsening
    levels of air pollution. Construction work has also been
    banned until 21 November but an exception has been made
    for transport and defence-related projects. Only 5 of
    the 11 coal-based power plants in the city have been
    allowed to operate. A toxic haze has smothered Delhi
    since the festival of Diwali.

    The levels of PM2.5 - tiny particles that can clog people's
    lungs - in Delhi are far higher than WHO's safety guidelines.
    Several parts of the city recorded figures close to or
    higher than 400 on Tuesday, which is categorised as "severe".

    ++++> What's behind Delhi's terrible pollution?
    ++++> A watered-down COP26 deal as Delhi chokes

    A figure between zero & 50 is considered "good", & between
    51 & 100 is "satisfactory", acc. to the the air quality
    index or AQI.

    Some schools had already shut last week because of pollution
    & the Delhi govt said it was mulling over a lockdown to
    improve air quality as dense clouds of smog engulfed the city.

    A mix of factors like vehicular & industrial emissions, dust
    & weather patterns make Delhi the world's most polluted
    capital. The air turns especially toxic in winter months as
    farmers in neighbouring states burn crop stubble. And fireworks
    during the festival of Diwali, which happens at the same time,
    only worsen the air quality. Low wind speed also plays a part
    as it traps the pollutants in the lower atmosphere.

    A sense of deja vu: By Geeta Pandey, BBC News, Delhi =======================================
    Every year as winter approaches, there's a sense of deja vu
    for us living in Delhi. The morning skies take on an ominous
    grey colour, we complain of stuffy nose & itchy eyes, &
    hospitals start to fill up with people complaining of
    wheezing & breathing difficulties. Those of us who can afford
    it, rush to buy expensive air purifiers. The mere act of
    breathing in Delhi becomes hazardous.

    The city routinely tops the list of "world's most polluted
    capitals" & we obsessively start checking apps that provide
    a reading of the air quality index. We look at the levels
    of PM2.5, the lung-damaging tiny particles in the air that
    can exacerbate a host of health issues, including cancer &
    cardiac problems, & PM10 - slightly larger particles, but
    still pretty damaging.

    Levels of PM2.5 below 50 are considered "good" & under 100
    "satisfactory". Right now, it's 363 in Delhi - in some
    areas, it's almost 400. In the suburb of Noida, it's
    nearly 500.

    Every year, as the air turns murky, the Indian Supreme Court
    hauls the state & federal govts into court, asking them what
    they intend to do to clean up the air. On Tuesday, after a
    prodding from the court, the authorities took some action.

    But these measures are like putting a bandage on a bullet
    hole - they've been tried in the past & have made little
    difference to the city's air in the long term. Experts say
    cleaning up the air requires drastic measures that aren't a
    priority for the country's leaders. They warn that at the
    onset of winter next year, we'll be back where we are now.

    This year, the pollution has become so dire that it prompted
    a stern warning from India's Supreme Court, which directed
    state & federal govts to take "imminent & emergency" measures
    to tackle the problem.

    Following the hearing, a meeting was called by Delhi's
    Commission for Air Quality Management and emergency
    measures were announced.

    Other measures announced by the panel include a ban on the
    entry of trucks in Delhi & the neighbouring states of Uttar
    Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana & Rajasthan until 21 November,
    except those carrying essential commodities.

    The panel also directed Delhi & other states to "encourage"
    private offices to allow 50% of their employees to work
    from home during the period to cut down vehicle emissions
    & dust levels.

    India's pollution problem is not just limited to Delhi.
    Indian cities routinely dominate global pollution rankings
    & bad air kills over a million people every year, a report
    by US research group, the Energy Policy Institute at the
    U. of Chicago (EPIC), said. It added that north India breathes
    "pollution levels that are 10 times worse than those found
    anywhere else in the world" &, over time, these high levels
    have expanded to cover other parts of the country as well.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-59258910

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)