Capital crisis
Delhi is once again enveloped with toxic air where 1.8 crore people are being suffocated in the city. It is a sense of despise that people are being choked due to inhaling toxic air. The air quality index (AQI) shows that pollution in the capital city has crossed the hazardous level which even led to the declaration of a health emergency. However, instead of acting responsibly, once again, farmers are treated as the scapegoat for government failure.
Each year October and November are troublesome for Delhites as the heavy smog from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab is increasing the pollution due to farm residue burning. Farmers have no option but to set fire to the remnants of the previous harvest to start the new seeding process. However, the government is trying to persuade the farmers to stop stubble burning but does not tries to address their most important concern which is financial viability.
Even though the government introduced a new project ‘ Happy seeder’ for effective residue management failed to fetch the intended benefits as it was not affordable for the farmers. So unless the government provides financial assistance for adopting sustainable farming it is quite unlikely that farmers opt for such practices.
Constructional dust, Vehicular pollution and industrial emissions are equally important contributions to pollution. At present residents of Delhi are breathing about twenty-five times more toxic air than the permissible limit according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines. This may cut the life expectancy of a delhite by seventeen years.
The state and central government often led by rival political parties, have continued to blame each other for the pollution crisis. The administration needs to seriously address areas like eco-friendly public transportation so that people can be encouraged to use such facilities. initiatives like a ban on Diwali crackers, the shift to Compressed Natural Gas ( CNG), Odd-even scheme were taken up by the government but they are not pursued seriously. people should also act responsibly by shifting daily commuting to public transportation. Only a determined and cooperative response by the government and people to the crisis can spare Delhi from toxic air.
