Delhi Chokes Under Toxic Air,Annual Death Toll Exceeds 17,000
New Delhi – A wave of toxic air has descended upon India’s capital,prompting protests and raising serious concerns about public health. Authorities banned a demonstration held Sunday, November 9, in front of the India Gate monument, where hundreds – including students, scientists, and activists – gathered to express frustration over persistent pollution and perceived government inaction. The crisis has been exacerbated by accusations of data manipulation leveled against the municipality, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.
For decades, Delhi’s winters were considered pleasant, a welcome respite from the intense summer heat and monsoon humidity. However, the season now signals a period of extreme pollution. Starting in October, farmers in neighboring Punjab and Haryana begin burning crop residue to prepare fields for the next planting, releasing plumes of smoke into the region. This is compounded by the widespread use of firecrackers during the Hindu festival of Diwali, which fell at the end of October this year, plunging the city and its 30 million residents into a hazardous habitat.
Despite official pollution indices, residents consistently report waking to a thick haze of particulate matter (PM2.5).The situation is particularly dire as delhi experiences an annual death toll exceeding 17,000 due to air pollution-related illnesses.
The opposition alleges the municipality is actively concealing the true extent of the pollution by methods including spraying water around monitoring stations and deliberately disabling them. Following Diwali, a importent 28 of the capital’s 39 air quality monitors were reported non-functional.
Hospitals are reportedly overwhelmed as a result of the deteriorating air quality.
