On Monday, November 18, air pollution reached a new worrying peak in the Indian capital, New Delhi, drowned in a fog as opaque as it was toxic, which forced the authorities to close most schools.
Air concentrations of PM2.5 microparticles reached levels there in the morning up to sixty times higher than the thresholds recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), according to measurements carried out by the company IQAir.
The megalopolis of 30 million inhabitants faces pollution peaks every winter caused by toxic fumes from factories and road traffic, to which are added at this time of year those from seasonal agricultural burning.
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Pakistan affected
This toxic lid largely spilled over from New Delhi on Monday to cover a large part of northern India. Visitors to the Taj Mahal in Agra, Uttar Pradesh state, have flooded social media with photos showing the famous white marble monument shrouded in mist.
After a short respite, residents of neighboring Pakistan's second city, Lahore, on Monday again breathed an air described as ” dangerous “. The « smog » is considered responsible by experts for thousands of premature deaths each year.
“My eyes have been burning for several days”testified for AFP Subodh Kumar, 30, who drives a pedal taxi. “But, pollution or not, I have to be on the road”he added, “my life (…) is outside ». “I have never seen this in the forty years I have lived here”testified on his account X the Scottish historian William Dalrymple, comparing the Indian capital to a “death trap”.
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Residents not equipped
Local authorities triggered level 4 of their alert plan on Sunday evening “in order to prevent further deterioration of air quality”. “Face-to-face lessons will be interrupted for all students except those in levels 10 and 12” at high school, ordered the head of the local executive, Atishi.
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Primary schools were closed last week. All construction sites have also been suspended, and the movement of heavy goods vehicles and the most polluting vehicles has been severely restricted.
The local government has also called on children, the elderly and all those suffering from pulmonary or cardiac pathologies to “stay indoors as much as possible”. The use of teleworking is strongly recommended until further notice. Many residents of the Indian capital cannot afford air purifiers and live in homes with little insulation from the outside.
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12,000 deaths per year
According to the WHO, air pollution can cause cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, as well as lung cancer. A study published last June established that air pollution was responsible for 11.5% of mortality in Delhi, or 12,000 deaths per year.
India's Supreme Court on Monday ordered authorities to take “all possible measures” against pollution, arguing that it falls within their “constitutional obligation” of “ensure that citizens live in a healthy atmosphere”.
The prevention measures implemented by the authorities, both national and local, have so far proven to be largely ineffective. There “chief minister” of New Delhi once again questioned on Monday the agricultural burning carried out in the states neighboring the capital.
After encouraging motorists to turn off their engines at red lights, the municipality of New Delhi tested a filtering tower in 2021, which was quickly abandoned, and is now considering using drones to water the most polluted areas. “Measures”denounce environmental defense NGOs, who advocate “stop emissions at their base”.
