India: New Delhi experiences its first pollution peak of the season

Air pollution reached its first peak of the “season” on Wednesday in the Indian capital New Delhi, with concentrations of harmful particles up to 50 times higher than the level deemed tolerable by health authorities.

The megacity of some 30 million inhabitants experiences significant pollution peaks each year as winter approaches.

50 times greater

To the daily smoke produced by industries and vehicles are added, during this period, those of agricultural burning to create a cloud that the colder temperatures and weaker winds press over the city.

On Wednesday morning, the air quality index (AQI) had passed the symbolic bar of 1000 points in several areas of New Delhi. The air is considered dangerous for humans from 300.

Concentrations of PM2.5 particles – the most dangerous because they diffuse into the blood – were in the early hours of the day up to 50 times higher than the threshold deemed tolerable by the World Health Organization (WHO).

12,000 deaths per year

The Rajpath, the famous esplanade bordered by the India Gate, a triumphal arch dedicated to the memory of Indians who died during the wars, was drowned at dawn under a particularly dense “smog”.

According to the WHO, air pollution can cause cardiovascular and respiratory diseases as well as lung cancer. A study published in June established that air pollution was responsible for 11.5% of mortality in Delhi, or 12,000 deaths per year.

A study published in the medical journal Lancet blamed poor air quality for the deaths of 1.67 million Indians in 2019. Efforts by local authorities to combat air pollution have so far had little impact. effect.

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