New Delhi, the capital city of India, is one of the most polluted urban areas in the world. At some times of the year, a fog of dust particles and smog blot out the sky. The world appears constantly as it did in Ithaca during those few short weeks of Canadian forest fires in 2023. The reasons for such massive air pollution are many, and complex. But the health ramifications for the New Dehli locals are indeed grim. According to a 2018 article by The Economist, air pollution directly causes the deaths of thirty-thousand city-dwellers per year. The actual death toll may be much higher, considering that dirty air can worsen existing conditions.
The causes of such horrific levels of air pollution can be boiled down into three categories: industrial, transportation, and farming. The first two are rather self-explanatory. High rates of fossil fuel usage, especially coal, and the large amount of highway traffic both account for large fossil fuel emissions. On average, New Delhi’s air quality is about five times higher than the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendation. However, in the last several months of 2023, air quality took a turn for the worse. The pollution rose to almost one-hundred times more severe than the WHO believes is healthy.
While such a drastic worsening of the situation is certainly terrifying, 2023 is not an anomaly. Every year around November, New Delhi’s pollution becomes much worse. The downward spiral of air quality is actually not due to more travel, burning of fossil fuels, or any other industry. The culprit is farming. After the harvesting season, farmers have to dispose of the stalks and husks that are inedible and clog up the land. In order to dispense with this plant matter, they gather and burn it continuously. Although this solution does eliminate the unwanted byproducts of farming, it sends huge clouds of smoke, dust, and debris to the nearby city.
New Delhi’s 2023 smoky haze was one of the worst in the past few years. Although air quality levels usually rebound after January, the several months of extreme pollution are incredibly damaging to citizen’s health. CNN reporter Vedika Sud stated that “The air outside is so toxic that even with a mask on, I can taste it.” Stroke, heart disease, and lung cancer have all been associated with poor air quality, and it is clearly unsafe to be subjecting so many people to it year after year.
After air quality reaches a certain level known as the “severe-plus” stage, the government is obligated to ban certain modes of transportation such as trucks, which emit an enormous volume of pollutants. Additionally, they must halt construction work throughout the city. While these steps indicate a willingness to fight pollution, unless they can curtail crop burning, the situation is unlikely to greatly improve.