Will NCR Residents Never Breathe Clean Air?

THE GOVERNMENT of India (GOI), the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and even the apex court, seem to have given up on the issue of cleaning up the air in the national capital region (NCR).

- Krishan Kalra

Perhaps 10 to 15 years have gone by (even though the CPCB started measuring the air quality index (AQI) only in April 2015) and we still live with the same dreaded air every year from October to January; actually it is getting worse year after year! The new dimension this year is the knowledge that all our official figures were wrong.

The Met Department's Secret

Around Diwali when the Met department was talking about an AQI of 450500 (very severe) the United States embassy released a bombshell with their own findings that showed AQI at Chanakya Puri at over 1000 and we learnt the closely guarded Met secret that their system could not - or would not read anything above 500! And, even after that, thousands of cracks were merrily cracking crackers without a care in the world. They would realise the gravity only when one of their own children or elders felt suffocated and had to be rushed to the hospital.

Most Baraats (wedding processions) are all about 'Band, Baaja and aatishbaazi (blaring music and fire crackers) and it is not their problem if the vulnerable old, infirm and little babies all along the route are choking; they wouldn't stop even when passing a hospital. All this happened despite the Supreme Court imposed 'Ban on crackers barring a one-hour window on Diwali night'. From my house in Gurugram I could hear and see - despite closed windows, ear muffs et al-crackers bursting till well past midnight; and this did not happen only on Diwali night but also several nights before and after.

AQI Remained Very Poor