Pollution has become one of the major issues causing concern worldwide. India is the second most populated country in the world and Delhi being the capital of India, it is overcrowded with both people as well as industries.
The technological advancement and speedy development in the country has come at a great environmental cost. Industrial growth is good for the economy, but the same cannot be said for the environment. In recent times, it has come to light that the air pollution in Delhi is dangerously high and it is one of the most polluted cities in the world!
Let us have a look at the 10 Interesting Facts about the Air Pollution in Delhi:
1. The air pollution in Delhi is mainly caused due to industrial waste and vehicles. Everyday almost 80,000 trucks ply on the roads of Delhi and most of them are very old trucks burning diesel and kerosene.
2. The fog around Delhi is a blend of toxic gases with a high concentration of nanoparticles, which are responsible for respiratory health problems. Apart from the smog we can see, there are several other toxic gases in the atmosphere that are completely invisible to us!
3. The spring season brings clear looking air, but this season is actually the time when sunlight reacts with gases such as nitrogen dioxide and VOCs to create ground level ozone, exposure to which is comparable to rubbing sandpaper on the insides of our lungs.
4. A busy road on Delhi can now be equated to Hitler’s gas chambers as the levels of VOCs, Sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and ground level ozone are very high when one is on the roads of Delhi!
5. The pollution seems normal to us, as days go by. Our ability to perceive pollution to diminish day by day due to the human body’s tendency to numb out irritating smells.
6. Living in Delhi is said to be equal to smoking twenty plus cigarettes every single day.
7. The toxins in Delhi are growing in such a way that the human body can no longer filter out these destructive, carcinogenic pollutants. Pollutants like the PM10 or PM 2.5 contain particles that are less than 10 and 2.5 microns in size and are called smart pollutants. They give pollution easy access to our lungs, causing severe respiratory problems.
8. Looking at today’s situation, simply planting more trees is going to be nearly useless against the pollution problems of Delhi. Pollution levels of Delhi are too thick to be dissolved by just planting trees.
9. Delhi Pollution claims the lives of more than 10000 people every year. Winter season is especially bad in Delhi and shows an increase in pollution induced illness.
10. After the festival of Diwali in 2016, the pollution in Delhi has reached disturbing levels, and people are being advised not to step outside due to the severity of the pollution levels. Elders and children suffer all the more in such a situation.
Image Credits – Wikipedia
Please Note: Any information picked from here must be attributed to skymetweather.com