Expert Warns of Public Health Crisis as Toxic Air Returns to Delhi

A leading researcher has warned that India’s poisonous air will have a greater effect on public health than the Covid-19 pandemic, as Delhi’s pollution levels have once again reached dangerous heights.

Residents complained of breathing issues and eye and throat discomfort on Wednesday due to air quality that was 35 times higher than the World Health Organization’s (WHO) acceptable level.

While doctors advise wearing a mask, authorities have advised people to stay indoors as much as possible, especially youngsters and the elderly.

However, IQAir’s global chief executive, Frank Hammes, cautions that this is only a temporary solution and that much more work must be done.

He told the BBC, “Alarming air pollution levels are a public health pandemic,” describing the negative effects of toxic air on everything from IQ to mortality.

“This is going to have a much bigger impact on public health than Covid-19.”

Due to low wind speeds, car emissions, and the burning of firewood and crop residues, Delhi and the neighboring states experience severe levels of pollution each winter.

Parts of Delhi had pollution levels of 550 on Wednesday morning, well beyond even the “hazardous” standard of 300, according to the Swiss air quality index IQAir.

Early on Wednesday, London’s level was 26, in contrast.

“The most dangerous pollutant” and the “only determinant” for determining pollution levels, according to Mr. Hammes, is PM 2.5, which is measured by the Air Quality Index (AQI).

“It causes breathing difficulties, asthma attacks, heart and lung issues that send people rushing to emergencies,” he stated.

Less than two weeks after the nation’s top court permitted the relaxation of stringent pollution control measures, the Delhi administration reinstated them on Tuesday.

The majority of schools have switched to hybrid mode in accordance with the limits, which are outlined in stage four of the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap). All construction and demolition activities are prohibited, and lorries and heavy vehicles—aside from those transporting necessities—are not allowed inside.

A local named Manish Adhikari told news agency ANI that the city’s ever-increasing pollution has made it harder to withstand the winter.

Bhagat Singh, another resident, also voiced his annoyance.

“Pollution, particularly in Delhi, is becoming an incurable disease. “There’s no way to solve it,” he declared.