Smog shrouds Delhi as India's capital has 'become a gas chamber'

When the US President Donald Trump started his state visit on Tuesday, the sky above the notorious pollution in Beijing was very clear, and the air quality of another Asian super cities plummeted.

Recently, the Indian capital Delhi is covered with smoke. The American embassy in the city frequently announces air pollution level. As a result, the air quality index (AQI) is recorded at 4:10 pm and 10:10 pm. Local time of Wednesday at 5:30 AM (Eastern time in the U.S.). According to the website of the embassy, ​​scores between 301 and 500 are considered "dangerous".

Delhi's air pollution is particularly serious during this period because nearby farmers burn the residues of agricultural crops and clean up the fields. Combined with current cold and low wind speed weather conditions, this means smoke worsens in the city

"This is a public health emergency," said Cardiologist Dr. Krishnan Kumar Aggarwal, Chairman of Indian Medical Association. When contamination levels are particularly high, he encourages people to restrict their physical activity.

The government has taken a series of steps to help residents cope with pollution levels. As of Wednesday, the school is closed. According to reports, the authorities are considering implementing traffic regulations. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court prohibited the sale of firecrackers in Delhi before the Hindu festival Diwali Festival on October 19th.

Airtel is the main sponsor of the Delhi Half marathon scheduled for November 19. He expressed concern about the future game. "Air pollution poses a serious health risk, it is important to ask the authorities to continue to deal with these issues urgently and properly in order to continue to be associated with incidents since next year, In a statement earlier this week said. I said in the middle.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the population of Delhi is about 19 million, one of the most polluted cities in the world.

In the past few years, cities in northern India are covered with thick winter smog. The situation of Delhi's capital is getting very intense. This smoke is caused by the stagnation of the air during the winter caused by the collection of particulate matter in the air (very fine dust and toxic gases). Delhi is the most contaminated city in the world, and according to one estimate, air pollution kills around 10,500 people every year in Delhi. Between 2013 and 2014, the peak of Delhi's particulate matter (PM) peaked about 44%, mainly due to increased emissions from automobiles and industries in neighboring countries, construction engineering and incineration of construction crops Did. Delhi has the highest suspended particulate matter and PM 2.5 is 153 micrograms and is considered to be the most harmful to health.

Because the air quality of New Delhi, the capital of India, became very bad, it was called Delhi's smog from November 1st to 9th, because the firecracker exploded excessively during the Diwali Festival. The PM 5 level reached 372, and the discharge amount reached 16 times the safety limit. Excessive smoke accompanying discharge not only causes respiratory disease but also severely affects the temperature of the place and creates favorable breeding conditions for many pathogens (bacteria / virus causing disease). Because the sun's rays can not reach the Earth's surface, the temperature in Mumbai will drop by about 14 ° C, and the mosquito will grow only in the stagnant water that is wet (malaria, dengue and other serious illnesses).