SVT Reporter in India: Toxic smog covers Delhi – every year

Delhi is the capital of the world with the worst and most polluted air ever. Now the country is once again affected by the toxic smog that returns every year. Factories and primary schools were closed again, Friday, while diesel vehicles were restricted and water sprinklers were deployed to combat the smog.

Currently, pollution levels are more than ten times what is considered the threshold of levels dangerous to health, according to the Global Measurement System’s Air Quality Index.

People are walking around coughing and sneezing. For those in ill health, Malin Mendel says, it is directly life-threatening.

Millions of missiles and scorched earth

Around this time, one of the most important festivals in the country takes place – Diwali. During the festival, a large number of rockets are launched, which quickly turn into the final straw that makes the cup collapse. The missiles are launched at the same time farmers in northern India burn crop residue left after the rice has been harvested. These factors, along with the fact that the air is still very hot at this time of year, cause smog to form.

Environment Minister Bhubandar Yadav blames farmers in the northern state of Punjab.

“No doubt about who turned Delhi into a gas chamber,” he wrote on Twitter.

Efforts are being made – but it is not enough

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India’s goal is to stop adding new greenhouse gases to the atmosphere by 2070, and efforts are being made to tackle the problem. Among other things, the country’s large coal-fired power plants have been closed, but the biggest culprit in the drama is traffic.

— That’s because rapid urbanization is happening at the same time as rapid industrialization, she says.

Efforts are being made, but everything must be done on such a large scale because it is about millions of farmers. So it is difficult to bring about change.

How concerned are people living in Delhi about the health effects of smog?

– Most people I know who live in Delhi talk about wanting to leave. Foreigners who get job offers in Delhi choose not to accept them. She also says frankly that I avoid being in Delhi.