While the number of people visiting hospitals for air pollution-related ailments in Delhi-NCR has doubled from 22 per cent to 44 per cent within a week, residents are currently following a three-day complete lockdown to reduce air pollution. are divided on implementation, said a latest survey released on Monday.
The survey conducted by LocalCircle, a digital community-based platform, found that the impact of air pollution on people in Delhi-NCR worsened in the second week with 86 per cent of households now having one or more complications due to toxic air. suffering from diseases. ,
About 59 per cent of the households had one or more members facing various conditions like sore throat, cough, congestion and irritation in eyes due to polluted air.
The survey received over 25,000 responses from residents of Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Ghaziabad and Faridabad. The Air Quality Index (AQI) in these five cities has been in the range of 300-1,000.
Reading: Delhi’s air quality still in ‘very poor’ category; Center to hold emergency meeting today
These cities are battling toxic air as farmers in neighboring Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh burn stubble to prepare fields for the next crop. Regular sources of emissions such as firecrackers and power plants and vehicles on the roads have made the situation worse.
According to the survey, “…the percentage of families visiting a doctor or hospital has doubled and the percentage of families seeking help has increased from 22 percent to 44 percent in the last 2 weeks”.
At the end of the first week, about 22 percent of households reported having someone in the family go to the doctor or hospital because of a pollution-related illness. “As suggested by doctors, this year is different as many people in Delhi-NCR were affected by the deadly delta variant of COVID and are therefore more vulnerable to air pollution,” the survey said.
As far as the imposition of the lockdown for three days in Delhi-NCR is concerned, the survey found that people were “divided in their opinion”, as many expressed that the primary contributor to high AQI is stubble burning. Burning and enforcing the lockdown in Delhi will not happen. help with that.
Those in favor of the lockdown believe that the pollution caused by stubble burning is something that cannot be done in a very short period of time but can help reduce pollution by limiting vehicles and other activities like construction etc. Will help.
Ahead of the hearing on air pollution in Delhi-NCR, the AAP government has told the Supreme Court that it is ready to take steps like complete lockdown to control air pollution.
The Delhi government has told the apex court that such a move would be meaningful if it is implemented in the NCR regions in the neighboring states.
The affidavit was submitted in response to a petition filed by environmental activist Aditya Dubey and law student Aman Banka, who sought directions to provide stubble removal machines free of cost to small and marginal farmers.
Terming the rise in air pollution in Delhi-NCR as an “emergency”, the top court on Saturday suggested a lockdown in the national capital as it asked the Center and the Delhi government to take immediate measures to improve air quality.
read all breaking news, breaking news And coronavirus news Here. follow us on Facebook, Twitter And Wire,
,