Delhi is suffocating, what about your breath? Know why people are forced to live in poisonous air

If you live in Delhi, then these days, as soon as you wake up in the morning, you might have seen a blurry, brown sheet in the sky instead of the sun. This is not just smog, but a deadly cocktail of poisonous air, which the people of Delhi are breathing every moment. Once again the air of Delhi has become ‘extremely bad’ and the biggest reason behind this is the stubble burning in the states around us.

Statistics that scare

The figures of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) are shocking. The share of stubble smoke in the dangerous PM 2.5 particles present in Delhi’s air is expected to reach 36.9%. This means that more than one-third of the poison you are breathing is coming from stubble burning alone.

On Thursday, Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 278, which falls in the ‘very poor’ category. The situation is so bad that people are now finding problems like irritation in eyes, sore throat and difficulty in breathing common. After stubble, the second biggest villain is the vehicles running on the roads, which are responsible for about 16% pollution.

Not only stubble, weather is also the enemy

Stubble and vehicles are not the only ones responsible for this poisonous air. The weather has also become a villain at this time. Due to low wind speed, these poisonous particles are unable to fly anywhere and freeze in the sky. This is the reason why we have no hope of getting relief from this suffocation for the next few days.

This is not air, this is the stuff of death

You will be surprised to know that this pollution is not limited to cold and cough only. According to a report by IHME, air pollution was the cause of death of more than 17,000 people in Delhi last year i.e. in 2023. This poisonous air is not only harming our lungs but also mixing in the blood and giving rise to serious diseases like heart diseases, stroke and asthma.

What can you and I do?

Experts say that the government now needs to take strict steps, such as a complete ban on stubble burning and curbing polluting vehicles. But until this happens, we will have to protect ourselves and our families.

• Unless absolutely necessary, avoid leaving the house.
• If you have to go out, wear a good quality mask.
• Take special care of children and the elderly, because it affects them the most.

This fight is not just for the government, it is for all of us. Because our breaths are ours, and it is our responsibility to save them.