India Hit by 'Worst Smog'... Suffering from Winter Air Pollution

Approaching 50 Times International Standards, Truck Entry Restricted
Every October a Headache... Firework Smoke, Heating, and Exhaust Overlap

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] As the concentration of fine dust in New Delhi, the capital of India, approaches 50 times the international standard, Indian authorities have taken measures such as restricting trucks from entering the city. New Delhi, known as the most polluted capital in the world, experiences severe air pollution around this time every year, attributed to festival firework smoke, winter heating, and the operation of old trucks.

According to Indian media including The Hindu on the 4th (local time), the Capital Region Air Quality Management Committee (CAQM) instructed government authorities last night to block trucks from entering New Delhi. In some areas of New Delhi the previous day, the concentration of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) reached about 750㎍/㎥, which is 50 times higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended safe daily average level of 15㎍/㎥ or less.

Accordingly, general trucks except those carrying essential goods and compressed natural gas (CNG) or electric vehicles are restricted from entering New Delhi. Most trucks in India run on diesel, and many are very old, making them a major cause of air pollution.

New Delhi’s air quality has deteriorated since the end of last month. The New Delhi authorities have halted ongoing construction, and some schools in the metropolitan area have temporarily suspended outdoor physical education classes or switched to online classes.

According to IQAir, a Swiss air quality monitoring and purification technology company, New Delhi was ranked the most polluted capital in the world for four consecutive years from 2017 to 2021. Additionally, 35 of the top 50 cities with poor air quality are in India.

India’s air quality particularly worsens sharply from October, after the harvest season, due to the burning of crop residues in northern regions such as Punjab, firework smoke related to the Diwali festival, burning of waste materials for heating and cooking, emissions from power plants and factories without reduction devices, and exhaust from old vehicles.

In this regard, Indian Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav pointed out on Twitter on the 2nd that farm fires have increased by more than 19% in Punjab, where the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is in power, criticizing the opposition by saying, "There is no doubt about who turned Delhi into a gas chamber."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.