It’s a common sight in Delhi…. people with handkerchief covered faces, rolled up car window and motorists wearing masks. Hardly in consonance with the vision of the founding fathers of the Capital. Their Delhi was to be a city of ancient heritage, a reminder of India’s courageous struggle for freedom. Prionka Jha analysis the transition.
Unplanned development, governmental apathy and public indifference have all contributed in making Delhi a dying city. Statistics say the unsaid story. Air pollution has increased by 75% over the last decade. In winters smog makes visibility a near zero. And an estimated 3,000 metric tonnes of pollutants are emitted into the air everyday in Delhi.
The health consequences are evident. According to a WHO study, children take in air-pollutants equivalent to smoking four packets of cigarettes daily. Worse still, Dr Kamla Khetrapal, Prof. of Respiratory Physiology at AIIMS says, “There has been a dramatic increase in the number of cases of respiratory infections and disabilities in the last few years.”
Moreover, Delhi’s teeming population owns the largest numbers of vehicles in India. Diesel emits particles that are small and coated with polyaromatic hydrocarbons. These are carcinogenic and have the potential to adversely affect the genetic make-up of human beings. Petrol run vehicles, on the other hand, are responsible for the emissions of nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. These can cause cancer, pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases. They also reduce the oxygen carrying capacity of blood and can cause bronchitis and bronchopneumonia.
The Supreme Court directive advising a switch the more eco-friendly CNG has not had too many takers yet.
Besides automobile pollution, small-scale industries are the main culprits. The Supreme Court order to move the polluting units outside city limits has not gone down well with the owners. Delhi government also expressed its inability to do much in the regard and was castigated by the apex court.
According to Mr R K Goel, member secretary, Delhi Pollution Control Committee, Government of Delhi, “The problem of controlling pollution and implementation is not in the hands of only one agency”. The Supreme Court’s order of closing down or relocation of the industries does not mitigate the existing problem of hazardous industries in the residential area. The responsibility of the respective departments to ensure the compliance becomes an issue of contention among themselves.
Consumptive lifestyles have also added to the already grave situation. Living in Delhi is akin to living in a waste dump. The reason for this is simple. During 1999, an estimated 8,203 MT of waste is generated per day. Despite the High Court’s intervention, the disposal has been limited to only 4885 MT per day. With the present capacity of the civic bodies limited to handling the above quantum of solid waste, the present gap of 40% is likely to increase to 44 % in 2001. In fact, the character of the garbage has undergone transformation – it now includes large quantities of plastics, metals, glasses, chemicals and toxic waste.
Discharges of toxins into the Yamuna are difficult to document. Though Delhi constitutes only 2% of the catchment area of Yamuna, it is responsible for about 80% of the total pollution load. Furthermore, the installed capacity for treatment is only 1,270 metric litres per day, while Delhi burdens the Yamuna with over 2,800 million litres of wastewater daily. Prof A K Bhattacharya of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) conducted a study in 1998, which showed the presence of polycholrinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the Najafgarh drain that eventually joins Yamuna – the water line of the city.
Discharges of toxins into the Yamuna are difficult to document. Though Delhi constitutes only 2% of the catchment area of Yamuna, it is responsible for about 80% of the total pollution load. Furthermore, the installed capacity for treatment is only 1,270 metric litres per day, while Delhi burdens the Yamuna with over 2,800 million litres of wastewater daily. Prof A K Bhattacharya of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) conducted a study in 1998, which showed the presence of polycholrinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the Najafgarh drain that eventually joins Yamuna – the water line of the city.
