‘Delhi-NCR Air Is Slow-Poisoning Our Lives But We Are Helpless’
Priyanka Gupta, a communication expert and an independent writer, shares her views on the worsening AQI levels in Delhi-NCR as the deadly season returns. Her views:
What is it like living with high pollution levels? Well, for those living in Delhi-NCR it is a nightmare that returns every year during winter months. Being used to it, people now seldom complain about increasing levels of pollution but never deny its impact on their health. There was a time when the morning routine of most Delhiites began with sipping a cup of hot coffee and enjoying early morning fog and conversations (especially in winter) at home but as the city progressed in the last decade, waking up with your smart phone to check the AQI (Air Quality Index) of your surroundings and the region has become the norm.
I never realised that severe pollution levels can actually change someone’s lifestyle until it hit us badly. Training the kids to wear face masks, ensuring availability of a nebuliser, room purifiers, keeping windows and doors closed – was never part of our life. We moved back to Delhi in 2022, after seven years of our work in a two-tier city.
Being Delhiites, we knew that pollution levels in Delhi are high but we never gave any serious thought to it. But as we began settling here, it seemed like a new city with nothing but smog, pollution, haziness and dust all around. The schools requested us to keep kids at home due to severe pollution levels especially during festivals and if we moved out, the kids would come back coughing, itchy eyes and shortness of breath.
ALOS READ: I Left Delhi To Protect My Family From Chronic Sickness
We were trying to come to terms with it but then I observed that my husband would keep coughing after returning from office. With this came the scary part – he would have sneezing bouts that lasted long and to an extent that his nose would start bleeding. We thought it was some weather change allergy and took some medication. Later when he would travel out of Delhi for work, his sneezing and coughing would be under control without medication. But then, this started happening frequently. On consultation, the physician informed us that his age-old asthma had recurred due to pollution which was also causing sinusitis.
And then we started talking about it. We got to know of so many other people who were having sleepless nights coughing, wheezing, not being able to talk, having trouble climbing stairs, teary eyes, struggling to catch some breath and finding it difficult to manage minor chores in the daily routine. Pollution was playing havoc with our lives. The air we breathe is toxic and hazardous.
Shifting back to another city is neither the choice nor an option. The government will keep passing the buck from farm fires to absence of right policies or lack of mechanisms to control it. Hence, one has to learn to sail through troubled waters. Some small steps can reduce asthma attacks such as wearing a face mask, working out at home especially doing breathing exercises, inhaling steam before sleeping, managing travel time to office (half an hour early before peak hours will be immensely helpful), not missing on carrying an asthma puff and most importantly never hesitating to seek help if required.
Pollution levels in Delhi are not set to come down nor does the issue seem to be resolved but a small step from our end can help us in managing the same. Corporate houses are promoting car pools. The way to live is to go green in whatever way we can.
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As told to Deepa Gupta
