While pollution levels in Delhi have crossed the “hazardous” marks of safety standards, environmentalists said that besides meteorological conditions, the concretisation has created “No escape Zone” for air pollutants in the city.
Dr Sachidanand Singh, Principal Scientist with the Centre for Industrial Research (CSIR), said that air quality pattern has changed drastically post-2010. “One should also consider the change in land use phenomenon in Delhi and in the neighbouring States and how it has impacted the over quality. To say that climate change is affecting pollution levels in winters is not correct,” he said.
The hosting of Commonwealth Games in 2010 in Delhi with constructions of stadia, infrastructure, flyovers, under passes and the ongoing construction of Delhi Metro have affected the air quality post 2010, said Singh.
Reacting on the higher values of noxious gases, pollutants and particulate matters, the scientist said that there is no dispersion space for pollutants. “Where is the air zone in Delhi,” he reacted.
When asked why the pollutants levels are high only during winters, he said that change in land use is the core factor. “Change in land use has affected the climate and Delhi’s local environment. Firstly, forest has taken the shape of buildings and secondly, crop production prototype has changed,” said Singh.
“It depends what farmers are cultivating, the agriculture waste generation is another major contributor. Farmers burn stubble and produces unburn carbon particles along with the emission of harmful gases,” added Singh.
Fire in the landfill sites also plays havoc with the air quality. “Emission of harmful gases like methane, Sulphur dioxide that are generated from plastic and waste burning further aggravate pollution,” he said. Only the wind pattern in Indo-gigantic plain with high speed can resolve the problem of pollution,” he added.
“Air pollutants are the passengers without passport, for Delhi’s pollution, industries in near States are also responsible... Rate of industrial growth is high after 2010 in general and particularly in construction industry,” said Gopal Krishna, Environmentalist, Anti-Toxic Watch Alliance (ATWA).