New Delhi is once again the most polluted city on Earth

[samv]

New Delhi is once again the most polluted city on Earth

Temples and buildings shrouded in smog in New Delhi, India, on November 6, 2018.
Nasir Kachroo/NurPhoto via Getty Images

New Delhi, India’s sprawling capital region home to 18.9 million people, is once again home to the worst air pollution in the world.

With the Hindu festival of lights Diwali in full swing this week, New Delhi residents celebrated with fireworks, lamps, firecrackers, and bottle rockets that sent smoke and ash through the chronically congested metropolis.

India’s Supreme Court tried to get ahead of the commotion with a ban on most types of fireworks, allowing only “green crackers” that produce limited noise and smoke, and only for a narrow time slot. But Delhiites were defiant, setting off all kinds of fireworks for hours.

Several Air Quality Index monitors maxed out on Wednesday with a reading of 999. That’s almost double the upper limit of what’s considered hazardous. Of particular concern is small particles that are less than 2.5 microns in diameter known as PM 2.5.

These particles penetrate deep into the lungs and can lead to a variety of health problemsranging from asthma attacks, high blood pressure, and, over the long-term, cancer.

In New Delhi this week, PM 2.5 was so dense that it was like smoking 20 cigarettes in a day. And all across India, particulate pollution surged dramatically during and after Diwali celebrations.

But it’s not just the fireworks. New Delhi’s air pollution regularly surges in the colder months. That’s because the region’s geography acts as a basin that traps dirty air over the city. And when the weather cools, the wind slows down, allowing the air to stagnate.

About one-third of the pollution choking New Delhi right now doesn’t actually come from the city itself, but from farming regions on its outskirts. Farmers often burn crop stubble after the rice harvest to clear their fields and restore soil nutrients.

The smoke ends up wafting over New Delhi where it blends with urban pollution sources — cookstoves, heating fires, cars, and construction. As temperatures drop, many of the city’s impoverished people burn fires to keep warm while the more wealthy switch on heaters, increasing energy demand from coal-fired power plants.

FULL ARTICLE: https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2018/11/8/18075340/delhi-pollution-diwali-india

 

[Hammad Arshad Qureshi]

OMG, is this the real picture of Delhi? Too much air pollution. If this continues there might be serious breathing issues among masses and people. Serious actions should be taken to implement regulations.

 

[OIO]

It looks like been nuked this morning.

 

[GumNaam]

It looks like been nuked this morning.

here is the biggest pollution in delhi!

 

[newb3e]

here is the biggest pollution in delhi!

modi ki g? khata kia hai ya admi!

 

[GumNaam]

modi ki g? khata kia hai ya admi!

naashtay may thappar
lunch may joota
dinner may mukka

 

[war&peace]

New Delhi is polluted but not more than the hearts of its inhabitants... pollution outside and pollution inside...perfect match.

here is the biggest pollution in delhi!

He is wearing saarhi No doubt his govt legalised gay-marraiges..

 

[GHALIB]

OMG, is this the real picture of Delhi? Too much air pollution. If this continues there might be serious breathing issues among masses and people. Serious actions should be taken to implement regulations.

This is because of fools who burn crackers worth crores of rupees despite appeal from all quarters to say no to crackers.

 

[moweike]

1.No industrialization
2.The population will surpass China in the future
Incredible India！！Now, there is already serious air pollution, india is hard to imagine in the future

 

[Thorough Pro]

Once again?
Just last July when the wind was blowing from west to east and one day all Lahoris farted together pointing their canons at Delhi to blow it clean of pollution, maybe they need another puff...

 

[Turingsage]

1.No industrialization
2.The population will surpass China in the future
Incredible India！！Now, there is already serious air pollution, india is hard to imagine in the future

Wasn't Beijing the most polluted in the world until a few years ago ?

"

1. According to the Chinese Ministry of Health, industrial pollution has made cancer China’s leading cause of death.
2. Every year, ambient air pollution alone killed hundreds of thousands of citizens.
3. 500 million people in China are without safe and clean drinking water.
4. Only 1% of the country’s 560 million city dwellers breathe air considered safe by the European Union, because all of its major cities are constantly covered in a "toxic gray shroud". Before and during the 2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing was "frantically searching for a magic formula, a meteorological deus ex machina, to clear its skies for the 2008 Olympics."[15]
5. Lead poisoning or other types of local pollution continue to kill many Chinese children.
6. A large section of the ocean is without marine life because of massive algal blooms caused by the high nutrients in the water.
7. The pollution has spread internationally: sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides fall as acid rain on Seoul, South Korea, and Tokyo; and according to the Journal of Geophysical Research, the pollution even reaches Los Angeles in the USA.
8. The Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning in 2003 produced an unpublished internal report which estimated that 300,000 people die each year from ambient air pollution, mostly of heart disease and lung cancer.
9. Chinese environmental experts in 2005 issued another report, estimating that annual premature deaths attributable to outdoor air pollution were likely to reach 380,000 in 2010 and 550,000 in 2020.
10. A 2007 World Bank report conducted with China's national environmental agency found that "[...] outdoor air pollution was already causing 350,000 to 400,000 premature deaths a year. Indoor pollution contributed to the deaths of an additional 300,000 people, while 60,000 died from diarrhoea, bladder and stomach cancer and other diseases that can be caused by water-borne pollution." World Bank officials said "China’s environmental agency insisted that the health statistics be removed from the published version of the report, citing the possible impact on 'social stability'".

A draft of a 2007 combined World Bank and SEPA report stated that up to 760,000 people died prematurely each year in China because of air and water pollution. High levels of air pollution in China's cities caused to 350,000-400,000 premature deaths. Another 300,000 died because of indoor air of poor quality. There were 60,000 premature deaths each year because of water of poor quality. Chinese officials asked that some of the results should not be published in order to avoid social unrest."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollution_in_China

"Chinese cities dominate the most polluted 10 - Beijing is 3rd, Guangzhou is 6th and Shanghai is 7th. Beijing scored badly for toxic air (73 PM2.5), the third highest air pollution score in the study and over 7 times the WHO safe level."

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2018/08/23/the-ten-most-polluted-cities-on-earth/

Tienanmen square in beijing a few years ago

 

[Jlaw]

1.No industrialization
2.The population will surpass China in the future
Incredible India！！Now, there is already serious air pollution, india is hard to imagine in the future

Several Air Quality Index monitors maxed out on Wednesday with a reading of 999.

Wow. Unbelievable

Wasn't Beijing the most polluted in the world until a few years ago ?

"

1. According to the Chinese Ministry of Health, industrial pollution has made cancer China’s leading cause of death.
2. Every year, ambient air pollution alone killed hundreds of thousands of citizens.
3. 500 million people in China are without safe and clean drinking water.
4. Only 1% of the country’s 560 million city dwellers breathe air considered safe by the European Union, because all of its major cities are constantly covered in a "toxic gray shroud". Before and during the 2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing was "frantically searching for a magic formula, a meteorological deus ex machina, to clear its skies for the 2008 Olympics."[15]
5. Lead poisoning or other types of local pollution continue to kill many Chinese children.
6. A large section of the ocean is without marine life because of massive algal blooms caused by the high nutrients in the water.
7. The pollution has spread internationally: sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides fall as acid rain on Seoul, South Korea, and Tokyo; and according to the Journal of Geophysical Research, the pollution even reaches Los Angeles in the USA.
8. The Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning in 2003 produced an unpublished internal report which estimated that 300,000 people die each year from ambient air pollution, mostly of heart disease and lung cancer.
9. Chinese environmental experts in 2005 issued another report, estimating that annual premature deaths attributable to outdoor air pollution were likely to reach 380,000 in 2010 and 550,000 in 2020.
10. A 2007 World Bank report conducted with China's national environmental agency found that "[...] outdoor air pollution was already causing 350,000 to 400,000 premature deaths a year. Indoor pollution contributed to the deaths of an additional 300,000 people, while 60,000 died from diarrhoea, bladder and stomach cancer and other diseases that can be caused by water-borne pollution." World Bank officials said "China’s environmental agency insisted that the health statistics be removed from the published version of the report, citing the possible impact on 'social stability'".

A draft of a 2007 combined World Bank and SEPA report stated that up to 760,000 people died prematurely each year in China because of air and water pollution. High levels of air pollution in China's cities caused to 350,000-400,000 premature deaths. Another 300,000 died because of indoor air of poor quality. There were 60,000 premature deaths each year because of water of poor quality. Chinese officials asked that some of the results should not be published in order to avoid social unrest."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollution_in_China

"Chinese cities dominate the most polluted 10 - Beijing is 3rd, Guangzhou is 6th and Shanghai is 7th. Beijing scored badly for toxic air (73 PM2.5), the third highest air pollution score in the study and over 7 times the WHO safe level."

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2018/08/23/the-ten-most-polluted-cities-on-earth/

Tienanmen square in beijing a few years ago

Beijing at its worse was never even close to Indian pollution. Western media don't care to report about india. India poses no threat to them.

 

[AndrewJin]

Wasn't Beijing the most polluted in the world until a few years ago ?

"

1. According to the Chinese Ministry of Health, industrial pollution has made cancer China’s leading cause of death.
2. Every year, ambient air pollution alone killed hundreds of thousands of citizens.
3. 500 million people in China are without safe and clean drinking water.
4. Only 1% of the country’s 560 million city dwellers breathe air considered safe by the European Union, because all of its major cities are constantly covered in a "toxic gray shroud". Before and during the 2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing was "frantically searching for a magic formula, a meteorological deus ex machina, to clear its skies for the 2008 Olympics."[15]
5. Lead poisoning or other types of local pollution continue to kill many Chinese children.
6. A large section of the ocean is without marine life because of massive algal blooms caused by the high nutrients in the water.
7. The pollution has spread internationally: sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides fall as acid rain on Seoul, South Korea, and Tokyo; and according to the Journal of Geophysical Research, the pollution even reaches Los Angeles in the USA.
8. The Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning in 2003 produced an unpublished internal report which estimated that 300,000 people die each year from ambient air pollution, mostly of heart disease and lung cancer.
9. Chinese environmental experts in 2005 issued another report, estimating that annual premature deaths attributable to outdoor air pollution were likely to reach 380,000 in 2010 and 550,000 in 2020.
10. A 2007 World Bank report conducted with China's national environmental agency found that "[...] outdoor air pollution was already causing 350,000 to 400,000 premature deaths a year. Indoor pollution contributed to the deaths of an additional 300,000 people, while 60,000 died from diarrhoea, bladder and stomach cancer and other diseases that can be caused by water-borne pollution." World Bank officials said "China’s environmental agency insisted that the health statistics be removed from the published version of the report, citing the possible impact on 'social stability'".

A draft of a 2007 combined World Bank and SEPA report stated that up to 760,000 people died prematurely each year in China because of air and water pollution. High levels of air pollution in China's cities caused to 350,000-400,000 premature deaths. Another 300,000 died because of indoor air of poor quality. There were 60,000 premature deaths each year because of water of poor quality. Chinese officials asked that some of the results should not be published in order to avoid social unrest."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollution_in_China

"Chinese cities dominate the most polluted 10 - Beijing is 3rd, Guangzhou is 6th and Shanghai is 7th. Beijing scored badly for toxic air (73 PM2.5), the third highest air pollution score in the study and over 7 times the WHO safe level."

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2018/08/23/the-ten-most-polluted-cities-on-earth/

Tienanmen square in beijing a few years ago

Beijing is nowhere close to Dehli's level and Beijing's pollution in decreasing, and its life expectancy at birth higher than most developed countries at 82-year-old.


But it is a miracle in india that the industries there are so minimal, though having the worst pollution in the world.
I just cannot imagine what will happen when you have bigger industries....

It's absurd to compare an agrarian country to a industrialised country.

More absurd is that an agrarian country has the worst pollution even before major urbanisation and industrialisation.

Wow. Unbelievable


Beijing at its worse was never even close to Indian pollution. Western media don't care to report about india. India poses no threat to them.

Correct, when Beijing was at worst time a couple of years ago, the pollution was nowhere close Delhi's level today.

And Beijng has an economy of nearly 0.5 trillion dollar (Non-PPP).

What's more concerning is PDFers' attitudes towards their own country's horrible situations.....

Their country even does not have sufficient AQI surveillance stations.....
(less than 10% of AQI stations in China).

But their first reaction: point to 0.5-trillion-GDP 82-year-old-life-expectancy-at-birth Beijing...

 

[haidian]

Beijing was the most polluted city with millions of private cars a few years back and the government stronly intervened by limiting the number of cars, encouraing clean energy, replacing coal burning with natural gas, planting billions of trees around Beijing, now Beijing is nowhere even close to New Delhi where Indian government doesn't seem to do anything to improve it.

 

[Dungeness]

Industrialization is in fact on of the main reasons as Delhi sits on the Gurugram Delhi Meerut industrial corridor.

India is a newly industriazed country and not an agrarian country. An agrarian country would not have such a high level of pollution.

It's common in newly industrialized country, be it Britain when it became industrialized 300 years back or China a few decades back.

The problem in India is the scale.

https://www.business-standard.com/a...-nations-but-behind-china-111033000006_1.html

That is not true. The biggest source of pollution in Delhi is "burning of bio-mass (crop and cow-dung)".

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com...r-pollution-in-delhi/articleshow/61626744.cms