Be alarmed about your environment, Delhi. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the capital has the most polluted air in the world.
Air pollution in our city is at the centre of media attention now, with some pointing out that the government has not done much about it. Also, it doesn’t help to learn that 13 of the 20 most polluted cities in the world are in India.
Swachh Bharat indeed.
Not just that, this article on Vox establishes that Indians have lost 3.2 years of their life expectancy to the wonderfully toxic air we breathe. And since Delhi is the worst hit (also, worse than the rest of NCR ), carpe diem?
What is truly worrying though, is the lack of concern for our collective health, seen prior to this WHO report.
As pointed out by Bloomberg , Barack Obama lost 6 hours of his life to Delhi air. Why do we need an Obama to remind us we are not living in a healthy environment?
The much talked about 3.2 years aside, what about the rest of the years we ARE living and breathing this polluted air. Is that not a bigger concern?
Why must we wait for international media to point fingers at us before we get embarrassed and do something about it? Why is health such a secondary concern for Indians?
Lastly, the environment is the one thing that will stay long after we are gone. If not for ourselves, shouldn’t we ensure better life expectancy for future generations?
It is rather easy to point fingers at the government. And the author is guilty as charged of having done so.
But as a citizen of this ever-expanding, and yet beautiful city (no jokes), isn’t it essential for us to make an effort in making things better?
We could do with less cars, and more parking. We could do with less littering, and more planting. We could do with less fire-crackers, and more family time.
