So, a friend texted me a link to a BBC article — which I read — having to do with India smog.
The article’s writer made clear that the enveloping smog in Delhi has pushed its air quality into the category of “extremely severe.” Much more, the Air Quality Index (AQI) for the Delhi region hit 1500, a level 15 times worse than what the World Health Organization (WHO) defines as being satisfactory to breathe, this also according to information brought to bear in the article in question.
Revealed as well was that the burning of crop stubble was the main culprit, although other inputs contributed as well, like car exhaust.
Now I don’t know about you but what this says (to me) is that besides parts of India right now having to deal with the extremely elevated air-pollution levels, such has prompted responses like school closures and postponement of outdoor construction-work activity, just to name two. In the meantime, affected-area citizenry health is being put at considerable risk, both in the outdoors and indoors alike.
After reading this article, I got the sense that the Indian government’s hands seem tied in terms of what mitigating and/or enforcement action it can take to make the penetrating smog’s lung-searing impact far less damaging. What’s more, I got the impression that the denizenry at the grass-roots level appears to be completely at the mercy of everyone else in terms of getting the issue fixed and the air cleared. One observer referenced in the article communicated the need for taking to the streets mass public protest.
All well and good, but why not just call for a moratorium on crop-stubble-burning activity? In other words, find another way of disposing of the crop stubble that’s left behind post-harvest, as in its being shredded, composted, or disposed of in some other far-less-environmentally-destructive way.
It’s simply a matter of putting two and two together. Clearly this is a case of cause (the crop-stubble burning) and effect (the resultant smog). If the cause is removed, the effect is eliminated. However, absent the motivation required to bring about substantive, positive change, what is the likelihood of there being much progress made in this regard going forward? Slim to none.
That’s my take.
Updated: Nov. 19, 2024 at 6:25 a.m. PST.
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— Alan Kandel
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