Another morning in Delhi, when the breath was filled with poison… Did all the rules of GRAP-4 fail?

When the people of Delhi-NCR opened their eyes this morning, they saw not a clear sky but a thick blanket of smog and poisonous smoke. It seemed as if the entire city had turned into a ‘gas chamber’, where even breathing was a punishment. Vehicles were crawling on the roads as dense fog and smog combined to almost impair visibility. Talking about the figures, the average air quality index (AQI) of the capital was recorded at 370 this morning, which falls in the ‘very poor’ category. This is not just a number, but a proof of what kind of poisonous air we and our children are breathing every moment. When all the rules and regulations become ineffective, the most worrying and surprising thing is that the government’s most stringent rules to fight pollution, i.e. the fourth phase of GRAP (GRAP-4) are also implemented. Despite this, the situation is worsening instead of improving. Officials are also surprised that when everything is closed, why is this pollution not reducing? This question is in the mind of every Delhiite today. It is difficult to even breathe in these areas. Although the condition of entire Delhi is bad, but out of 40, there are 26 areas where the air is in ‘severe’ i.e. ‘red zone’. Living in these areas means directly playing with your health. The worst condition of these places is: Nehru Nagar: AQI 465Mundka: AQI 457Chandni Chowk: AQI 453Okhla: AQI 452Jahangirpuri: AQI 450RK Puram: AQI 443Vivek Vihar: AQI 446What does the AQI meter say?0-50: Good (Clean Air) 51-100: Satisfactory (fine) 201-300: Poor 301-400: Very bad 401-500: Severe (dangerous to health) This is not a matter of one or two days. This entire month of December is a test of breath for the people of Delhi. Barring only two days of respite in between, Delhi has been continuously in the ‘Red Zone’ since December 11, and we all are forced to bear this poisonous air.