Govt Must Declare Health Emergency in Polluted Delhi: Mahila Congress

As the government has completely failed to check rising levels of pollution in India’s capital New Delhi, a group of women have urged Delhi Government to declare public health emergency in Delhi.

The Priyadarshini cell of Delhi Mahila Congress said Sunday that the government should declare public health emergency in Delhi due to severe pollution.

“Delhi Mahila Congress is protesting against the complete apathy and lack of action by the central, state, and municipal authorities to control pollution,” said Sharmistha Mukherjee, president, Delhi Mahila Congress.

While the corrupt authorities in Delhi are not taking any steps to tackle pollution, the distressed citizens have no other option but to leave the city.

A survey reveals that many people are running away from Delhi like refugees or Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). As a result, India is falling in the category of countries with large IDP populations – such as Syria, Colombia, Iraq, Congo, Sudan, Nigeria, and Somalia.

An interactive tool on the Breathe Life 2030 website shows a Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 level of 143 micrograms per cubic metre (annual mean) in India’s capital New Delhi. This is over 14 times over the WHO safe level of 10 µg/m3. Simply put, the people of Delhi are inhaling poison from the air.

According to The Economist, this polluted environment does not just make life unpleasant for a lot of Indians, but it kills them. Recent estimates put the annual death toll from breathing PM 2.5 alone at 1.2 million to 2.2 million a year. The lifespan of Delhi-dwellers is shortened by more than ten years, says the University of Chicago.

Delhi govt should declare public health emergency in Delhi due to severe pollution. Priyadarshini cell of @DelhiPMC protested against the complete apathy & lack of action by central, state & municipal authorities to control it, a view expressed by the experts as well. https://t.co/5pqjej6aFE

— Sharmistha Mukherjee (@Sharmistha_GK) January 13, 2019

Photo courtesy: Mahila Congress