http://scroll.in/article/820904/the-daily-fix-delhis-air-pollution-is-the-result-of-indias-failed-policies
Delhi's air pollution is the result of India's failed policies 2 hours ago Updated 2 hours ago Sruthisagar Yamunan Clearing the air The Delhi government and the Centre finally woke up on Sunday to the gravity of the horrendously poor air quality in some parts of North India. Air toxicity levels are 40 times higher than World Health Organisation standards, according to data from pollution monitoring agencies. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who described the city as a "gas chamber", chaired a cabinet meeting and ordered schools in Delhi to stay shut until Wednesday – a decision many felt should have come much earlier, given the toxic levels of pollution since Diwali. The Delhi government has banned construction and demolition activities for a few days and is considering a plan to induce artificial rain to help dust particles settle down. Power stations around Delhi are set to close down this week and the odd-even car formula, by which vehicles ply only every other day, could be back. On its part, the Centre will hold a meeting of environment ministers of neighbouring states on Monday to tackle the problem of crop stubble burning on farms, a major cause of pollution in Delhi. The reason behind this frenetic activity in the corridors of power is not hard to understand. The public mood has turned angry since Saturday as people in the Capital began to feel nothing was being done to mitigate the situation. On Sunday, some people took to the streets to protest against government apathy. But despite the alarming situation, the city's rulers still could not resist the temptation to score political points over the issue. Union Environment Minister Anil Dave was quick to absolve farmers in poll-bound Punjab of any responsibility for the worsening air in New Delhi, claiming that stubble burning contributed just 20% of the pollutants. This was also a strategy to ensure that the Delhi government did not deflect responsibility for the mess, as Kejriwal had attempted to do by blaming crop burning for the problem. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi also tried to land a punch by asking the city's current government to take some lessons about tackling the situation from his party colleague Sheila Dixit, the former Delhi chief minister. Follow Office of RG ✔ @OfficeOfRG Blaming Punjab/Hry farmers won't solve pollution problem in Delhi.Pl learn from Sheilaji.Rise above blame game Mr Kejriwal &Mr Modi &act now 4:06 PM - 6 Nov 2016 1,250 1,250 Retweets 1,674 1,674 likes But the positions of all these politicians is flawed. Delhi's pollution menace has not emerged overnight. The toxic smog it sees today is the result of years of misplaced development priorities, which provided incentives for unsustainable growth. The Capital's exploding vehicle population which crossed 17 million in 2015, is the direct result of short-term traffic solutions such as flyovers that encourage the use of private vehicles. Despite its efforts to build a metro rail network, Delhi still reels under the alarming levels of exhaust fumes, highlighting the city's failure to create an integrated public transport system. Besides, some of Delhi's citizens haven't woken up to the enormity of the situation. On Sunday, even as a shroud of smog hung over the city, some people lit fireworks to celebrate weddings and the Chat Puja festival. It is easy to blame farmers for the situation, but part of the problem is the half-baked farm assistance they get in states like Punjab and Haryana. Farmers burn the stubble because they cannot afford the wages of workers to remove the crop stumps. Ploughing the stubble into the soil is uneconomical, which is why farmers resort to the quick-and-dirty solution of burning. At the moment, it is clear that the state governments are ill-equipped to support farmers to use other methods of removing crop waste. The Centre would do well to realise that air pollution is not a uniquely Delhi problem. It has only manifested in its worst form in the Capital. Around the country, the same model of civic development that failed in Delhi is being replicated. Even the government's pet Smart Cities plan does not deal with the problem of pollution with the seriousness it deserves. Unless there is an intelligent, systemic change that focuses on sustainability, it's only be a matter of time before other big cities go the Delhi way. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
