Situation still bad due to pollution in Delhi, discussion till Baku COP29
#News Bureau, November 19,2024
The average air quality index (AQI) in Delhi NCR on Tuesday is 492. Alipur, Anand Vihar, Bawana, Narela, Pusa and Sonia Vihar recorded AQI of 500, which is the maximum index. The Central Pollution Control Board says that 21 of the 38 monitoring stations recorded AQI of 490 or more. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a yellow alert for moderate to dense fog conditions in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). The visibility at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport was 600 metres on Tuesday morning.
All government and private schools in Delhi NCR have been shifted to online mode. Delhi University, Jamia Millia Islamia have decided to run classes in online mode till Saturday. The school section of Jamia Millia Islamia also issued a notification stating that classes up to grade V have been shifted to online mode till further notice.
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD) on Tuesday decided to move all classes to online mode to ensure the safety and well-being of its students and teachers.
Delhi’s dangerous air quality was a key focus at COP29 as experts warned about the health risks of air pollution and called for urgent global action. At a press conference during COP29, Aarti Khosla, director of Climate Trends, highlighted the severe impact of Delhi’s pollution. “No single source is solely to blame – fossil fuel emissions, black carbon, farm fires and bad air in a La Nina year all contribute,” she said. Emphasising the need for a cross-section of solutions, Khosla warned that turning a blind eye to climate change is putting millions of lives at risk.
Courtney Howard, vice president of the Global Climate and Health Alliance, shared her experience from Canada, where forest fires forced the evacuation of 70 percent of its population in 2023. This was costly even for a rich country like Canada. She said, poor countries need financial help to deal with such disasters.
So much funds for corporates and nothing for health
Howard also criticized the lack of funds for health care despite the huge subsidies given to big corporates. He said we are giving US $1 trillion to corporates making huge profits, but we say there is no money for health care. He said, we should raise funds for health to protect everyone.
Enkhun Byambadorj, co-founder of Breathe Mongolia, highlighted the serious problem of air pollution in his country. The lung capacity of children in cities is 40 percent less than in rural areas. He said, the air we breathe is our choice as a society, but it is harming the future of our children.
