It has been found that Delhi's air is the most polluted in the world, half of its children have impaired lung functions. More than 70% of water supplied by Delhi Jal Board are undrinkable; it is contaminated with leakage from sewers. The population has grown from nearly 17.60 lakh 1.8 crore, the highest growth rate for any Indian city. Delhi has about 0.05 percent of the India's geographical area, but consists of 1.38 percent of the nation's population. Total number of vehicles in Delhi are more than what other three major metros of the country have, their number per km has increased from 37 to 134 since 1981. Every fifth home in the capital has a car. Government schools, hospitals, public parks have all disappeared, health and education have become the privilege of the rich.
The Central and state governments in NCR, dither on fixing air quality and its residents are paying the price with their health. Times of India has published an article by Gardiner Harris, South Asia correspondent of The New York Times, on his decision to return to the US, due to the harm Delhi's air has done to his eight-year-old son, Bram. "It was a tough decision, but I told my bosses that I will have to move back. My stint here was the best job I ever had. My sons have their best friends here, but we asked ourselves, what are we doing? Lung problem is an invisible disease, but it can't be neglected," Harris said. Many expatriates in the city said that they found, the quality of life is "severely compromised" by living in Delhi.
Chris Carlisle, senior manager of an automobile company in Okhla, said that he wears a mask while cycling. "I cycle a lot, but always wear a mask. The air quality bothers me. I have noticed that the air quality index (AQI) in winter goes up to 10 times the safe standard. During Christmas last time, it was 600. You can definitely feel it when it's high and you have to stay indoors."
Genevieve Chase and her husband have decided to move back to the US after living in Delhi for three years. She is wary of exposing her children, aged 10 and 12, to dirty air. "We have decided not to elongate our stay because our kids are not as active here when compared with how they are in places with cleaner air. As a public health professional, I feel very strongly about it." She keeps her children indoors whenever the air quality index shoots up.
Keshav Varma, who was World Bank's director for East Asia from 1997 to 2009, said "Delhi is a gas chamber, but most people don't understand how pollution is harming their health," Varma added.
"There's that permanent 'diesel' smell in the air. And it (Delhi) does try and balance it with some green areas but needs so much more, and so much more investment in the Metro and local electric trains," wrote a member in a British expat group discussion.
By Premji
