India has closed coal-fired power plants while New Delhi has been shut down by toxic fumes

Officials in India have closed six of the 11 coal-fired power plants 300 kilometers from New Delhi, as its headquarters have been covered with toxic fumes for about two weeks.

The Commission for Air Quality Management also closed schools and colleges until further notice, banned private construction work and barred vehicles from entering the city until November 21st.

The ban was followed by a warning from the Indian Meteorological Department that the weather was extremely dangerous air pollution it was possible to persevere.

The Supreme Court of India has ordered government officials to take action, perhaps including a Covid ban.

Environmentalists say a temporary closure of the heating plant could help reduce emissions but urged government officials to take longer action to prevent air pollution. dangerous levels.

“It’s a good step, but it’s too late,” said Jyoti Pandey Lavakare, co-founder of Care for Air, a group of environmental advocates, and authors. Breathing Here is harmful to your health. “Environmental degradation is something he has to tackle all year round, not seriously.”

“This is not a random event,” he added. “This is what happens every year without fail. Half a billion people in the Indo-Gangetic Plain are covered in toxic fumes.”

New Delhi has been selected as the most polluted capital in the world for three consecutive years by World Air Quality report from IQ Air, a Swiss-based technology company. Emergency hazards, known as PM2.5, in the city are 16 times higher than what the World Health Organization says are safe, with polluted air and a mixture of diesel smoke, industrial fumes, dust and emissions. burning agricultural waste.

Pollution is not limited to the capital: 10 of the 15 most polluted cities in the world are located in northern India, according to IQ Air. The medical journal Lancet estimates that air pollution in India causes deaths of 1m per year.

Although government officials have tried to curb such activities as literal firefighting and burning of farmers’ crops, their efforts have been weakened, and politicians have been slow to respond to powerful forces.

Residents of Delhi have refused to ban firefighters on the recent holiday of Diwali, praised by Hindu Indians for rejecting a law that they say attacks their religion.

“It’s not seriously considered,” Pandey said. “People are not aware that there is a growing problem, which cannot be solved in their bodies over the years.”

India’s pollution crisis is linked to its push – along with China – reduction COP26 agreement to insist on weak speech to end coal power.

New Delhi insists it must increase its capacity to produce coal and coal-fired power plants to meet the energy needs and development of the poor.

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