Denial, deflection, dodgy data worsen India’s air crisis: ‘not able to breathe’
‘Fed up’ citizens and experts demand honest action to tackle pollution that causes 1.5 million additional deaths every year in India
When Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav told parliament earlier this month that India’s capital, New Delhi, has seen 200 days with good air quality readings, pollution experts and opposition leaders said he chose a figure that overlooked the worst pollution months.
A week later, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the air quality index, a measure of air pollution, was similar to a temperature reading and could be dealt with by spraying water. Crowds jeered her at a subsequent public event, shouting “AQI” in reference to the city’s poor air quality readings.
Gupta had also approved a controversial cloud seeding programme earlier this year, saying it could produce rain that would lower pollution – despite a lack of evidence that the approach would work.
Residents in Delhi and surrounding areas engulfed in toxic smog over the last few months said these are just the latest examples of officials denying the severity of air quality problems.
“Instead of doing cloud seeding, I hope the government will wake up and take some real action,” said Anita, a 73-year-old Delhi resident, who goes by only one name. “It’s a shame.”