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The relentless smog that first engulfed the region last week has transformed life into a desperate battle for millions living in and around Delhi-NCR – the Ground Zero of the toxic air apocalypse in north India – forcing residents, businesses, and schools to adapt to the worsening crisis that is likely to persist for days.
The Supreme Court on Monday asked Delhi and NCR states to take a decision on online classes for students of Class 10 and Class 12 – the last students still attending physical classes – and inform it by Friday. By late on Monday, the governments in Delhi, Gurugram and Faridabad had announced the full suspension of physical classes of both classes.
“From tomorrow, physical classes shall be suspended for Class 10 and 12 as well, and all studies will be shifted online,” Delhi chief minister Atishi wrote on X.
Delhi University also announced by night that all classes will be held in online mode until Saturday, November 23, 2024, for the well-being of students.
Meanwhile, the Delhi government imposed Stage 4 restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap), which include a blanket ban on construction and demolition activities and the entry of trucks into the Capital. However, decisions on implementing the odd-even vehicle rationing scheme remain pending.
Offices and common people resorted to a series of desperate measures of their own to try and mitigate the impact that the noxious nightmare is having on their health and lives.
The worsening air has prompted several private companies with offices in NCR to shift to hybrid working models or implement complete work-from-home systems, with thousands of people struggling to commute due to rising health issues.
Delhi lieutenant governor VK Saxena on Monday approved the implementation of staggered timings for government and municipal offices till February 28. According to the order, MCD offices will operate from 8.30am to 5pm, while Delhi government offices will operate 10am to 6.30pm.
A review meeting was held with RWAs and MTAs to discuss preventive measures. “As part of this, NDMC has suggested distributing electric heaters to security guards to prevent the use of biomass or wood for heating.”
BS Vohra, the joint front president of east Delhi RWAs, who lives in Krishna Nagar, said his eyes were burning throughout the day. “We could visibly see the pollution even inside our homes. The pollution levels are over 100 times WHO standards and authorities need to wake up and answer how we are allowing such a situation to develop in the first place,” he said.
Pallav Sachdeva, 35, a resident of Paschim Vihar said: “We have been avoiding buying an air purifier as the worst phase every year gets over in 10-15 days, but the air quality is so terrible this year that I am worried about the health of my children, aged three and five… I have no option but to buy one. At least during nights, we can get some respite.”
Experts warn that while emergency measures are necessary, the root causes of Delhi’s annual smog crisis remain unaddressed.
“We haven’t learned from the 2016 smog episode,” said Mukesh Khare, an IIT Delhi professor and air pollution expert. “It shows despite all our promises of action, nothing has changed. When the CAQM was formed in 2021, hopes were that long-term measures would be put into place to control. While we see short-term action every winter, long term measures seem to be lacking,” he said.
Meanwhile, private companies moved to working online in an attempt to save their employees from the brunt of the health impact due to pollution.
Navdeep Singh, who works for a UK-based telecom company in Gurugram, said most people working in his office are reporting a range of health issues. “Most people in my office are experiencing breathing problems, itchy eyes, and severe headaches.” Singh added, “Last week, a colleague felt nauseous and couldn’t complete the workday. Such incidents are becoming more common.”
Girish Gupta, an employee at Accenture, shared similar concerns.
“Many of us are facing issues like persistent coughing, fatigue, and even difficulty concentrating. It is getting harder to focus on work with the constant discomfort caused by pollution,” he said.
