NEW DELHI (Reuters) – For 24-year-old Ameesha Munjal, returning to New Delhi to live with her parents was supposed to be a fresh start, and bring familiarity and comfort to her, but instead, toxic haze in the world's most polluted capital has sent her health spiralling downward, prompting her doctor to issue a stark warning: leave Delhi or risk severe health complications.
Munjal, a finance executive, returned to New Delhi on October 10, days before Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. But within days, Delhi's post-festival air pollution crisis turned her life upside down.
The hazardous haze triggered relentless coughing, sore throats, and breathlessness, forcing her into a debilitating routine. She was forced to confine herself indoors.
Doctor Munish Taneja, a senior ENT (ear, nose, and throat) consultant, warned Munjal of her allergies spiralling into serious illnesses like pneumonia and urged her to leave the capital until the pollution situation improved.
“(It is) very heartbreaking, I have to leave my house, I have to leave the city I have grown up in just because of the air,” Munjal said.
Air quality in Northern India has deteriorated over the past week, with toxic smog obscuring buildings and structures. New Delhi has a severe air quality level of 424 on Thursday (November 14), according to live rankings kept by Swiss group IQAir, the worst amongst global capitals.
The concentration of PM2.5 – particulate matter measuring 2.5 microns or less in diameter that can be carried into lungs, causing deadly diseases and cardiac issues – in Delhi was more than 120 times the World Health Organisation's recommended levels on Wednesday morning, IQAir said.
Ameesha’s mother, Poonam Munjal, called it a “harassment” that her daughter had to put her health at stake to be close to family, adding it was “painful” to watch her suffer due to the poor air quality.
To combat worsening air quality, India's government banned non-essential construction in New Delhi and urged residents to avoid burning coal for heating.
The new measures, which include sprinkling water with dust suppressants on roads, as well as mechanised sweeping that would help settle dust, came into effect from Friday morning.
They also include a ban on non-essential construction and an appeal to citizens to use more public transport and avoid using coal and wood for heating, a government release said on Thursday, without saying how long the measures would be in place.
The city battles smog – a toxic mix of smoke and fog – every winter as cold air traps dust, emissions, and smoke from illegal farm fires.
Officials blamed high pollution, combined with humidity, becalmed winds and a drop in temperature for the smog, which cut visibility to 300m (980 ft) at the city's international airport, which diverted flights in zero visibility on Wednesday.