With the onset of the winter season, Delhi finds itself engulfed by the toxic and suffocating layer of smog once again. This recurring phenomenon has become vicious in nature – impossible to break. But this time, Delhi transcended all precedent records, touching an air quality index (AQI) of 1000, which is way beyond ‘hazardous’ levels of 400 to 500. No one would have thought that a day would come when the safe limit of World Health Organization would be breached.
Causes
The cause of the worsening of air condition is hybrid. Some upper elite class considers the burning of stubble by the farmers of Haryana and Punjab as the main cause of toxic pollutants engulfing Delhi. In addition to this, there are many other factors which cause more harm, such as vehicles, factories and thermal power plants in and around Delhi.
Source – Wikipedia
Restrictions imposed
In response to the deteriorating air quality, Delhi government resorted to action, imposing stage 4 of the Graded response action plan (GRAP) all over Delhi. GRAP is a set of emergency measures that are adopted to prevent further decline of air quality.
Under GRAP several restrictions have been implemented to combat the severe air pollution. The physical classes were shifted to the online mode for all the students to minimize the exposure to the toxic air. In addition, even Delhi University shifted the teachings to online mode. Light commercial vehicles were barred from entry along with a stringent ban on diesel operated vehicles. Construction activities involving dust were prohibited. These included construction activities like laying sewers, brick masonry and cutting or grinding materials.
Disproportionate Impact
What happens when the environmental restriction becomes a privilege only for a few?
These restrictions were imposed, considering the overall health conditions of everyone irrespective of class, caste, religion, gender etc, they often perpetuate inequality under the veil of collective good. The upper class and political elites considered this time as an opportunity to spend quality time with their family and a reprieve from the drudgery of their work, while the lower classes bore the brunt of the consequences. The upper class possesses the privilege to avert the ramifications of the pollution by shielding themselves from the harmful toxic air by staying indoors or booking a flight to serene places like Goa or South to immerse themselves in the nature.
The already existing division and inequality in income further exacerbates the condition. Only the rich have the accessibility to infrastructures such as air purifiers and medical care to manage pollution-related illness. These luxuries are exclusively reserved for the upper classes. In sharp contrast, those without the security of the home, such as the street dwellers and the refugees, remained exposed to the dangers. The restrictions of the construction activity made the daily wage earners and laborers suffer, finding it difficult to meet their daily needs.
Digital Divide
India is already immersed in the problem of the digital divide. The availability of technologies has significantly transformed the way people communicate, work, and access service, it has also created a divide where disadvantageous groups and low-income earners are placed at the worst; they face barriers regarding access to digital resources.
The restriction of shifting the physical classes to online mode was beneficial only for the privileged people having the access to technologies. The middle class and the low-income people suffered because of inadequate technology. For the families, having more than one child in their family and only one smartphone, the priority was given to the education of only one child. The ACER reports, published after Covid-19, shows that the shift to an online mode led to an increase in drop-out rates, especially among older children.
Mental Health
In times of crisis like this, the invisible mental load to women becomes pronounced. As the school closes and some offices resort to working from home, women have to manage both the household chores as well as the added responsibility of childcare and education with their office work. This disparity in the division of household chores exacerbates women’s condition, and it has a profound implication on mental health, which is rarely acknowledged.
In such times, the need arises for the approach that focuses on the quality of air and takes proactive steps from the advance to combat pollution. The approaches should be egalitarian and inclusive, not the privilege reserved for a few but accessible to everyone irrespective of their socio-economic status.
