The descriptors used to describe Delhi’s pollution don’t change, because the pollution menace unfortunately, also does not change. Why does Delhi face such extreme pollution, that renders it a hazard for the close to 2.9 crore people living in and around it? It’s an amalgamation of several different factors that our National Capital unfortunately just has to deal with. And all of these reasons collectively add to the problem of pollution in the capital around a 2-month window of toxic AQI.
This pollution while bad for all living in the city, affects people of different age, gender and social strata very differently. Numerous studies have found the exacerbated effect that pollution has on women and children, and this effect is worsened particularly for those coming from a marginalised background. Lack of access to resources also determines how the pollution phenomenon affects people.
In these stories we try to understand the reasons behind Delhi’s hazardous air, as well as the varying ways in which it affects different citizens.
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