Delhi vs Beijing: Toxic air threatens to choke Asian giants again

NEW DELHI: It is that time of the year again when the two giants of Asia resume their rather unwanted rivalry to 'showcase' capitals with the worst air quality. Even as the toxic air over Beijing reaches alarming proportions, breathing in New Delhi is fast catching up to be every bit as choking.

Delhi enjoyed relatively clean air over the last few months but the quality fell alarmingly by the end of September. On Monday evening, aqicn.org - an agency monitoring air quality in more than 60 countries - reported that PM2.5 had reached 180 micrograms in Delhi's Dwarka area. Around the same time, the average PM2.5 level in Beijing air was only marginally worse at 200 micrograms.

For the record, the World Health Organisation considers anything above 25 micrograms of PM 2.5 as unhealthy.

PM2.5 is the diameter measured in microns of particulates such as ammonia, carbon, nitrates and sulphate - toxic elements which can pass through bloodstream and can cause cancer. Residents of both Beijing and New Delhi have been breathing the toxic cocktail for several years now.

While Beijing on Sunday issued its first yellow alert for air pollution in the second half of the year, no concrete measures have been announced for the National Capital Region in India so far.

Weather conditions are largely blamed for the deteoriating air quality in NCR. "The temperature has started falling and wind speed is very low. And because Delhi is a land-locked city, particulate matter cannot escape the region easily," explained a scientist from System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting Research (SAFAR) under the ministry of earth sciences.

Unlike Beijing however, implementation of measures to combat toxic air over Delhi - like penalties on visibly polluting vehicles, parking restrictions and crackdown on waste burning - remains largely lethargic once again.