Hold Your Breath! Odd-Even Might Make A Comeback In Delhi, Thanks To The Deadly Smog

As smog take over lives in the national capital and several other cities in the immediate vicinity, it becomes obvious that only a hardcore measure can try and save us from this misery.

Post Diwali, India has recorded one of the worst air-pollution readings ever, and subsequently, Delhi was named one of the world¡¯s most polluted cities. In fact, 20 cities in India made it to the list of most polluted cities in the world.

Read: It's Not Just Delhi, 94 Indian Cities Haven¡¯t Met Air Quality Standards In The Last 5 Years!

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Something needs to be done, and it needs to be done fast.

Earlier this week, the Delhi Medical Association (DMA) declared a ¡®red alert¡¯ in the national capital region because of air pollution.

In the process, they asked for immediate implementation of the ¡®odd-even¡¯ scheme.

Although the road rationing scheme is not sufficient to fight this battle, it is definitely one of the many things we can do to help ourselves. The toxic air that's been suffocating the entire city must come to a halt. Thus, the government plans to adopt multiple options like cloud-seeding, odd-even, and long-term monitoring to fight this battle.

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¡°Delhi should be declared on pollution red alert. Also, in such a situation, the odd-even rationing scheme will definitely bring down the number of vehicles on the road and indirectly bring down vehicular pollution. But it will not work in the long term,¡± Dr Rakesh Kumar Gupta, President of DMA, said.

¡°In developed countries, if the level of pollution rises above a certain level, then necessary advisory is issued and immediate measures are taken to control the situation. They do not wait for the situation to become worse to get into action,¡± Gupta added.

In his suggestions, he said that the government should be quick in formulating several reforms in order to tackle the situation; even things like ditching wooden cremation over CNG or electric cremation.

Read: As Smog Chokes Delhi, Government Considers Using Artificial Rain To Fight The Lethal Pollution

1.5 lakh kg of wood burns daily, adding more to the existing pollution. He also demanded heavy penalties for the violation of traffic laws, which contributes a lot to the pollution.

In fact, 80% of Delhi¡¯s air pollution is derived from the city, owing to the pollution generated from vehicles, industries, dust, and crackers of course.

As we speak, people in Delhi are choking and can¡¯t breathe properly.