Dinesh, a labourer at a construction site in south Delhi, did not quite understand the concept of pollution until the ban on construction was enforced in the city under the Graded Action Response Plan.
“I am constantly coughing as I have been working at construction sites for over 15 years now, but for me the effect of high pollution levels has been economic as I have been unemployed for a week now,” says the daily wage earner as he joins his colleagues around a fire built using cardboard and scraps of plywood.
For thousands of people like Dinesh who spend their life exposed to the elements, a chronic cough has become a part of their life as they struggle to earn a living.
Actual exposure levels
Worrying about the air quality, they feel, is a luxury that only the affluent can indulge in. For them, the real problem at hand right now is to find a warm place to spend the night.
According to experts, the actual exposure levels for those on the ground are much higher than the already toxic levels indicated at monitoring stations.
As Delhiites struggled to breathe during the recent smog episode, those living on the streets were among the worst affected.
Greenpeace India took readings with a hand-held device at six-feet height at India Gate, Delhi Gate and Red Fort on November 8, when Delhi was under a blanket of smog, and find that the particulate matter levels were several times higher than the average level recorded at monitoring stations.
Sunil Dahiya, a Greenpeace campaigner, said that in some cases the PM2.5 level was over 2,000 micrograms per cubic metre (ug/m3) — 33 times the standard of 60 ug/m3. “Due to proximity to sources such as vehicles and re-suspension of dust, we find pollution levels to be much higher at six-feet height, which is breathing height, compared to 20 metres, which is the height at which monitoring stations measure,” he said.
“I can see the difference in the city because in my village the fog is as white as cotton. In the city, it is of a different colour as there is smoke from vehicles all around. But I am forced to stay in the city to ensure a better life for my family back home,” said Sukh Pal, a helper at a mechanic shop.
More than air pollution, it is the noise that keeps him awake all night. He is looking forward to the winter as his employer lets him sleep inside the workshop.
As schools in Delhi shut due to the hazardous air quality, Chinnu, a teenager who sells pens at traffic lights, says she has never been to school and therefore does not understand what pollution is.
Worst affected
“There is smoke all around and that is why people keep their windows up and ignore me. An aunty who sometimes gives us food gave us masks last week and told us to wear it. I wore it for sometime but then threw it away as it did not make any difference,” she says.
Anil Bansal, member of the Delhi Medical Association, said: “The homeless are exposed to numerous infections and have minimal access to hospitals, food security and hygiene... complications arising out of pollution hits them hard because their immunity is mostly compromised and they are exposed to pollution around the clock. Children are the worst hit. Delhi rarely gets good air days so these people are constantly exposed to the toxic air.”
