Not living in a polluted area, still falling sick? Here are 4 reasons why

For someone living in polluted New Delhi, for example, those 20,000 breaths include the equivalent of around 20 grains of table salt worth of particulate matter deposited in their lungs each day.

Health News : Not a day seems to go by without a story of an “airpocalypse,” usually somewhere in a developing nation. It’s hard not to empathize with the people in the smoggy images of New Delhi or Ulaanbataar or Kathmandu, often wearing masks, walking to school or work through soupy cloudiness.

Last year, a study found that more than 8 million people per year die early from air pollution exposure. This amounts to more deaths than diarrheal disease, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS combined.

As a researcher in air pollution and its health effects, I know that even if you don’t live in these places, air pollution likely still affects your quality of life.

Where does air pollution come from?

You might imagine air pollution as smoke pouring out of a factory chimney or the tailpipe of a car. While these are important sources of air pollution, there are many others. Air pollution includes chemicals humans put into the atmosphere and chemicals released by natural events. For example, forest fires are a large source of air pollutants that affect many communities. Dust that’s picked up by wind can also contribute to poor air quality.

Ronald Reagan famously said that “trees cause more pollution than automobiles do.” While this myth has been debunked, he was right in at least some ways. Trees do release certain gases, such as volatile organic carbon, that are ingredients in air pollution chemistry. This, when mixed together with emissions from cars and industry, leads to increases in other types of pollution, such as ozone.

There isn’t much that scientists can, or should, do about tree emissions. Public health researchers like myself focus most on the ingredients from human activities – from burning petroleum to emissions controls on industrial facilities – because these are sources located close to where people live and work. There are also many chemical reactions that occur in the air itself. These reactions create what are known as secondary pollutants, some of which are quite toxic.

Finally, it’s important to realize that air pollution knows no boundaries. If a pollutant is emitted in one location, it very easily moves across borders – both regional and national – to different places. New Delhi, for example, experiences seasonal pollution, thanks to extensive burning of agricultural fields some 200 miles away. New Delhi is an extreme example. But, even if you live in a less polluted environment, pollutants emitted elsewhere often travel to where other people live and work, as seen in recent wildfires in California.

Read More on → Air Pollution in Delhi

Jessica Lal Murder Case: Sister Sabrina forgives convict Manu Sharma

Currently serving a life imprisonment in Delhi's Tihar jail, Manu Sharma, convicted for murdering Jessica Lal 19 years ago, has been commended for his charitable work and moved to an open jail.

 

Breaking News : Almost 19 years after Jessica Lal was on April 29, 1999, shot dead at a private party hosted at a South Delhi pub, her sister Sabrina Lal has said that she holds no grudge against convict Manu Sharma, lodged at Delhi's Tihar jail for over 15 years now. Sabrina has said she has no objection to the release of the prime accused, Siddhartha Vashishtha, better known as Manu Sharma. She said she had forgiven the man who killed her sister and won't object if he was released.

Manu Sharma is currently serving life imprisonment in Tihar jail for shoting dead Delhi-based model Jessica, who was serving as a celebrity bartender at the pub that night, when she refused him a drink.
In a letter to the welfare office of Central Tihar Jail, Sabrina Lal has said that she has been informed about Manu Sharma’s charitable work during his stay in Tihar jail which has been helping inmates. Sharma has been shifted to open-jail on grounds of good conduct.

According to a report in The Hindu, Manu Sharma works with his non-profit organisation, which works for the rehabilitation of prisoners and their children. He helps inmates’ children get education by providing fees, uniforms, books and stationery. Sabrina is forgiving the convict Manu Sharma, as she "believes in the Christian philosophy of forgiveness, just like her mother".

Manu Sharma may seek an early release from the prison on the basis of “excellent work, discipline and conduct”. The son of the former Indian National Congress minister Vinod Sharma was sentenced by the Delhi high court in December 2006. In February 2011, the Supreme Court of India upheld the High Court verdict.

In January 2017, the Delhi High Court had extended the parole of convict Manu Sharma to pursue his LLB course and also for his marriage registration. Sharma had been given parole six times since September 2009 to pursue a Bachelor's in Law course from Annamalai University, Chennai. Sharma was granted paroles despite police objections on the basis of furnishing a bond of Rs 50,000 with two sureties of the like amount and not to try to meet any witnesses or family of the deceased in the case.

Read Full Article → Jessica Lal Murder Case

Uber, Ola drivers hit by losses; on indefinite strike: Top 10 developments

Ola and Uber drivers allege their earnings are not enough for them to make ends meet.

Business News : Do you use Ola and Uber for your daily commute? If yes, you may want to find other modes of transport as Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena has called for an indefinite strike of drivers of cab aggregators Uber and Ola starting Monday midnight.

The strike, which will be observed in key cities like Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, aims to voice the drivers’ woes of not being able to cover rising costs due to falling business. They are currently being paid Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 per month, according to media reports.

“Ola and Uber had given big assurances to the drivers, but today they are unable to cover their costs. They have invested Rs 500,000 to Rs 700,000 and were expecting to make Rs 150,000 a month. But drivers are unable to make even half of this because of the mismanagement by these companies,” said Sanjay Naik of Maharashtra Navnirman Vahatuk Sena, reported news agency PTI.

Naik accused Ola and Uber of giving priority to company-owned cars rather than driver-owned ones, thereby, hitting their business.

In Mumbai alone, there are over 45,000 Ola and Uber cabs but a slump in business has seen a drop of about 20 per cent in their numbers.

Meanwhile, the police has issued notices to leaders of the union under section 149 of CrPC relating to unlawful assembly.

Drivers claim Ola, Uber cheated them: Ola and Uber drivers said that while both the firms promised them an average monthly income between Rs 100,000 to Rs 150,000, the same was not the case. However, they initially believed them, and ended up buying cars on loans. Now that they are being underpaid, they have decided to go on a strike, said Swaraj Vahan Chalak Malak Sanghatna President Guru Katti, reported Times of India.An average cost of a car varies between Rs 500,000 to 700,000.

Drop in per-km fare giving nightmares: Where the per-kilometre fare once to hover around Rs 10, the same has dropped to Rs 6 now due to the stiff competition between Ola and Uber. Moreover, Ola Share offers share pass varying on the distance one intends to travel. For instance, once can buy a pass for Rs 10 valid for 30 days, where one would be required to pay just Rs 30 for distance up to four kms and Rs 200 for distance up to 20 kms. Similarly, Uber offers slashes rates on its ‘POOL’ rides and often gives 50 per cent discount to users on Uber Go, which is the cheapest Uber car ride after share.

Read More on  → Ola Uber Strike

Kejriwal sits on Rs 787-cr green fund, puts onus on Centre as Delhi chokes

The government said it spent Rs 93 lakh of the cess in 2016, but there was “no mention of any expenditure” in 2017.

Delhi Air Quality : The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday blamed the Centre for blocking projects as an RTI query revealed that the Kejriwal government did not spend even a paisa out of the Rs 787 crore it collected as environment cess since January 1 this year.

As the capital city grappled with dangerously high pollution levels, the Right to Information (RTI) query on Wednesday found the Delhi government was unable to specify its utilisation of the Rs 787 crore green cess collected during 2017.

The government said it spent Rs 93 lakh of the cess in 2016, but there was “no mention of any expenditure” in 2017.

The AAP government came under attack from the opposition parties following the revelation.

Delhi Smog Congress chief Ajay Maken slammed the city government and said they could have bought new buses with this money and also augmented total parking capacity of the bus depots.

Lashing out at Kejriwal, Maken said: “Instead of using the money which is lying idle, he is busy aiming at other state governments and the Centre instead of doing his bit.”

Maken said Kejriwal could have purchased road vacuum cleaners, as the dust “is the single-biggest contributory factor for air pollution” in Delhi.

“When we were in power, the strength of the DTC (Delhi Transport Corporation) was 5,445 buses, which has now gone down to 3,951 buses. There has been a shortfall of 1,500 buses in three years,” he said.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) instead blamed the central government for its failure to spend Rs 787 crore of environmental cess and accused it of blocking the projects to control pollution.

AAP’s chief spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj said they never said that the Delhi government had shortage of funds.

Click to Read → Delhi Green Funds

Delhi Air pollution: Odd-even scheme back in Delhi for 5 days from Monday

Women and bikers would be exempted

 

 

Delhi Odd Even Scheme will be rolled out in Delhi for five days from Monday as part of a graded response plan to tackle the alarming pollution situation in the city, the state government announced on Thursday.

The scheme would be in place from 8 am to 8 pm and there would be exemptions for women drivers and two-wheelers, Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said.

“The exemptions will be similar as last year and there is no need for people to panic,” he told reporters.

The minister also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to call a meeting of chief ministers of Delhi and adjoining states to find a solution to the crisis.

The Delhi government has directed Delhi Transport Corporation to hire 500 buses from private contractors to tackle the rush of commuters during the odd-even implementation week.

“Delhi Metro has also promised to provide 100 small buses during the period. Schools will be free to provide their buses voluntarily. However, there will be no compulsion,” Gahlot said.

Compressed natural gas vehicles will be exempted but will need to have stickers in place. These will be available at 22 IGL stations across Delhi from 2 pm on Friday.

“The old stickers which were issued in the last edition of odd-even will be valid, too,” the minister said.

Under the policy, Odd-numbered private cars are allowed to ply on odd dates while even-numbered ones can only run on even dates.

In 2016, the scheme was enforced twice — January 1-15 and April 15-30.

Click here to Read → Delhi Odd Even Policy

Diwali: Cracker ban goes up in smoke as Delhi air quality turns ‘very poor’

A 'very poor' air quality index essentially means that people may suffer from respiratory illnesses on a prolonged exposure to such air

 

 

The online indicators of the pollution monitoring stations in the city glowed red, indicating a 'very poor' air quality as the volume of ultrafine particulates PM 2.5 and PM 10, which enter the respiratory system and manage to reach the bloodstream, sharply rose from around 7 pm.

At 10 pm, in Mandir Marg in Delhi, the PM 2.5 concentration was 390 units against the prescribed 60 units, while PM 10 was 480 against the prescribed 100.

Real-time pollution data appeared alarming. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee's (DPCC) R K Puram monitoring station recorded PM 2.5 and PM 10 at 878 and 1,179 micrograms per cubic metre at around 11 pm.

However, the nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide concentrations at 50.84 and 31.20 respectively were well under the prescribed limits.

The pollutants had violated the corresponding 24-hour safe limits of 60 and 100 respectively by up to 10 times.

While it is difficult to quantify the immediate effect of the ban on firecrackers, residents across the national capital felt the beginning was promising with neighborhoods reporting much lesser noise and smoke till about 6 pm, compared to the previous years.

But as the festivities picked up, the faint echo of crackers started growing louder.

According to the SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research), the 24-hour rolling average of PM2.5 and PM10 were 154 and 256 micrograms per cubic metre respectively at around 11 pm.

It has forecast that the pollution levels will peak between 11 pm and 3 am.

Click here to know more → Firecracker Ban

Sexual violence: Women are safer in Karachi than Delhi

Delhi has been paired with Brazil's Sao Paulo in a poll that lists the cities where women fear the risk of sexual violence, including rape, attacks or harassment

 

 

New Delhi has been named the world's worst megacity for sexual violence against women in a survey conducted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Delhi has been paired with Brazil's Sao Paulo in the poll, which lists the cities where women fear the risk of sexual violence, including rape, attacks or harassment.

The survey comes just five years after the national capital witnessed the horrific Nirbhaya gangrape incident in December 2012, which resulted in a widespread public outcry demanding better safety measures for women.

The poll was conducted in 19 of the world's biggest megacities with populations of more than 10 million and asked 380 experts in cities to assess the risk of sexual violence.

Delhi schools aren't safe either

• In a shocking incident, a five-year-old girl was allegedly raped inside the premises of Tagore Public School in the national capital's Gandhi Nagar area. The police had registered a case against under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act) and is investigating the matter and the accused was arrested. (Read more)

A Delhi woman narrates why she feels unsafe in the city

• Most residential colonies in Delhi are poorly lit. Even main roads, inner streets, sections of markets, areas between residential blocks and bus stops pose a threat. In fact, in a survey carried out by Jagori among 500 women in the city, over 95 per cent reported carrying things like pepper sprays and sharp objects for protection. But such individualistic solutions like pepper-spray and self-defence are not an answer to our plight. At best, this is jugaad, a make-do arrangement to protect ourselves.

Click here to read the full article on Sexual violence Against Women

No firecrackers in Delhi-NCR this Diwali until Nov 1

The bench said they wanted to see the impact of a cracker-free festivity at least in one Diwali

 

The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that there will be no sale of firecrackers during Diwali, as it restored a November 2016 order banning the sale and stocking of firecrackers in Delhi and National Capital Region.

A bench headed by Justice A K Sikri, while restoring the order, said: "We should see at least in one Diwali the impact of a cracker free festival."

However, the court said that the September 12, 2017 order lifting the ban on the sale and stocking of firecrackers in Delhi NCR will be back into effect from November 1.

These Diwali there will be no firecrackers in Delhi & National Capital Region ruled supreme court. The bench said they wanted to see the impact of a cracker free festival at least in one Diwali.

Also Read: Metro Fare Hike: Will Pay Half Of Funds If Centre Pays 50%

2 Indians die every minute due to air pollution: Study

Patna and New Delhi are found to be the worst polluted cities of the world for PM 2.5 levels

 

 

Latest News -  The air Indians breathe is turning more toxic by the day and an average of two deaths take place daily due to air pollution, says a new study.

According to medical journal The Lancet, over a million Indians death by air pollution and some of the worst polluted cities of the world are in India.

The study released this week but based on 2010 data estimates that globally 2.7-3.4 million pre-term births may be associated with PM 2.5 exposure and South Asia is the worst hit accounting for 1.6 million pre-term births.

The study says causes of air pollution and climate change are intricately linked and needed to be tackled together.

The Lancet concludes that climate change posed both a "potentially catastrophic risk to human health", while conversely being "the greatest global health opportunity of the 21st century" if the right steps are taken.

The smog over northern India is extracting a heavy toll, every minute two lives are lost in India due to ambient air pollution, the study published in The Lancet says.

Further, according an estimate by the World Bank, this would amount to a whopping $38 billion loss in income towards labour in India (read more...)

8 people per day on average die in Delhi due to pollution: SC

At least 3,000 pre-mature deaths take place annually in Delhi due to air pollution

 

Every day eight people on an average are dying in Delhi due to air pollution-related diseases, the Supreme Court today said even as it directed the Centre to consider banning the use of fuels high in sulphur content-- furnace oil and pet coke -- by industries in NCR.

A bench of Justices M B Lokur and P C Pant quoted a study of a Boston-based institute which said that every year around 3000 people die in Delhi pollution-related diseases.

"A 2010 study of the Boston-based institute on health effects estimates that at least 3000 pre-mature deaths take place annually in Delhi due to air pollution-related diseases.

"The World Allergy Organisation's journal published a report in 2013 on the high respiratory disorder symptoms which says that students living in Chandni Chowk in north delhi have 66 per cent such symptoms, west Delhi's Mayapuri (59 per cent) and south Delhi's Sarojini Nagar (46 per cent).

"Heavy traffic movement has been found to be the factor responsible for the relative difference between the localities," the bench said while quoting the report in the order.  (read more...)

Delhi tops most polluted megacity list, says WHO

Delhi's air is the worst among world megacities, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed recently, even as IndiaSpend's #breathe network of air-quality sensors reported fine-particulate-matter (PM2.5) levels were almost four times above daily safe levels, on average, for the seven-day period from September 22 to 28, 2016.

For long-term exposure, these 24-hour levels are nearly 11 times above the WHO health standards. Over the monsoons, Delhi's air was relatively cleaner because the rain and wind diminished the impact of pollutants. But with the season changing, three of our five sensors in the National Capital Region (NCR) registered "poor" to "very poor" air-quality levels from September 22 to 28, meaning prolonged exposure affects healthy people and "seriously impacts" those with existing disease. In December 2015, week-long analysis of data from #breathe devices showed Delhi's air pollution was one-and-a-half times worse than in Beijing, IndiaSpend reported.

In 2012, with one million deaths, China reported the highest toll from PM2.5 and PM10 pollution. At the time, India followed, reporting 621,138 deaths, nearly 10 per cent of the global toll (6.5 million deaths) associated with outdoor and indoor air pollution.

Read Source

Woman set on fire for allegedly rejecting marriage proposal in Delhi

In a shocking incident, a 25-year old woman was set ablaze by a man for allegedly turning down his wedding proposal.

The incident took place at the victim's home in northwest Delhi's Bhalswa Dairy area, when the accused, Abhishek along with his friends Vijay, Karan and few others went there and started beating the woman's relatives.

A relative of the victim, Gita said that whenever the girl used to go out, the boys used to harass her.

"It had been seven-ten days since they began troubling her. Still she used to ignore them. When she could not tolerate further, she told this to her brother, who asked him to stay away from her. The harassing stopped for a few days, but then it started again," she added.

Gita said the accused's name is Abhishek and that he stays in the neighbourhood.

"20-25 men came and started beating us with rods. Abhishek's four-five uncles were also there and with his friends as well. Abhishek started threatening the girl but she refused to marry him. He then poured kerosene on her, set her on fire and ran away," she added.

Gita further stated that there is no hope for the girl's survival, as 95 percent of her read more..