VISIBLE OR NOT?
Tuhina Mishra
Grant Government Medical College
“Where are we going, mom?” Rahul asked in his innocent voice, looking at the dense fog anxiously, his eyes really hard to look through ‘the opaque fog’. Mira hadn’t missed out a single precautionary step- the fog lights were on, speed was as low as 15 kmph, the wiper constantly cleaning the screen to get whatever little view was possible. A question popped up in her mind, “Is this the future I’m preparing my son for?” Suddenly there was a loud cry, a crashing sound followed by an utter silence.
On the fateful day of 17 November 2017, nature vented out its full blown anger on our National Capital, Delhi. “This way for the gas, ladies and gentlemen” this is what the Delhi’s signboard should say as city’s air pollution is compared to Hitler’s gas chamber. What was used as a means of torture for the Jews turned out to be a reality for Delhites.
Delhi has never failed to come under the scanner when it comes to calculating the pollution levels. Despite being on the top notch, none had ever predicted that such an untimely and ghastly incident would occur. Delhi smog stands out as a testament to the inhumane acts of human beings and how manipulations done in nature can hit man back, really hard. While some environmentalists blame the indiscriminate burning of crops in Haryana to be the prime reason, others believe that the geographical location of the place has caused the havoc. Whatever the theory be, air pollution is the major factor responsible for the incident. According to the reports, the toxic levels of carcinogenic pollutants in the capital has been recorded as 10 times more than what was recorded in Beijing, the city which is globally infamous for its toxic air quality.
Inhaling this air has been equated with smoking 50 cigarettes a day by doctors. So what is worse, chain-smokers or delhiites ? The latter it seems.
Health outcomes of such a nightmare portray an equally ugly picture. Exposure to smog can have deleterious effects on health. It can cause/ aggravate health conditions such as chest infections, irritation in eyes, worsen asthma, bronchitis and emphysema. Incidences of low birth weight babies and pre term babies have increased drastically in Delhi.
How would one feel if once a beautiful city gets covered with ugly black smoke? Wouldn’t it be the last thing anyone would want to see in his lifetime?
Delhi smog has made people realise the value of a healthy life, the value of our senses. Let’s respect ourselves, our senses, our body.
Through the glass
This is so pretty.
Is this the future?
It’s stretching in every direction
“where is the car in front of me” is a good question
Flurries cloud her vision
Swirling and streaming through the the air
Its not snowing
But the dust is undoubtedly there
My eyes are wide
Focussed on the sky above
Never have I seen such blazing
Colour scorching the night sky.
