Sick? You're Not Alone as Survey Shows 73% Delhi-NCR Homes Have 1 Person Suffering Due to Hazardous Air

Shedding light on the hugely worrying impact of pollution on the health of those living in the National Capital Region, a survey has found that citizens are now facing serious smog-related health hazards due to air quality index (AQI) level crossing 900 in many parts of Delhi-NCR.

An AQI level – calculated as per the level of pollutants (PM2.5, PM10 and other harmful gases) present in the air – at 310-400 is considered as “very unhealthy for all”. The current “severe or emergency” level-air quality, that too, before the start of Diwali across Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad and Faridabad is already showing a negative impact on people’s health.

Cough, cold, sore throat, burning eyes, and difficulty in breathing have become the most commonly reported problems among those living at least 73% households in the NCR, the survey states. These health effects may lead to short or long-term ailments such as aggravated respiratory and cardiovascular problems, and even lung cancer.

LocalCircles conducted a survey to find the aggregate percentage of households in Delhi-NCR having one or more individuals facing pollution-related health ailments like cough, cold, sore throat, burning eyes, headache and respiratory difficulties.

The community forum also asked respondents about how they were celebrating the festival season by “socialising” during the Diwali festival given the double-threat posed by air pollution and the likelihood of getting infected with Covid-19 amid the present air quality conditions.

The survey involved 35,000 respondents across the Delhi- NCR region. Only 13% households in Delhi, 13% in Gurugram, 19% in Noida, 19% in Ghaziabad, and 17% in Faridabad said “no members of the family have been affected due to the pollution.”

73% of Homes Have At Least One Person Sick Due to Pollution

The aggregate views of citizens suggest that 73% households of Delhi-NCR now have one or more individuals suffering from pollution-related ailments like cough, cold, sore throat, headache, burning eyes, and difficulty in breathing. Delhi has reported the highest number of one or more individuals in the household facing pollution-related ailments, followed by Noida, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gurugram, finds the survey.

A similar survey done half a month ago indicated that 65% households in Delhi have one or more individuals who have begun to experience pollution-related ailments. For Delhi, this has risen to 85% respondents now saying that they have one or more individuals in the household suffering from pollution-related ailments.

Socialising During Diwali? Most Don’t Want to

The second question in the survey attempted to understand the perception of Delhi-NCR citizens on festival season-socialisation. Residents of Delhi and NCR typically meet their friends and extended family before and after Diwali. Many Diwali parties also take place during the period.

“With Delhi-NCR AQI now in the 500-700 range and coronavirus daily cases near 7,000, how do you plan to socialise this Diwali?”, asked the survey, to which 5,908 responses from Delhi, 1,364 from Gurugram, 1,449 from Noida, 2,650 from Ghaziabad, and 1,318 from Faridabad were received. Only 22% of respondents from Delhi, 20% from Gurugram, 25% from Noida, 22% from Ghaziabad, and 50% from Faridabad said they would socialise this Diwali.

The responses suggest that only 25% of residents of Delhi-NCR will socialise this Diwali given the double-threat posed by air pollution and the likelihood of getting infected with Covid-19.

Stepping out for Shopping Also Not a Major Preference

The other question LocalCircles asked was about how citizens planned to shop during this time. The responses suggested that only 29% of residents in Delhi, 43% in Gurugram, 22% in Noida, 44% in Ghaziabad, and 66% in Faridabad would visit markets and malls to shop for Diwali.

The aggregate views of citizens suggest that 36% residents of Delhi-NCR plan to visit markets and malls for Diwali shopping. The National Capital region including Delhi continues to see huge crowds at popular market places like Sarojini Nagar and others.

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