Remember winters in Delhi? Kap kapati thand, foggy breath, burnt peanuts in newspaper cones, and addha chai under the low sun with neighbours. Now, that same chill feels heavier — laced with smog, soot, and silence.
AQI this morning? Somewhere between “very poor” and “think twice before you inhale.”
Mood? air purifiers, cough syrup, inhalers.
Visibility? Optional.
Winter isn’t just a season anymore. It’s a statistic. Every October, delhi — along with much of North india — begins its annual countdown to smog season.
The science is simple: cold air traps pollutants close to the ground. Add vehicular exhaust, construction dust, biomass burning, and festive smoke, and you get a microclimate of misery.
PM2.5 levels in parts of delhi today are nearly 10x what WHO considers safe. That’s not fog — that’s a floating buffet of fine particles invading your lungs, bloodstream, and maybe even your morning chai.
Throats burn, eyes water, coughs echo, inhalers come out — and yet life goes on, as if toxic air is just part of the weather forecast. The irony? We’re still debating if it’s “that bad.” It is.
Every year, same season, same scripts, same tweets, same masks. Only the memes change. This isn’t post-Diwali syndrome — it’s collective fatigue, quiet acceptance that this is normal.
Clean air isn’t a privilege. It’s a fundamental right under our Constitution. It’s policy, planning, political will… and it’s deeply personal. Kiske lungs yahan pollution se chalte hai? 🙋🏻♀️
So maybe this winter, we try something different. Skip “green” crackers. Support cleaner fuels. Push for better waste management. Hold policymakers accountable before the haze sets in, not after.
Delhi deserves its winters back — the kind that chill your bones and nose, not your bronchial tubes.
#Delhi #AirPollution #SmogSeason #CleanAir #WinterInDelhi #PublicPolicy #BreatheEasy #EnvironmentalRights
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