Saturday, November 11, 2017

It is the poor that suffers

A toxic smog that has smothered New Delhi this week and triggered a pollution emergency, is hurting the homeless and those living in slums the most, said activists and doctors. The air has remained consistently in the "hazardous" category or above those levels. The city's homeless are bearing the brunt of it.

"At these high levels, even the healthy are affected. The homeless and those on the streets are the most vulnerable, as they are not very healthy to begin with," said J.C. Suri, a pulmonary disease specialist at Safdarjung Hospital. "They are exposed to construction dust, vehicle exhaust on a daily basis, and at this time of year, it gets worse," he said. 

Tiny particulate matter, called PM 2.5, reached 523 at 9 a.m. local time on Friday - the outer limit of "good" air is 50. The particles can be inhaled deep into the lungs, causing heart attacks, strokes, lung cancer and respiratory diseases. At least 2.5 million people in India died early because of pollution in 2015, more than any other country in the world.

"Even on a regular day, pollution levels are quite high, and they are on the streets all the time," said Irtiza Quraishi of Marham, a non-profit group for the homeless in Delhi. "There are not enough shelters, and most of them work outdoors during the day,"

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