Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Indian Capital Declares Emergency as Toxic Smog Thickens By the Hour (reuters.com)

Posted by msmash on from the suffocating dept.

New Delhi, the Indian capital declared a pollution emergency on Thursday as toxic smog hung over the city for a third day and air quality worsened by the hour. From a report: Illegal crop burning in the farm states surrounding New Delhi, vehicle exhaust emissions in a city with limited public transport and swirling construction dust have caused the crisis, which arises every year. The problem has been compounded this year by still conditions, the weather office said. A U.S. embassy measure of tiny particulate matter PM 2.5 showed a reading of 608 at 10 a.m. when the safe limit is 25. An hour before it was 591.

4 of 129 comments (clear)

  1. to put this into better perspective by nimbius · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Downtown Los Angeles air quality (PM2.5) is only 54 currently. 600 is practically thick enough to stand on.

    --
    Good people go to bed earlier.
    1. Re:to put this into better perspective by Ranbot · · Score: 5, Informative

      And little more perspective... This incident in India is similar to the 1948 Donora Smog event in Donora, PA, where steel factory air pollution and an unusual weather event created a smog that over the town that sickened thousands and killed 20 people. It was one of the key events that triggered the clean air movement in the US and eventually led to the Clean Air Act. https://www.sites.google.com/s...

  2. Re:Hey India by CohibaVancouver · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Ever think of lowering your population

    The path to lower birthrates is well-understood. Reducing poverty, empowering women, and delivering education (particularly to girls) - Alongside sex education and birth control - All reduce birthrates. India is working hard on that, but it's a long road.

    You even see it in the USA, where the birthrate in Massachusetts is lower than the birth rate in Mississippi - For exactly those reasons.

  3. Re:Karma by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is fake news. Trump has committed to using 100% solar energy within 5 years. This will create new jobs in the US as we build massive quantities of new solar panels.

    The only downside is that his proposal is to burn the new solar panels instead of burning coal.