Indian capital struck by fatal COVID-smog duo, moves to ban crackers on Diwali

India’s capital is reeling from the double impact of the coronavirus and severe air pollution, New Delhi’s chief minister warned last week, as the megacity reported a record jump in cases and its worst smog in a year.

With fears growing about rising infections, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal joined several other Indian states in banning firecrackers from being used this month during Diwali, the biggest festival on the Hindu calendar.

The air quality index — measuring the tiny particles which enter the bloodstream and vital organs — has been at its most dangerous since last November, taking a steep dive last month, according to the state-run System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).

The Diwali cracker frenzy usually turns Delhi’s grey winter skies into a putrid yellow.

The toxic haze blanketing Delhi, which regularly turns the city of 20 million people into the world’s most-polluted, came as officials report a new daily-high of 6,842 virus infections in the capital last Wednesday.

And the filthy air is actually driving more cases of Covid-19, Kejriwal warned at an online briefing.

“The corona situation is worsening because of pollution,” he said, echoing medical analysis which says existing illnesses caused by poor air quality could make people more vulnerable to the coronavirus.

He has previously linked the choking smoke from stubble burning as a leading cause to the air pollution, criticising the regional state governments for not helping farmers find alternative ways to clear their fields.

SAFAR reported that crop stubble burning in states near the capital was the highest this season with some 4,135 fires.

The pollution is exacerbated by cooler temperatures and slow-moving winds that trap pollutants over the city.

Anumita Roy Chowdhury, of the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment, told AFP: “Some global studies have already shown how the effect of the pandemic is higher in more polluted regions.”

And Santosh Harish, at the Delhi-based Center for Policy Research, said: “Evidence from previous related infections and emerging research suggest that pollution exposure could increase severity of the infection, and the transmission of the virus.”

India is the world’s second most-infected nation after the United States with more than 8.3 million Covid-19 cases.

Healthcare systems, already stretched by the pandemic, could be further stressed by more hospitalisations from pollution-related illnesses, researchers say.

[Sourced from Agencies]