Toxic air kills the poor and irritates the rich

‘GRAP IV’, ‘N95’, and ‘AQI’- these are not random letters but the new language the citizens of northern India are using in their daily lives.

Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and other states have been recording dangerously toxic air quality with itchy eyes and raspy coughs becoming the norm.

The air in the National Capital Region (NCR) is so high in pollutantsthat it falls in the ‘severe plus’ category and strict measures had to be imposedto control the crisis.

Even the Supreme Court of India has rapped the Central and state governments and said that it is their ‘constitutional obligation’ to ensure that ‘citizens live in a pollution-free environment.’

Social media is rife with images of people wearing masks, and going to the doctors, with many sharing pictures of their air purifiers working in overdrive, trying desperately to keep the toxicity at bay.

But this is not the only crisis plaguing us.

While many of us, including this writer, are safely ensconced in our air-conditioned offices and homes, several others are still out there, braving not just the toxic pollution but also the toxicity of privilege.

GRAP IV has recommended work from home to be invoked and non-essential vehicles to not enter the capital, in a desperate attempt to keep the pollution away.

A fact missing from this common rhetoric is that many of Delhi’s citizenry do not have the privilege to work fromhome. A significant chunk of the population does not own a four-wheeler, let alone contribute to the toxic haze enveloping our lives.

Who then are the bans,‘recommendations’, and restrictions benefitting?

The answer is one each of us knows: people with money and in turn privilege.

It is justified for the reader to laugh at and even cancel the writer of these words for addressing the issue with the high-handedness that often goes hand-in-hand with privilege.

It is easier to view pollution from a distance when you can afford to travel via metro.

It is easier to complain about the toxic Yamuna when you don’t have to live on its banks.

It is infinitely easier to talk about a problem without being the ones who suffer the most because, just like clean water and food, air too comes with a price tag.

The pollution will eventually go away, but the privilege will stay.

Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.