Smog in Capital Causes Major Concerns for Road Safety

Pollution levels was recorded in ‘severe’ category in Delhi on Monday morning with the AQI (Air Quality Index) being recorded at 407 hourly.

The capital’s AQI has been in the ‘poor’ to ‘very poor’ category for quite some time.

An AQI recorded between zero and 50 is considered good, 51 and 100 is satisfactory, 101 and 200 moderate, 201 and 300 poor, 301 and 400 very poor, and 401 and 500 severe.

Due to the hazardous air quality, smog has enveloped the entire city.

People who have asthma/ bronchitis/ emphysema have the worst time when smog hits. Patients can have severe and frequent asthma attacks. The risk of developing these diseases also increases.

Children who spend at lot time outdoors, are at greater risk of getting affected by smog. Their risk of getting asthma is higher as it is the most common respiratory disease among children.

Smog makes driving hazardous before sunrise and after sunset. Yesterday, two buses collided head on in the Greater Noida Expressway near Knowledge park of Noida  in the early of Sunday. At least 3 people were killed and 13 more were injured. This happened even after the speed limit for the freeway had been lowered to prevent such accidents by nearly 50%.

Every winter, due to smog, accidents become a major concern for the traffic police. No amount of bans and guidelines provided by the government to reduce pollution seem to prevent smog from creating itself.