Gautam Gambhir, the former India cricketer, is currently on commentary duties during the ongoing Test match between India and Bangladesh at the Holkar stadium in Indore. Before the start of the second day's play, former India player VVS Laxman shared some photos where he and Gambhir are having a good time having jalebis and poha in Indore. Poha-Jalebi is the most common and renowned breakfast dish in Madhya Pradesh. Laxman's tweet read, "Kabhi pohe se teekhe, kabhi jalebi se meethe ... wonderful start to the day in Indoor, where we had breakfast outdoor." While Gambhir retweeted Laxman's tweet, the left-handed batsman has been the subject of intense trolling.
The reason - Gambhir, who is a BJP MP from East Delhi, is not in the city as the national capital's air pollution continues to worsen. Gambhir was part of the standing committee for the Urban Development ministry. They were supposed to meet today to discuss Delhi pollution among other issues but Gambhir and three other MPs were absent. Many of the high-ranking Delhi administration were also absent. On Friday, people in Delhi-NCR woke up to thick blanket of smog for the fifth consecutive day with air quality in several areas dipping to 'severe-plus' pollution levels. Many people have questioned Gambhir's commitment to Delhi and some said that he did not care about the pollution in the capital.
At 7 am, the air quality in several areas of the Delhi and NCR, including Pusa Road (777), Dwarka Sector 8 (930), Pragati Vihar (733), Anand Vihar (535), Noida Sector 125 (665), Noida Sector 62 (538), US Embassy in Chanakyapuri (660), Jahagirpuri (610), Narela (808), Bawana (865), Okhla (722), Satyawati College in Ashok Vihar (757), Sonia Vihar (565), Alipur (644), Sri Aurobindo Marg (733), Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business in Rohini (765) and Patparganj (571) crossed the 'severe-plus' category. According to Ministry of Earth Science-backed System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the AQI level in and around Delhi was in emergency zone. According to the CPCB, another government agency, Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad breathed very poor air with the AQI hovering at 478. Greater Noida was shade better at 460.
Apart from temperature, another key factor is wind velocity. As the experts say, the low surface wind is dense and carry more pollutants. The only hope for people of Delhi is either a brief spell of rain or high-speed winds, which can clear the sky. According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, Delhi’s annual average PM 2.5 (particulate matter of 2.5 micron size) last year was 115 microgram per cubic metre while the WHO recommends this be kept under 10 micrograms per cubic metre.
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The World Health Organization sys that air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year. The WHO data shows that 9 out of 10 people breathe air containing high levels of pollutants. More than 80% of people living in urban areas that monitor air pollution are exposed to air quality levels that exceed WHO guideline limits, with low- and middle-income countries suffering from the highest exposures, both indoors and outdoors. Some 91% of those premature deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries, and the greatest number in the WHO South-East Asia and Western Pacific regions.
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