The national capital, New Delhi, has turned into a gas chamber post Diwali, thanks to the excessive cracker bursting. The air quality of the city was found to be 42 times above the safe limits because of which it has earned the title of being the 11th most polluted city in the world.
"The major changes (in air quality) were observed after 7 pm, when fireworks started. Ambient air quality in Delhi was already saturated with pollutants accumulated due to trans-state movement of pollutants," according to a statement issued by the Delhi government
"The cumulative effect of existing pollution load and pollutants' release due to fireworks, as well as adverse meteorological conditions, led to the present situation," it added.
Delhi was covered by the toxic blanket of pollution for two days since the Diwali evening.
Here are a few tips to stay protected and cope with the prevailing health hazardous environmental conditions in Delhi:
- Prevent going outdoors whenever possible.
- Try working from home if you have the option to.
- Avoid going outdoors during peak traffic hours, if you do make sure you use the face mask.
- The N99 mask is recommended over the N95 or surgical for extra protection from ailments like swine flu and also for making breathing easier.
- Check the prevailing Air Quality Index (AQI) before stepping out.
- Get more indoor plants which will aid in keeping the air at your home cleaner and toxin free.
- Make sure you dust your house on a regular basis to avoid more dust particle accumulation indoors.
- Use air purifiers, this will be very beneficial for people with allergies or breathing ailments such as asthma.
- Avoid doing any yoga exercises in traffic or any polluted environment.
- Parks with greenery and not many people around are fine for performing yoga and breathing exercises as recommended by the doctors. Some other tips given by the doctors are:
- Summers are fine for morning workouts in a park.
- Winters are not advisable for early morning exercises because of the smog.
- People are advised to do breathing exercises only post sunrise in winters.
- People with respiratory illnesses are strictly advised to only do indoor exercises with an air purifier in order to prevent the ailment from worsening.
