My Dyson is Giving me 9 AQI- We are getting what we deserve.

It started about 5 yrs ago. Diwali crackers and pollution…

Oh, did I bore you with this first line itself? Are you thinking not again and that you should check a meme or a reel instead. Well, I don’t blame you………you are getting what you deserve. You may not have the right air to breathe, but at least you have a dozen-plus reel to keep you entertained for the next 40mins.

So yes, about 5 yrs ago, the entire city of Delhi was engulfed in smog, and it was the first time we faced something like this. The government told us that the reason was crackers. The winds were probably in favor of the govt, and the situation got resolved in 3-4 days, and life was back to normal.

Year 2 was the same situation post-Diwali, and we were told that along with crackers, it was the stubble burning by farmers that were adding to it, so they will talk to the farmers. The smog got cleared in a week, and we again forgot all about it.

It’s probably the 5th or the 6th year. There was a ban on crackers. Schools, Offices, Construction, Diesel Vehicles were shut, people were given signages with our leader’s pics urging people to switch off cars as a part of the master plan to solve the crises. Twenty-three days down the line, AQI is still ranging from 350+ to 500+ in certain parts of the city, and this time the life is already back to normal. Schools and Offices will be opened from Monday with no improvement in air quality, and now it is our discretion if we want to send out kids or not, and the not so surprising part is that no one is even talking about it.

We are standing up to “Dilli hai Dilwalon ki,” and like we welcome everyone with open arms, we have welcomed pollution and made it an integral part of our everyday lives. From teaching our kids about festivals and fun things, we are now teaching them about AQI, and we are proud that our 4 yr old can say Air Quality Index and understands which color signifies what.

I thought that it was not too late and things could change, and all that was required was a step in the right direction. We are in the age of Social Media, and it took just one tweet, video, or msg to go Viral to make yourself heard and to convey the msg to the concerned people. I came across an article on a campaign run by Mumbai parents  #openmumbaischool, which took the momentum, and the authorities had to open the schools in Mumbai. I thought for a concern like pollution, which impacted people of age groups, it would be easy to get support and make people accountable for the mess we are in.

I know quite a few enterprising, well-established, and well-connected people who jump up to help for every cause, donate, are extremely helpful, and have the right means and contacts to do something about it. So I wrote a long message and sent it across to about 500 people on Whatsapp and about 10k on social media, hoping that we would be able to initiate a dialogue and do something about it. Well you guess it right……..Forget about a movement; I could not move one soul.

Our government has now sold the concept of Lockdown to us. For every issue, the ultimate solution is to sit at home locked up. On the other hand, we are delighted with our latest purchase, and we are flaunting it amongst our groups that at least we have a 9 AQI in our living room.

Most people don’t even think it’s an issue. The ones who live outside of Delhi are happy that while Delhi is in the Hazardous Zone, they are at least in orange, which is bad only for the severely ill.

Few others are not worried about pollution but are more concerned about raising a political debate around why crackers were banned on Diwali and not on Gurupurab.

So it would not be wrong to say that We are getting what we deserve, and 5 yrs down the line if we would deserve the respiratory problems and other issues that we would face.

But I am sure there will still be a positive side to it. We would then be happy about the best health facilities that we would have access to cause of the right and timely investments in health insurance policies. We would be happy to make travel plans and live in holiday homes outside India. We would be proud to defame India on social media and other platforms to showcase how knowledgeable we are.

I was so wrong when I thought change was just a Like and a Comment away……..

If you have read it till here, then I would assume you are also looking for a solution cause I was told that it’s easy to pinpoint the problem but difficult to find a solution.

My one-word solution is You; our individual will have to move the political will to work in this direction.

Should the govt give 5000 rupees packages to workers for the loss of work or use that money to educate the farmers and incentivize them to follow the correct practices to stop pollution from stubble burning.

Should we borrow busses and encourage the people to use public transport for a few days after Diwali, or should we fix our public transportation facilities and make them accessible to people so that everyone can use them.

If we can educate a country 1.39 billion to stay indoors with masks cause of coronavirus. In that case, I am sure we can definitely educate them about pollution, its causes, and ways to improve it.

Making people stand with playcards to switch off cars …is that how we fight against pollution?

Do you feel that the issue is over and that finally the sun has come and the air quality feels better? It is still above 35O, and as I said its only cause “WE” are ok with it.

Click on https://www.instagram.com/mommywize/ and voice yourself and come up with solutions. Let’s make a start and make every comment count.

#aqivsaryankhan #delhipollution #righttocleanair

Follow us-

Instagram/ Facebook/ Youtube/ Pinterest

You May Also Like: 

Air Quality Index V/s Aryan Khan

Top 5 Air Purifiers Reviews & Buying Tips