Gurugram gasps for breath as AQI crosses 700

GURUGRAM: Gurugram residents continued to struggle for clean air as the Air Quality Index (AQI) docked at 703, which falls in the ‘severe plus’ category, on Friday morning, said System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).

In a major concern for the residents, there is a high concentration of particulate matters of 2.5 microns suspended in the city’s air.

The levels of particulate matter PM 2.5 have serious health implications such as asthma, bronchitis, chronic respiratory symptoms including, shortness of breath, painful breathing, and premature deaths as these tend to get lodged in the lung and can even enter the bloodstream leading to severe health complications.

The deadly pollution levels that are prevalent in the city ever since October 25 has resulted in even foreign corporates taking safety measures. Most of the companies have already cancelled their review meetings with the clients. Some of the foreign corporates are also leaving Gurugram early on the pretext of early Christmas vacations.

The prohibition enforced on industrial units have now begun to hurt the Gurugram garment export units. Most of the companies are already fearing the prospect of losing substantial business due to the nondelivery of orders to Western European countries. Some of the staff from the garment export units now plan to hold a peaceful protest to bring in light about their problems to the government.

CM Manohar Lal Khattar who has distributed the portfolios to his ministers have taken the responsibility of the environment and climate change ministry. At a time when not only Gurugram but most of the cities in Haryana are in the list of most polluted cities in the country, it will be a major challenge for the minister to tackle the challenge.