Photos: At highest risk, the homeless are unaware about rising pollution

While the government has declared a health emergency after air pollution across Delhi reached alarming levels — the air quality index (AQI) in Delhi escalated to 494 on Sunday, the worst level of pollution since November 2016 — a large number of the city’s residents worriedly resorted to anti-pollution masks for the outdoors and air purifiers for their homes. The poor and homeless, however, are uncertain how to react. Experts believe those living closest to the streets are at the highest risk of suffering from health problems.

Updated on: Nov 04, 2019 12:32 PM IST

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A man is seen by the road amid heavy smog near ISBT. While the government has declared a health emergency after air pollution across Delhi reached alarming levels, the air quality index (AQI) escalated to 494 on Sunday, the worst since November 2016 — a large number of the city’s residents worriedly resorted to anti-pollution masks for the outdoors and air purifiers for their homes. The poor and homeless, however, are uncertain how to react. (Biplov Bhuyan / HT Photo)

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Sarika,35, who lives with her husband and two children in a slum next to the Kashmere Gate Metro says “my six-year old son has been coughing for the last one week.” Speaking about whether she intends to buy a mask for him she says, “I do not know anything about masks.” (Biplov Bhuyan / HT Photo)

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People living closest to the streets are at the highest risk of suffering from health problems. “It has been established that people who are close to the main roads are at the highest risk since they have maximum exposure to pollutants,” said Dr Jugal Kishore, director, head of department, community medicine, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital. (Biplov Bhuyan / HT Photo)

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A man sleeps next to a road amid running traffic, thus exposing oneself to deadly pollutants. “The best solution for the people on the streets would be to relocate them to less polluted areas, away from traffic junctions,” said TK Joshi, environmental health advisor to the central government. (Biplov Bhuyan / HT Photo)

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Fifty-year old Suresh who has been living in a tent at Kashmere Gate for the past 25 years, says that “it is impossible for us to calculate when the pollution is high or low. If we start wearing masks now, we will become an object of ridicule among our people.” (Biplov Bhuyan / HT Photo)