New Delhi: The onset of extremely cold conditions in northwestern plains of India has resulted in a deadly cocktail of chilly weather and pollution in New Delhi and surrounding areas. While the chill has got the poor and the homeless scrambling to shelter homes for cover, the general populace is left exposed to dangerously high particulate levels in the air.
Pre-Christmas cold catches many off-guard
The pre-Christmas cold this year has been surprising. Delhi on Sunday recorded its lowest morning temperature in four years at 3.7 degrees celsius. While for the weatherman this may not be out of the ordinary, over the past few years Delhites got used to experiencing such cold late in December or early January.
It is for this reasons that most of the schools in Delhi NCR have still not taken their winter recess. Most of them are scheduled to reopen after the Christmas break. In both adjoining Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, most of the schools are only scheduled to break for winter from next week.
SC monitoring has helped improve facilities for homeless
The worst hit by the cold are the homeless. Under the supervision of a Supreme Court-monitored committee, the Delhi government has developed an organised system of night shelters over the last five years. The death of around 164 people due to cold conditions in 2015-16 led to a lot of improvements in the night shelter scheme.
Also read: Delhi’s Air Is Awful – and It’s Not Even the Worst India Has to Offer
There are now 248 night shelters in the national capital. Of these, 83 operate out of permanent buildings, 115 from porta-cabins while 50 run from European style fireproof tents. These are managed by the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board in association with non-governmental organisations and are being prepared to take in 19,000 people this year.
The shelters have been planned to cater to the poor across the city. The general benchmark is having one for every 10,000 people. Despite the spread, it is believed that they accessible to all the homeless and poor.
Snacks and hot water facilities being added
Last year, as against a capacity of over 17,000 beds, these shelters received only about 14,000 people. So this year, it was even decided to provide snacks in the form of tea and toasts to those coming in. But while that program was to kick in from the new year, the cold set in early.
All the shelters are providing a sheet, pillow, mattress and blankets to the visitors. Television sets have also been provided to keep the sojourners engaged. Arrangements for hot water have also been made in over 70 shelters this year. Constant vigil is also kept by caretakers and government staff to ensure that unwanted elements are kept out.
Those availing these shelters are usually the homeless or the casual workers, who normally sleep in the open or in covered spaces near their place of work.
As per a 2014 survey, Delhi has about 16,760 homeless. The United Nations Development Program put their numbers at 55,955. Unofficial estimates, however, suggest there are over 1.5 lakh people who live on the streets.
Strict rules make many still prefer sleeping in the open
While statistics dictate there should be a greater demand for these shelters (as there is no charge in winters), it has not been the case. Many poor and destitute still prefer sleeping in the open. The primary reason being that there are restrictions in place on entering shelter homes for those who are inebriated or under the influence of drugs. Also, many poor people believe they would get clothes, blankets and even money in alms if they would stay put in the open.
Also read: Why Delhi’s Plan to Wash Down Its Air Pollution With Rain Just Won’t Work
Low wind speed, burning of wood and waste take pollution to alarming levels
The cold conditions also lead to burning of a lot of bonfires as people adopt different means to stay warm. From wood to plastics and rubber tyres, every thing that can give heat is set alight. This along with low wind speeds has contributed to higher particulate matter levels in Delhi.
According to Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) data, pollution levels have again reached alarming levels in many parts of the city. The PM10 and PM2.5 level in Anand Vihar was at 1,186 and 953 microgrammes per cubic metre which was over 10 times more than the safe level of 100 microgrammes for PM10 and 60 microgrammes for PM2.5.
Similarly, the situation was bad in several other areas such as Wazirpur and R.K. Puram. Most parts of the city were bracketed in the “severe” to “emergency” category because of the high air pollution levels.