“Never Seen Anything Like This In Forty Years”: Historian William Dalrymple on Delhi’s Rising Air Pollution
Addressing his distress over the situation, Scottish historian William Dalrymple remarked that, in 40 years of living in the national capital, he had not encountered such a severe situation.
“Never Seen Anything Like This In Forty Years”: Historian William Dalrymple on Delhi’s Rising Air Pollution
The rising air pollution has become a severe concern for Delhi, with many regions surpassing the 500 AQI mark. Expressing his distress over the situation, Scottish historian William Dalrymple remarked that in 40 years of living in the national capital he has not come across such a severe situation. He voiced his despair over seeing one of India’s finest cities turn into a ‘choking death trap.’
Mr. Dalrymple shared an infographic on X showcasing the deteriorating air quality in the national capital which is equivalent to smoking 40 cigarettes a day. Following the image, the caption read- “Just arrived back in Delhi to find the city embalmed in an all-enveloping burial shroud of pollution. Even at 2pm impossible to see 100m across the runway”. He further added, “I've never seen anything like this in forty years of living here. What a fate for the City of Djinns- still, at its best the most fascinating of cities, but currently a tragic, choking death-trap.”
Mr. Dalrymple’s post has registered more than 361,000 views, with some people expressing their agreement and distress over the capital’s condition while others advising shift to places with good AQI in the comment section.
The air quality in Delhi and neighbouring areas including Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram touched hazardous levels with AQI reaching 500 in some parts on Tuesday. Toxic smog induced low visibility caused delays in trains and flights in the national capital.
