Delhi, the world's most polluted capital, announced the construction ban to combat toxic air pollution around the city, which Delhi laborers criticized.
The city has been affected by poor air quality since early this month, which also happens every year despite the continuous rehabilitation of the government.
Delhi Laborers Criticizes Construction Ban
Labourers cut stone blocks during the construction work under the Central Vista project at Rajpath in New Delhi on July 8, 2022.
According to US News, Totaram Maurya lifts bricks and sacks of cement on construction sites in New Delhi to feed his family, who only earns about 500 rupees ($6) daily. However, he has been stuck at home as he could not go to work due to the construction ban to ease the toxic smog over the city.
Maurya said that he would rather die while working because he had mouths to feed. He said lifting heavy materials was already tough and the toxic air pollution makes him cough when smoke gets in his lungs and his eyes burn.
Maurya said he uses a handkerchief to cover his nose from the toxic air pollution.
Pramod Kumar, 23, a limestone worker at construction sites in Delhi, who also complained of not having worked for days, said that if he got sick, everything would fall apart.
The city banned construction to keep down the dust and reduce vehicle exhaust. Furthermore, the authorities stopped heavy vehicles entering the city, and schools closed.
Thousands of laborers like Maurya could not attend to work. The authorities were still in action to empty fine particles in the air that can endanger the residents and rise to levels almost 20 times higher than a World Health Organization (WHO) safe limit.
According to Reuters, Delhi's toxic air pollution worsens during winter. The wind drops, and the air cools, trapping pollutants from vehicles, industry, and agricultural waste as farmers in surrounding bread-basket states burn off stubble to prepare for new planting.
The city also sent out water trucks to spray in the air to clear the smoke and dust this year. For the first time, they would try to make rain.
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Scientists's Response to Toxic Air Pollution
Manindra Agrawal, a scientist at the Indian Institute of Technology at Kanpur, southeast of Delhi, anticipates some cloud cover next week as they would trigger rain through cloud seeding.
On Sunday, the rain brought some short-lived relief to the residents of New Delhi. However, pollution surged again as revelers defied a firecracker ban to mark the Diwali Hindu festival.
The authorities advised the residents to limit outdoor activities while the air was still bad.
The construction sector in India was the second-largest job generator after agriculture, with almost 70 million employees, including inexperienced workers who leave the countryside for the cities in the hope of better lives.
Related Article: [UPDATE] New Delhi Air Pollution Worsens as Smog Becomes Visible From Space, Politicians Blame Each Other
