Why does Beijing value its citizens more than Delhi?

The air quality levels in Delhi for November were categorised as 'severe' and 'very poor' with PM2.5 levels categorised as severe for more than three consecutive days multiple times. This counts as a “smog episode”, when pollution levels rise and remain in the worst category of the air quality index for three consecutive days. For most countries, this would mean shutting down schools and industrial units, reducing cars, making public transport free and most importantly, issuing a health warning and advisory. However, there was no warning issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. Nor does the public have any health advisory issued advising them to stay indoors or avoid certain activities.

On separately classifying the PM2.5 data given out by Delhi Pollution Control Committee and Central Pollution Control Board under the air quality index categories, the following pie chart was created:

According to this analysis, 72 per cent of the days were “severely polluted” in terms of PM2.5 which is the worst category of air quality index. This means severe health problems not only for those suffering from allergies, respiratory and cardiac disorders but also healthy persons.

There are multiple factors adding to Delhi’s current smog situation including paddy burning across Punjab, local garbage and rubble burning and the ever- increasing number of private vehicles on the city’s roads. Delhi also has geographical factors because it is a landlocked megacity and has fewer options of flushing out this polluted air outside the city unlike Mumbai that has a coastal advantage.   
 
While Beijing issued its smog alert at 391 microgram per cubic metre, Delhi has been ailing, with levels crossing 500 microgram/cubic metre. November 29 saw a huge half-marathon in Delhi where thousands of people gathered to run in the early hours of the morning. A real-time exposure monitoring carried out by a researcher of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)’s clean air and sustainable mobility team showed that average PM2.5 values during the marathon were 1,210 microgram per cubic metre, 20 times higher than the 24-hour national air quality safe standard for PM2.5. This is also 68 times higher than the 24-hour safe standard laid out by the WHO. These numbers are not just extremely big but also hold serious health impacts. Air pollution is now linked with stroke, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease as well. We are still struggling with a lack of a concrete air quality forecast and the visibility of the city has gone down due to the thick smog enveloping Delhi.
 
Why is the value of human lives so low in our city? Is it a no person’s responsibility to protect the public and also implement strict measures when the city is ailing and struggling to breathe? As a child, I would always look at constellations (Ursa Major, Orion), the bright red star and evening star. However, I struggle to see a single star now. There has to be an answer from the officials to the growing public health disorders arising from air pollution. Or is it the realisation that because our pollution levels are almost always in the severe category, Delhi will have to have a “smog alert” every day, which means everyone will have to stay indoors all the time? As per the most recent study, in 10 years from now, New Delhi will record the highest premature deaths from air pollution: 32,000 (Max Planck Institute, Germany). This does not mean the rest of India is safe. Currently, air pollution is the fifth-largest killer in India, with almost 650,000 premature deaths each year. I demand an answer to my right to clean air. WE demand our right to clean air.