Within the scenic contours of Assam, Guwahati stands as a monolithic force driving rapid urbanization and industrial growth, heralding India’s progress in its Northeastern Frontiers. Amidst its geopolitical location the ancient city of Pragjyotishpur (now known as Guwahati) has been laden with innumerable challenges. As the largest city in the state of Assam, it has faced hurdles in ethnic divisions and sovereignty movements that continues to sculpt Assam’s political landscape with brief periods of unrest. Moreover, it is the gateway to the Northeastern states which has made it a focal point for regional interstate disputes and geopolitical maneuvering, which has, at times, put the city’s stability and development in peril. Regardless of its hurdles, this city and the state continues to progress onto the global stage. However, this is happening at great environmental costs, most alarmingly manifesting in the city’s declining air quality.
Comparing Guwahati’s Air Quality Index (AQI) to that of the Capitol of the Nation, Dilli (New Delhi), forecasts a grim shadow of the health challenges coming its way towards the inhabitants of Assam. Additionally, New Delhi, often referred to as the world’s pollution capital, shares a glimpse of what the future holds for Guwahati if corrective measures are not immediately undertaken.
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What is Particulate Matter and its adverse effects?
Particulate Matter (PM) is a mixture of particles and droplets in the air that are so miniscule that it can be inhaled, infiltrate one’s blood system and cause dire health problems. Particulate Matter is categorized by its size, for instance, PM10 are particles with diameters that are 10 micrometers or smaller, and PM2.5 are finer particles with diameters that are 2.5 micrometers or smaller. These particles are made up of a myriad of components such as dust, soot, smoke, liquid droplets to name a few. These particles arise from specific sources such as vehicle exhausts and agricultural practices, while others form in the atmosphere from industrial emissions and chemical reactions. Nevertheless, given their small size these particles can lodge themselves deep within the lungs and even enter the bloodstream, leading to respiratory, cardiovascular and more health issues.
While the imminent cause behind the deteriorating air quality in Guwahati is vehicular emissions, the city continues to experience an exponential increase in the number of motor vehicles, i.e., two-wheelers, cars, commercial vehicles which are significantly contributing to the devastating air pollution. This is further exacerbated by the rapid urbanization without adequate environmental quality control measures, which has led to Guwahati producing one of the highest Black Carbon pollution levels globally.
Other factors such as industrial emissions, fuel oils, natural gas for heating purposes, by-products of manufacturing and power generation, especially from coal-fueled power plants, fumes from chemical production escalate the issue. This creates a toxic cocktail of pollutants that hang over the city of Guwahati as a dark foreboding cloud.
What can we learn from Delhi’s strife with its relationship with airborne toxicity?
Comparing Delhi’s noxious air pollution hurdles provides a cautionary modern folktale for Guwahati. Despite the two cities being hundreds of kilometres apart (1600kms approximately) the air quality of Guwahati has been worse than Delhi on several occasions. This is a grievous cause for concern because New Delhi has topped real-time lists of the world’s most polluted cities, with its air quality indices (AQI) reaching and exceeding hazardous levels. Doctors say breathing in the polluted air of Delhi is equivalent to the harmful effects of smoking approximately 10 cigarettes a day.
It is concerning that Guwahati does not show up among Indian cities with poor air quality, as you can see in the image above. The environmental issues in Guwahati that includes traffic congestion, water logging and a very dusty atmosphere, significantly contribute to the city’s declining air quality. The presence of particulate matter of PM2.5 and PM10 often exceed recommended limits by significant margins in Guwahati’s air, quite starkly mirroring the conditions seen in New Delhi which has had profound implications on public health, reducing life expectancy and increasing the chances of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases among Guwahati’s populous.
These growing environmental issues in Guwahati are symptomatic of a broader urban planning and environmental management failures that increases the city’s vulnerability to more pollution. For instance, the dry season extends from November to March, this period sees a decline in the air quality annunciated by construction activities, vehicular emissions, and the absence of rainfall contributes to a sudden rise in pollution levels. This period also coincides with the harvest festival, Bihu, during which the air quality annually declines to “SEVERE” categories, and it is only getting worse.
Strategically tackling the health damages caused by air pollutants in Guwahati requires a dextrous effort. One must reduce personal exposure to these pollutants, staying indoors especially on high pollution days, using air filters, reducing physical exertion near pollution sources, wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as N95 respirators, KN95, FFP2 masks can block up to 95% of particulate matter but if you do not have access to these PPE, surgical masks or even a scarf is better than nothing.
However, to tactfully address this cumbersome health danger and to sustain a livable environment where the future generations are not left to the mercy of this blight, the measures taken up by the Government plays a pivotal role in enforcing pollution control measures, such as ban on firecrackers during Diwali, which is a result of impact of the Assam Government’s comprehensive strategy that is also addressing issues such as unchecked urban expansion, industrial growth with adequate environmental safeguards, and curbing the reliance on emissions and polluting fuels and similar practices.
All in all, the fall in air quality in Guwahati is caused by a myriad of labyrinth issues that was entrenched in the city’s fastidious urbanization, rapid industrialization, and an inadequacy in environmental governance. Encouraging the use of public transportation, adoption of cleaner technologies and amplifying green spaces within Guwahati can also put the city in roads to improving air quality.
Lastly drawing comparison with New Delhi’s pollution crises provides a valuable lesson on the potential path of Guwahati’s environmental health and need for imperative actions to avert a similar fate. By enforcing targeted mitigation strategies, magnifying regulatory frameworks, and promoting community engagement in environmental conservations, Guwahati, the ancient city of Pragjyotispur can pave the way towards cleaner air and a healthier future for its residents.
The time for action is now otherwise it might be too late before this becomes an irreversible blight on our homes and our children’s health.
If we don’t act now, then when?
(All views and opinions expressed in the article are the author’s own)
