Once again, the rise in air pollution in Delhi post-Diwali has raised questions about child health. “Adults are failing the young generation. On the surface we have government schemes, spreading awareness on social media, making posters, SDG , protests and workshops but is going to do nothing. No one bothers to be responsible and check themselves at an individual level but everyone wants to post and portray on the social media that how much of an environmentalist one is, this shows nothing but hypocrisy,” says Sreenjoyee Saha, class 11, APS Noida.
“Children must now choose between their education and their health since they can either continue going to school and risk infections or stay at home and miss out on an essential part of being a child,” says Vania Sodhbans, class 12 student of Amity International School.
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“I am seeing my future crumbling and succumbing to breathlessness, cancer, kidney problems, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart diseases. I am not okay with this!” says Aaryan Sharma, class 12, Salwan Public School, Rajendra Nagar, Delhi. He went to add that even though he did not do anything wrong, he is the one going to suffer and so is his generation. “I have not done anything and yet I will suffer. I have read that by the time I’m 60, my lungs would be so exhausted after a lifelong struggle for clean air and they will eventually give up,” he added.
Humans are primarily responsible for the deteriorating air quality. Deforestation, vehicle emissions, manufacturing and thermal power generation, and all of them are created by humankind, says Arpita Chabbra of class 12, Modern Public School, Shalimar Bagh. “Subsequently, nature has reciprocated with respiratory problems, viral infections, and allergies caused by toxic air pollutants,” she added.
Things have now gone out of hand, says Naavya Lodh, a class 9 student of Amity international School. “People need to understand the far-reaching consequences of their actions and how it would take them only a minute to correct them but years to resolve its negative side effects. It is high time that concern is evoked in all and people realise that making excuses will lead them nowhere, ultimately we are plotting our own undoing,” adds Naavya.
Barricade to normal life
“It’s a barricade in front of the youth that stops us from leading a normal life. The risk of respiratory infections, heart disease and lung cancer along with the big risk of the new generation never getting a chance to play outside, go to school and to live a normal life with the peace of nature is alarming. By reducing the severity of pollution we have a chance to give people an opportunity to lead a better life, including ourselves,” says Nurina Amin, a class 9 student.
It is that time of the year again, the long festival season is over and you can’t get out without wearing a N95 mask, says Divya Chaudhary, class 9, Army Public School, Noida. “If there is anything good comes out of this it is that we get a few holidays from school. On a serious note, children are the most vulnerable against Delhi’s toxic air. In this choking air, we are experiencing headache, eye infection, sore throat and nasal allergy among others. This could also lead to serious problems such as lung damage and asthama attacks,” adds Divya.
“This famous quote, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”, holds a lot of importance and it is a testament for the deteriorating mental health of children. At the age for jumping in puddles, dancing in the raining, being carefree, pulling pranks and remain in the outdoors , the children have to be trapped inside the walls of their home and constantly suffer from the hazardous health issues due to the air pollution,” says Sreenjoyee.
Go green
We must go green for the betterment of ourselves and our city. The use of diesel vehicles that are more than 10 years old, and petrol ones that are older than 15 years have been banned to reduce harmful emissions, said Vania Sodhbans. “Some people have started to carpool to places to reduce their carbon footprint. All our parents even abide by the odd-even scheme that was introduced. These are just some of the ways we can make the ‘Capital of the country’ free of the fatal shackles of pollution,” she added.
“If we had chosen sustainable development goals, life would have been easier for this generation. Further, this is creating a lot of disturbance in my studies and impacting my physical and mental health. Long-term exposure to air pollution might increase the risk of developing other ailments, such as heart disease and cancer.” Says Arpita Chabbra of Class-XII, Modern Public School, Shalimar Bagh.
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