Children in India's suffocating capital fight for survival
Children in India's suffocating capital fight for survival
In New Delhi, air pollution is tightened, and many parents are faced with the impossible decision: stay or go. Amrita Rosha, 45, is one of those who have decided to flee with their children. Your two children, Vanaaya (4) and Abhiraj (9), suffer from breathing problems due to increasing pollution and need medication.
the decision to go
"We have no choice but to leave Delhi," said Rosha, a housewife who is married to a businessman, in conversation with CNN from her wealthy district in Südelhi last month, while she met the final preparations for her departure in the golf state of Oman
The facts for air pollution in Delhi
Every year Delhi wraps into a dense smog in winter that transforms day in night and affects the life of millions of people. Children in particular with an immune system that has not yet been fully developed are forced to use medical help due to breathing difficulties. Rosha ensures that her children receive the best possible medical care, including visits to the doctor, steam inhalations, inhalators and steroids as well as occasional excursions from Delhi to escape the stressful air.
Reality for less wealthy families
While wealthy families like the Roshas can flee, reality looks very different for those without the financial means. Around 24 kilometers away in a slum from Delhi, Muskan, who only uses her first name, looks at the remaining medication for her children's fogiser. This device transforms liquid medication into fine fog, which is inhaled by a face mask or a mouthpiece.
The mother rations its use because she simply cannot afford more. "We only give our children half of the dose required," she said and spoke of Chat (3) and Diya (1), who have been dependent on a nebula device since their first winters.
the fear of a mother
Muskan bought the 9-dollar nebulis device on the street after weeks of hard work. She earns her living by collecting rags and other waste while her husband works as a day laborer. "If you cough, I'm afraid that my children could die. I am full of regret and worry about the worst that could happen to them," she confessed.
breath shortage in the capital
The suffering of the children in Delhi can hardly be ignored year after year. "Children are forced to be dependent on steroids and inhalators in order to be able to breathe ... All of North India has turned into a medical emergency," said Atishi, the President of the Prime Minister of Delhi, recently.
The Supreme Court has monitored measures to combat air pollution, which is caused by a merger from vehicle emissions, abandonation of fields and construction sites as well as unfavorable meteorological conditions. The measures taken include the ban on certain vehicles, demolition and construction work as well as regular irrigation of the streets.
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