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NEW DELHI: I get it, you’re miffed with the commie, poor-people loving AAP government. The new alternate day car rule -- where cars with even number plates and those with odd number plates will be allowed on Delhi’s roads on only alternate days -- is going to force those of you who can, to buy an additional car.
Wait, I apologise, few of you care not just about yourselves, but those who don’t have the option of spending their year (or life) savings on another vehicle.
What happens to these people, eh?
Before you join the AAP bashing, have a look at these images from Beijing. This is what happened to the polluted Chinese city (which, just for the record is nowhere NEAR as polluted as Delhi), just TWO WEEKS after the government forced 5 million cars off the road through the alternate day rule.
Here’s the before:
Here (drum roll) is the after:
It isn’t just the photos. Data proved the improvement. Air quality improved drastically. On the day of the parade, the city’s air quality index sunk to 17 out of 500, signifying healthy air.
Beijing’s average levels of PM (particulate matter) also dropped by 73.2% compared to last year, according to Zhang Dawei, head of the Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center. Zhang Wei added: “It was as good as the annual index in some metropolises in developed countries, such as Paris, London, Moscow and Singapore.”
Unfortunately, when the bans were lifted a day after the parade, the air quality index rose to 160 out of 500, a level at which “everyone may begin to experience some adverse health effects,” according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Delhi, btw, has a reading of 330 out of 500 -- pretty much guaranteed to cause long term respiratory risks.
The next time you b*tch and moan, remember that this harsh rule may save you from developing asthma, bronchitis, other respiratory disorders, and even lung cancer!
Those commies, eh….
