12 ms·

Smog Chokes Delhi, Leaving Residents ‘Cowering by Our Air Purifiers’

hetfeld 10y ago
Do you really expect that everyone will pay to see this article?
- mwfunk 10y ago
  That's what the 'web' link is for. It takes you to a Google search for the article. Click the top hit to bypass the paywall.
  - yawnt 10y ago
    even if you do click on web and hit the first result, you still get a paywall.. maybe it's a US-only thing?
    - Tepix 10y ago
      Works for me (and I'm in Europe)
      - skeesicks 10y ago
        I get a paywall through the web link (from UK). However right-clicking the main link and opening in private browsing seems to work.
        ptaipale 10y ago
        This gets asked and answered so often than perhaps HN should add an instruction to the "web" link that tells you to open it in a new private/incognito window.
- oscilloscope 10y ago
  Why do you expect anyone would pay for this article, when the NYT website is currently free with unlimited access?
  - chronic6l 10y ago
    Answer his question. The democratically biased NYT has a paywall.
    - oscilloscope 10y ago
      From Nov 7-9 it does not. Source: http://www.nytco.com/the-new-york-times-to-offer-open-access-to-nytimes-com-november-7-9/ http://www.nytco.com/the-new-york-times-to-offer-open-access...
- adrianN 10y ago
  From the FAQ: Are paywalls ok? It's ok to post stories from sites with paywalls that have workarounds. In comments, it's ok to ask how to read an article and to help other users do so. But please don't post complaints about paywalls. Those are off topic.
- dredmorbius 10y ago
  Either clear cookies, install an extension that clears cookies, or open the "web" link in an incognito browser session and open the Google link from that. At least one of those options should work, most likely all three will.
f_allwein 10y ago
Interesting to remember that much the same thing happened in London not so long ago: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Smog https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Smog So maybe there's hope Delhi will clean itself up in the near future.
- gyey 10y ago
  Yeah I saw that in the TV series Crown
- Fifer82 10y ago
  London is still really bad, continually missing European Clean Air Quality targets and has been fined several times. The Great Smog was visible due to sulphur from burning coal etc. Whereas today, you cannot see the smog... but it is still very much there.
  - Angostura 10y ago
    It's true London misses clean air targets. It is nothing like as bad as the old smogs.
  - Reason077 10y ago
    Yes, London is bad. Paris too. Especially with the reeking fumes near any major road from all the dirty diesel vehicles. Air quality in both cities is totally unacceptable in my opinion. But it's nothing remotely like the scale of disaster that India has, where there is often constant choking smoke enveloping entire cities and regions. Even China is clean by comparison.
  - mafribe 10y ago
    I don't believe that air pollution in London in 2016 is anywhere near as bad as in the 1950s. Not by a long shot. Air Quality targets have become massively more demanding.
- ajb 10y ago
  Visitors often come to London expecting it to be foggy, as it was in Dickens, Sherlock Holmes stories, etc. It isn't any more.
sandGorgon 10y ago
previous discussion - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12886672 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12886672 and relevant info on the cause of the smog. Its not industrial pollution, but agricultural burning that's happening in neighboring states - http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/11/03/world/asia/farmers-unchecked-crop-burning-fuels-indias-air-pollution.html http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/11/03/world/asia/farmers-unch... https://www.bloomberg.com/gadfly/amp/articles/2016-11-04/who-s-choking-new-delhi-not-carmakers https://www.bloomberg.com/gadfly/amp/articles/2016-11-04/who... As last time, here's the problem to solve : what is a cheap, recyclable way to plant seeds without burning (last harvest's) hay ? The current solution of using a "seeder" costs 1900$ that is unaffordable by farmers. This was posted in November 2015 - http://scroll.in/article/770176/why-we-should-be-alarmed-at-nasas-images-of-burning-fields-in-punjab-but-also-get-used-to-them http://scroll.in/article/770176/why-we-should-be-alarmed-at-...
- meric 10y ago
  Feed it to goats.
Faaak 10y ago
Yet they still continue to use their motorbikes, without knowing the causality link between that and the pollution. But yes, must be hard when "your actions are so small they don't count".
- ericzawo 10y ago
  While your point is valid, a little compassion for those who suffer under this pollution, which is caused by a lot harder problems than a few million motorcycles.
  - ptaipale 10y ago
    A few million motorcycles is definitely a significant cause of the problem.
- throwanem 10y ago
  And what do you imagine yourself helping by wagging a finger this way?
Tepix 10y ago
Aside from this specific event, do you have the feeling that we will be unable to stop catastrophic changes on earth due to pollution and resource exhaustion (overfishing etc)? Think about runaway greenhouse effects, floods, loss of biodiversity... I think Elon Musk is right in his urgency regarding the Mars colonisation plans. Sure, you can always say "let's wait a couple of decades, with the new tech we'll have then it will be much easier and cheaper", but you could be mistaken. Technology and human civilization does not always move forward. We've been thrown back many times in the past and eventually there will be the day when we will not recover to previous levels: The beginning of the end. By then, we will no longer be able to tackle a huge challenge such as Mars colonization because we will be fighting for survival.
- Avalaxy 10y ago
  This is a thing that I really liked about the movie Interstellar. They faced similar problems and painted a view on what it could look like.
- gnipgnip 10y ago
  Actually, I think other than the obviously ethical issues surrounding anthropocene, Humanity can easily survive, as long as there is access to petroleum reserves to keep the logistical chain running - high CO2 levels though will probably make a good portion of S Asia uninhabitable. Once that dies, the accumulated karma will come back with force (and for good ?). It's fashionable in certain circles to say US fracking can sustain the system, but I'd be very wary of such statements.
- adrianN 10y ago
  I think that we're pretty much fucked wrt climate change. It seems unrealistic to assume that we'll leave any profitable fossil fuel unburnt and I don't think that we'll scale up nuclear or renewables quickly enough. Overfishing is a similar topic where we'll keep fishing as long as people are buying fish, regardless of what it does to the oceans. I think you are a little over-optimistic with the Mars colonization plans. A Mars colony would be dependent on Earth for material support for a very long time. Setting up the necessary infrastructure to produce all materials needed for the maintenance of the complex technology required by an extraterrestrial colony will need decades if not centuries. If civilization on Earth collapses before that, the Mars colony will die soon after.
andrewvijay 10y ago
Fueled by this mess in our capital me and a couple of friends spoke to a regional administrative officer for an anti pollution drive that will bring some sense in people. We were told to come back when the pollution is high enough. We're fucked in this country.
- rm2889 10y ago
  Who was it? Maybe we can shame them to action via twitter, etc. Or at least make them aware that this isn't cool
  - andrewvijay 10y ago
    Twitter? I'm sorry this is rural India. No one knows or gives a shit about twitter. A more probable event is that police arresting me :D But thanks for your concern we have contacted a couple of rich heads to use the situation to their advantage.
eklavya 10y ago
Delhi badly needs a good solar transport story yesterday. There is a big market opportunity here, I hope someone grabs it.
- Cthulhu_ 10y ago
  Can't have solar power if you don't have sun due to smog. Besides, who is going to pay for it? It can't compete with cheap scooters.
  - eklavya 10y ago
    This smog is temporary (because of the moronic cracker fun on Diwali). Delhi gets a lot of sunshine throughout. Government is subsidising all things solar. Also I meant electric vehicles, sorry mixed up both the things.
mani04 10y ago
People blame crop burning as the reason. Probably the farmers are polluting this place for 15 days, but the same farmers are absorbing our emissions with their farm plants for the remaining 350 days in the year. Nobody seems to mention it ever. The farmers also give us food to eat. The farmers only need about 2000 dollars for a machine called "happy seeder" to stop burning. It is not a lot of money but the political class will only "subsidize" it, as long as the illiterate farmer fills out a big application form, takes a crowded train to the far-away capital city and submits to the right official along with some bribe. Given those conditions, I really cannot blame the farmer, I only feel sorry for them. By the way, I live in Delhi. I am suffering because of this pollution but I will not blame the farmers like media and other people of Delhi. Farmers are nice and simple people, they give us food to eat. Their farms absorb the emissions from my petrol car till I can afford to go electric.

Do you really expect that everyone will pay to see this article?

mwfunk 10y ago
That's what the 'web' link is for. It takes you to a Google search for the article. Click the top hit to bypass the paywall.
- yawnt 10y ago
  even if you do click on web and hit the first result, you still get a paywall.. maybe it's a US-only thing?
  - Tepix 10y ago
    Works for me (and I'm in Europe)
    - skeesicks 10y ago
      I get a paywall through the web link (from UK). However right-clicking the main link and opening in private browsing seems to work.
      - ptaipale 10y ago
        This gets asked and answered so often than perhaps HN should add an instruction to the "web" link that tells you to open it in a new private/incognito window.
oscilloscope 10y ago
Why do you expect anyone would pay for this article, when the NYT website is currently free with unlimited access?
- chronic6l 10y ago
  Answer his question. The democratically biased NYT has a paywall.
  - oscilloscope 10y ago
    From Nov 7-9 it does not. Source: http://www.nytco.com/the-new-york-times-to-offer-open-access-to-nytimes-com-november-7-9/ http://www.nytco.com/the-new-york-times-to-offer-open-access...
adrianN 10y ago
From the FAQ: Are paywalls ok? It's ok to post stories from sites with paywalls that have workarounds. In comments, it's ok to ask how to read an article and to help other users do so. But please don't post complaints about paywalls. Those are off topic.
dredmorbius 10y ago
Either clear cookies, install an extension that clears cookies, or open the "web" link in an incognito browser session and open the Google link from that. At least one of those options should work, most likely all three will.

Interesting to remember that much the same thing happened in London not so long ago: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Smog https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Smog So maybe there's hope Delhi will clean itself up in the near future.

gyey 10y ago
Yeah I saw that in the TV series Crown
Fifer82 10y ago
London is still really bad, continually missing European Clean Air Quality targets and has been fined several times. The Great Smog was visible due to sulphur from burning coal etc. Whereas today, you cannot see the smog... but it is still very much there.
- Angostura 10y ago
  It's true London misses clean air targets. It is nothing like as bad as the old smogs.
- Reason077 10y ago
  Yes, London is bad. Paris too. Especially with the reeking fumes near any major road from all the dirty diesel vehicles. Air quality in both cities is totally unacceptable in my opinion. But it's nothing remotely like the scale of disaster that India has, where there is often constant choking smoke enveloping entire cities and regions. Even China is clean by comparison.
- mafribe 10y ago
  I don't believe that air pollution in London in 2016 is anywhere near as bad as in the 1950s. Not by a long shot. Air Quality targets have become massively more demanding.
ajb 10y ago
Visitors often come to London expecting it to be foggy, as it was in Dickens, Sherlock Holmes stories, etc. It isn't any more.

sandGorgon 10y ago

previous discussion - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12886672 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12886672 and relevant info on the cause of the smog. Its not industrial pollution, but agricultural burning that's happening in neighboring states - http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/11/03/world/asia/farmers-unchecked-crop-burning-fuels-indias-air-pollution.html http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/11/03/world/asia/farmers-unch... https://www.bloomberg.com/gadfly/amp/articles/2016-11-04/who-s-choking-new-delhi-not-carmakers https://www.bloomberg.com/gadfly/amp/articles/2016-11-04/who... As last time, here's the problem to solve : what is a cheap, recyclable way to plant seeds without burning (last harvest's) hay ? The current solution of using a "seeder" costs 1900$ that is unaffordable by farmers. This was posted in November 2015 - http://scroll.in/article/770176/why-we-should-be-alarmed-at-nasas-images-of-burning-fields-in-punjab-but-also-get-used-to-them http://scroll.in/article/770176/why-we-should-be-alarmed-at-...

meric 10y ago
Feed it to goats.

Faaak 10y ago

Yet they still continue to use their motorbikes, without knowing the causality link between that and the pollution. But yes, must be hard when "your actions are so small they don't count".

ericzawo 10y ago
While your point is valid, a little compassion for those who suffer under this pollution, which is caused by a lot harder problems than a few million motorcycles.
- ptaipale 10y ago
  A few million motorcycles is definitely a significant cause of the problem.
throwanem 10y ago
And what do you imagine yourself helping by wagging a finger this way?

Tepix 10y ago

Aside from this specific event, do you have the feeling that we will be unable to stop catastrophic changes on earth due to pollution and resource exhaustion (overfishing etc)? Think about runaway greenhouse effects, floods, loss of biodiversity... I think Elon Musk is right in his urgency regarding the Mars colonisation plans. Sure, you can always say "let's wait a couple of decades, with the new tech we'll have then it will be much easier and cheaper", but you could be mistaken. Technology and human civilization does not always move forward. We've been thrown back many times in the past and eventually there will be the day when we will not recover to previous levels: The beginning of the end. By then, we will no longer be able to tackle a huge challenge such as Mars colonization because we will be fighting for survival.

Avalaxy 10y ago
This is a thing that I really liked about the movie Interstellar. They faced similar problems and painted a view on what it could look like.
gnipgnip 10y ago
Actually, I think other than the obviously ethical issues surrounding anthropocene, Humanity can easily survive, as long as there is access to petroleum reserves to keep the logistical chain running - high CO2 levels though will probably make a good portion of S Asia uninhabitable. Once that dies, the accumulated karma will come back with force (and for good ?). It's fashionable in certain circles to say US fracking can sustain the system, but I'd be very wary of such statements.
adrianN 10y ago
I think that we're pretty much fucked wrt climate change. It seems unrealistic to assume that we'll leave any profitable fossil fuel unburnt and I don't think that we'll scale up nuclear or renewables quickly enough. Overfishing is a similar topic where we'll keep fishing as long as people are buying fish, regardless of what it does to the oceans. I think you are a little over-optimistic with the Mars colonization plans. A Mars colony would be dependent on Earth for material support for a very long time. Setting up the necessary infrastructure to produce all materials needed for the maintenance of the complex technology required by an extraterrestrial colony will need decades if not centuries. If civilization on Earth collapses before that, the Mars colony will die soon after.

andrewvijay 10y ago

Fueled by this mess in our capital me and a couple of friends spoke to a regional administrative officer for an anti pollution drive that will bring some sense in people. We were told to come back when the pollution is high enough. We're fucked in this country.

rm2889 10y ago
Who was it? Maybe we can shame them to action via twitter, etc. Or at least make them aware that this isn't cool
- andrewvijay 10y ago
  Twitter? I'm sorry this is rural India. No one knows or gives a shit about twitter. A more probable event is that police arresting me :D But thanks for your concern we have contacted a couple of rich heads to use the situation to their advantage.

eklavya 10y ago

Delhi badly needs a good solar transport story yesterday. There is a big market opportunity here, I hope someone grabs it.

Cthulhu_ 10y ago
Can't have solar power if you don't have sun due to smog. Besides, who is going to pay for it? It can't compete with cheap scooters.
- eklavya 10y ago
  This smog is temporary (because of the moronic cracker fun on Diwali). Delhi gets a lot of sunshine throughout. Government is subsidising all things solar. Also I meant electric vehicles, sorry mixed up both the things.

mani04 10y ago

People blame crop burning as the reason. Probably the farmers are polluting this place for 15 days, but the same farmers are absorbing our emissions with their farm plants for the remaining 350 days in the year. Nobody seems to mention it ever. The farmers also give us food to eat. The farmers only need about 2000 dollars for a machine called "happy seeder" to stop burning. It is not a lot of money but the political class will only "subsidize" it, as long as the illiterate farmer fills out a big application form, takes a crowded train to the far-away capital city and submits to the right official along with some bribe. Given those conditions, I really cannot blame the farmer, I only feel sorry for them. By the way, I live in Delhi. I am suffering because of this pollution but I will not blame the farmers like media and other people of Delhi. Farmers are nice and simple people, they give us food to eat. Their farms absorb the emissions from my petrol car till I can afford to go electric.