Delhi smog causes traffic woes, accidents

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by smartcat

According to this report -

• 40% of smog is caused by dust from Gulf
• 25% by crop burning
• 35% by locally produced pollution

Attachment 1697198

One thing for sure. We can now see the global interdependence of the weather patterns. Earlier we did not know.

[abhisheknandan]

I am a resident of Uttar Pradesh and we have been at the receiving end of serious fog during winters. My father used to tell me that the best way to drive in fog is to catch the tail light of a vehicle ahead of you. Then drive as the vehicle ahead of you is driving and never loose sight of the taillight. The distance between you and the vehicle ahead of you should be a little lesser than the visibility on the road but you should be always in control of breaking. If the vehicle ahead accelerates too much, let it go and catch another vehicle.

In any circumstance, always keep all possible lights of your vehicle on. This includes the headlights and the parking lamps.

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by smartcat

According to this report -

• 40% of smog is caused by dust from Gulf
• 25% by crop burning
• 35% by locally produced pollution

Link: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...w/61679352.cms

Attachment 1697198

I believe the "report" is hokum.
I was un-knowingly there in Delhi right on the first day of the dreaded smog and it was terrible. I could smell the burnt wood/leaves/dried plant matter right when I landed at the airport. By evening time my throat and nasal passage had started burning.

This doesn't happen because of Gulf dust.

Only by late evening when I reached my parent's home and switched on the TV that I realized what this fiasco is all about.

I had to endure the gas chamber situation from Tuesday to Saturday.

I used to live in Delhi till 1999 - and in spite of extremely DENSE fogs, never had this situation. I have been in Delhi on and off, and seen the city get congested, gridlocked, polluted ... but not to this level.

What I experienced was quite clearly smoke produced by mass scale burning of dried plant matter. What I am surprised with is: has Punjab and Haryana turned agricultural only recently? What used to happen in the past?

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by alpha1

What I am surprised with is: has Punjab and Haryana turned agricultural only recently? What used to happen in the past?

I think the stubble problem is a recent phenomena, after the advent of machines/harvesters in the farms. Earlier it was all manual and there was no left over stubble.

[sandeepmohan]

http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/12/0...oil-byproduct/

Another potential contributor to the problem.

[manaljain]

Ukrainian woman dies in a fog crash on the Delhi-Agra expressway

A 20 year-old Ukrainian woman Bohdana Kobalova, died in a fog crash, along with the driver of the car – a 33 year-old event manager, Vaibhav Sharma. The accident happened on the Delhi-Agra expressway as Mr. Sharma is said to have lost control of the car due to fog, and rammed into a road divider. Mr. Sharma died on the spot, and Ms. Kobalova is said to have battled for life for nearly an hour before succumbing after a expressway patrol vehicle allegedly refused to help.

Shiv Chauhan, a TV reporter from Agra alleges police and expressway patrol apathy. He said that the two Ukrainians were injured but alive, and trapped in the car. Mr. Chauhan adds that while the injured were being dragged out, an expressway patrol squad arrived and cordoned off the area but didn’t take the injured to the hospital, saying that it wasn’t their job.

Another TV reporter, Ajender Singh, who was also at the spot with Shiv Chauhan said that multiple calls to police officials didn’t elicit any response. Also, their attempt to take the injured to a private hospital was unsuccessful, with the hospital refusing admission without police permission. This resulted in crucial time getting wasted, eventually resulting in Ms. Kobalova succumbing to her injuries.

Deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Alok Dubey, under whose jurisdiction the accident spot falls in, responded to the allegations,

The allegation that policemen did not help when the journalists were taking the victims to hospital is a serious one. We will investigate the matter and take proper action.

source