64% residents of Delhi NCR will not burn crackers this Diwali; majority unprepared for bad air quality
- • 35% citizens in last year’s survey had said they wanted to leave the city as Government was unable to control the level of pollution
25th October 2019, New Delhi: The PM 2.5 has doubled in the last 24 hours from an average of 150 to now over 300 and this will only get worse as the week progresses. The NASA satellite data also shows that the number of farm stubble fires have more than doubled in the last few days. This combined with the temperature drop, is making the air quality worse and doctors from across the city are reporting a spurt in cases of patients with breathing difficulty, especially in kids and the aged. To check the gravity of the situation, LocalCircles conducted a survey and asked people their thoughts about the current state of pollution and the steps being taken by the authorities to control it. The survey received more than 61,000 votes from around 36,000 citizens living in Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Ghaziabad and Faridabad. It is important to mention that in last year’s survey, 35% residents of Delhi NCR had said that they want to leave the city and go somewhere else, as the Government had failed to control the pollution levels.
43% residents of Delhi NCR have a mask or air purifier or plan to get one to protect themselves from pollution
The first question asked citizens how are they and their family coping up with the deteriorating air quality. 13% said they have or plan to have an air purifier at home while 12% said they have or plan to have masks. 17% said they have or plan to have both an air purifier or mask. 43% said they don’t have either a mask or an air purifier and don’t even have a plan to get one. 15% were unsure about what they will do to combat pollution.
Highest number of residents believe the top cause of pollution in Delhi NCR cities is due to stubble burning by farmers in Punjab, Haryana & UP
The next question asked citizens what according to them is the primary reason for bad air quality during the months of October to December. 42% said it is the stubble burning by farmers of Haryana, UP and Punjab, while 13% said it is due to the garbage burning in the city. 4% said it is due to Dussehra & Diwali cracker burning, 15% said motor vehicle emissions, 2% industrial emissions, 7% construction activities and 17% said road dust.
Only 52% residents of Delhi NCR support the EPCA ban on diesel generators in case of very poor or worse air quality
Many residential societies in NCR rely on diesel generators for their power needs and pay as much as three times per unit cost of the power supplied by the power discoms. The following question asked if they support the EPCA ban on diesel generators if air quality becomes very poor or severe. 52% said yes while 44% said no. Although majority support this decision, there is still dissent as citizens want the Government to resolve the uncertain electricity situation before placing a ban on DGs.
74% residents of Delhi NCR do not support Odd-Even in the format proposed by Delhi Government
Delhi Government has announced the odd-even vehicle program from the 4th till the 15th of November. Although citizens have appreciated the proactiveness of Delhi Government this time around to take various measures to control pollution levels in the city, all the stated exemptions in the odd-even program have left them perplexed. When asked if they approve of the way the Odd-Even program is proposed to be implemented with the outlined exemptions, 74% citizens answered in a negative while only 21% answered in an affirmative.
64% residents of Delhi NCR will not burn any crackers this Diwali; Only 7% plan to burn green crackers
The final question asked what do citizens plan to do on Diwali with regards to fire crackers. 64% said they will not be burning any crackers while 10% said they will be burning regular crackers. Only 7% said they will be burning green crackers while 18% said they will only burn sparklers. Citizens have reported that the crackers are still available at certain places but because of the ban on high emission cracker sales, they are selling at as much as twice the normal price. On the other hand, the green crackers available do not have much variety and seen ineffective.
Demographics:
More than 65,000 votes were received in the survey from around 36,000 unique residents of Delhi NCR. 61% respondents were male while 39% were females.
Below is the breakdown of how citizens have voted in the different cities.
Delhi – 36,000+ votes from 23,000+ unique citizens
69% residents of Delhi will not burn any crackers this Diwali; Most not prepared for bad air quality
The first question asked residents of Delhi how are they and their family coping up with the deteriorating air quality. 16% said they have or plan to have an air purifier at home while 14% said they have or plan to have masks. 16% said they have or plan to have both an air purifier or mask. 43% said they don’t have either a mask or an air purifier and don’t even have a plan to get one. 11% were unsure about what they will do to combat pollution.
46% residents of Delhi have a mask or air purifier or plan to get one to protect themselves from pollution
The next question asked citizens what according to them is the primary reason for bad air quality during the months of October to December. 42% said it is the stubble burning by farmers of Haryana, UP and Punjab, while 13% said it is due to the garbage burning in the city. 4% said it is due to Dussehra & Diwali cracker burning, 12% said motor vehicle emissions, 2% industrial emissions, 8% construction activities and 19% said road dust.
Highest numbers of residents believe the top cause of pollution in Delhi is due to stubble burning by farmers in Punjab, Haryana & UP
The following question asked if the support the EPCA ban on diesel generators if air quality becomes very poor or severe. 57% said yes while 37% said no.
Only 57% residents of Delhi support the EPCA ban on diesel generators in case of very poor or worse air quality
When asked if they approve of the way the Odd-Even program is proposed to be implemented between Nov 4 - Nov 15 with the outlined exemptions, 72% citizens answered in a negative while only 23% answered in an affirmative.
72% residents of Delhi do not support Odd-Even in the format proposed by Delhi Government
The final question asked what do citizens plan to do on Diwali with regards to fire crackers. 69% said they will not be burning any crackers while 8% said they will be burning regular crackers. Only 8% said they will be burning green crackers while 14% said they will only burn sparklers.
69% residents of Delhi will not burn any crackers this Diwali; Only 8% plan to burn green crackers
Gurugram – 8,400+ votes from around 4,500 unique citizens
71% residents of Gurugram will not burn any crackers this Diwali; Most do not support Odd-Even program in its current form
The first question asked residents of Gurugram how are they and their family coping up with the deteriorating air quality. 15% said they have or plan to have an air purifier at home while 23% said they have or plan to have masks. 15% said they have or plan to have both an air purifier or mask. 31% said they don’t have either a mask or an air purifier and don’t even have a plan to get one. 16% were unsure about what they will do to combat pollution.
Only 53% residents of Gurugram have a mask or air purifier or plan to get one to protect themselves from pollution
The next question asked citizens what according to them is the primary reason for bad air quality during the months of October to December. 43% said it is the stubble burning by farmers of Haryana, UP and Punjab, while 11% said it is due to the garbage burning in the city. 6% said it is due to Dussehra & Diwali cracker burning, 6% industrial emissions, 11% construction activities and 17% said road dust. 6 % were unsure about it.
Highest number of residents believe the top cause of pollution in Gurugram is due to stubble burning by farmers in Punjab, Haryana & UP
The following question asked if the support the EPCA ban on diesel generators if air quality becomes very poor or severe. 53% said yes while 47% said no.
Only 53% residents of Gurugram support the EPCA ban on diesel generators in case of very poor or worse air quality
When asked if they approve of the way the Odd-Even program is proposed to be implemented between Nov 4 - Nov 15 with the outlined exemptions, 76% citizens answered in a negative while only 24% answered in an affirmative.
76% residents of Gurugram do not support Odd-Even in the format proposed by Delhi Government
The final question asked what do citizens plan to do on Diwali with regards to fire crackers. 71% said they will not be burning any crackers while 29% said they will only burn sparklers.
71% residents of Gurugram will not burn any crackers this Diwali
Noida – 9,000+ votes from around 4,000 unique citizens
50% residents of Noida will not burn any crackers this Diwali; Most do not support Odd-Even program in its current form
The first question asked residents of Noida how are they and their family coping up with the deteriorating air quality. 8% said they have or plan to have masks, 25% said they have or plan to have both an air purifier or mask while 50% said they don’t have either a mask or an air purifier and don’t even have a plan to get one. 17% were unsure about what they will do to combat pollution.
33% residents of Noida have a mask or air purifier or plan to get one to protect themselves from pollution
The next question asked citizens what according to them is the primary reason for bad air quality during the months of October to December. 44% said it is the stubble burning by farmers of Haryana, UP and Punjab, while 12% said it is due to the garbage burning in the city. 33% said motor vehicle emissions and 11% said road dust.
Highest numbers of residents believe the top cause of pollution in Noida is due to stubble burning by farmers in Punjab, Haryana & UP
The following question asked if they support the EPCA ban on diesel generators if air quality becomes very poor or severe. 25% said yes while 75% said no.
Only 25% residents of Noida support the EPCA ban on diesel generators in case of very poor or worse air quality
When asked if they approve of the way the Odd-Even program is proposed to be implemented between Nov 4 - Nov 15 with the outlined exemptions, 92% citizens answered in a negative while only 8% answered in an affirmative.
92% residents of Noida do not support Odd-Even in the format proposed by Delhi Government
The final question asked what do citizens plan to do on Diwali with regards to fire crackers. 50% said they will not be burning any crackers while 25% said they will be burning regular crackers. None said they will be burning green crackers while 25% said they will only burn sparklers.
50% residents of Noida will not burn any crackers this Diwali
Ghaziabad – 5,000+ votes from around 2,000 unique citizens
46% residents of Ghaziabad will not burn any crackers this Diwali; Most do not support Odd-Even program in its current form
The first question asked residents of Ghaziabad how are they and their family coping up with the deteriorating air quality. 17% said they have or plan to have both an air purifier or mask while 66% said they don’t have either a mask or an air purifier and don’t even have a plan to get one. 17% were unsure about what they will do to combat pollution.
Only 17% residents of Ghaziabad have a mask or air purifier or plan to get one to protect themselves from pollution
The next question asked citizens what according to them is the primary reason for bad air quality during the months of October to December. 52% said it is the stubble burning by farmers of Haryana, UP and Punjab, while 7% said it is due to the garbage burning in the city. 7% said it is due to Dussehra & Diwali cracker burning, 20% said motor vehicle emissions, 7% construction activities and 7% said road dust.
Highest numbers of residents believe the top cause of pollution in Ghaziabad is due to stubble burning by farmers in Punjab, Haryana & UP
The following question asked if the support the EPCA ban on diesel generators if air quality becomes very poor or severe. 55% said yes while 40% said no.
Only 55% residents of Ghaziabad support the EPCA ban on diesel generators in case of very poor or worse air quality
When asked if they approve of the way the Odd-Even program is proposed to be implemented between Nov 4 - Nov 15 with the outlined exemptions, 80% citizens answered in a negative while only 13% answered in an affirmative.
80% residents of Ghaziabad do not support Odd-Even in the format proposed by Delhi Government
The final question asked what do citizens plan to do on Diwali with regards to fire crackers. 46% said they will not be burning any crackers while 8% said they will be burning regular crackers. Only 23% said they will be burning green crackers while 23% said they will only burn sparklers.
46% residents of Ghaziabad will not burn any crackers this Diwali; Only 23% plan to burn green crackers
Faridabad – 4,900+ votes from around 2,500 unique citizens
64% residents of Faridabad will not burn any crackers this Diwali; Most support ban on diesel generators if air quality worsens
The first question asked residents of Faridabad how are they and their family coping up with the deteriorating air quality. 25% said they have or plan to have an air purifier at home while 0% said they have or plan to have masks. 8% said they have or plan to have both an air purifier or mask. 25% said they don’t have either a mask or an air purifier and don’t even have a plan to get one. 42% were unsure about what they will do to combat pollution.
Only 33% residents of Faridabad have a mask or air purifier or plan to get one to protect themselves from pollution
The next question asked citizens what according to them is the primary reason for bad air quality during the months of October to December. 26% said it is the stubble burning by farmers of Haryana, UP and Punjab, while 27% said it is due to the garbage burning in the city. 0% said it is due to Dussehra & Diwali cracker burning, 27% said motor vehicle emissions, and 20% said road dust.
Residents believe the cause of pollution in Faridabad is due to stubble burning by farmers in Punjab, Haryana & UP, Garbage Burning, Motor Vehicle Emission & Road Dust
The following question asked if the support the EPCA ban on diesel generators if air quality becomes very poor or severe. 65% said yes while 29% said no.
65% residents of Faridabad support the EPCA ban on diesel generators in case of very poor or worse air quality
When asked if they approve of the way the Odd-Even program is proposed to be implemented between Nov 4 - Nov 15 with the outlined exemptions, 50% citizens answered in a negative while only 33% answered in an affirmative.
50% residents of Faridabad do not support Odd-Even in the format proposed by Delhi Government
The final question asked what do citizens plan to do on Diwali with regards to fire crackers. 64% said they will not be burning any crackers while 18% said they will be burning regular crackers. 18% said they will only burn sparklers.
64% residents of Faridabad will not burn any crackers this Diwali
How the issues stand for Delhi NCR (with city-wise breakdown)
Coping Up with the Deteriorating Air Quality
Most residents of Ghaziabad do not plan to protect themselves from poor air quality
The residents of Delhi were asked how are they and their family coping up with the deteriorating air quality. 16% said they have or plan to have an air purifier at home while 14% said they have or plan to have masks. 16% said they have or plan to have both an air purifier or mask. 43% said they don’t have either a mask or an air purifier and don’t even have a plan to get one. 11% were unsure about what they will do to combat pollution.
In Gurgaon, 15% said they have or plan to have an air purifier at home while 23% said they have or plan to have masks. 15% said they have or plan to have both an air purifier or mask. 31% said they don’t have either a mask or an air purifier and don’t even have a plan to get one. 16% were unsure about what they will do to combat pollution.
In Noida, 8% said they have or plan to have masks, 25% said they have or plan to have both an air purifier or mask while 50% said they don’t have either a mask or an air purifier and don’t even have a plan to get one. 17% were unsure about what they will do to combat pollution.
In Ghaziabad, 17% said they have or plan to have both an air purifier or mask while 66% said they don’t have either a mask or an air purifier and don’t even have a plan to get one. 17% were unsure about what they will do to combat pollution.
In Faridabad, 25% said they have or plan to have an air purifier at home while 0% said they have or plan to have masks. 8% said they have or plan to have both an air purifier or mask. 25% said they don’t have either a mask or an air purifier and don’t even have a plan to get one. 42% were unsure about what they will do to combat pollution.
Primary Reason for Bad Air Quality
Except Faridabad, residents of all Delhi NCR cities believe stubble burning by farmers is top reason for poor air quality
Delhiites were asked what according to them is the primary reason for bad air quality during the months of October to December. 42% said it is the stubble burning by farmers of Haryana, UP and Punjab, while 13% said it is due to the garbage burning in the city. 4% said it is due to Dussehra & Diwali cracker burning, 12% said motor vehicle emissions, 2% industrial emissions, 8% construction activities and 19% said road dust.
When residents of Gurugram were asked this question. 43% said it is the stubble burning by farmers of Haryana, UP and Punjab, while 11% said it is due to the garbage burning in the city. 6% said it is due to Dussehra & Diwali cracker burning, 6% industrial emissions, 11% construction activities and 17% said road dust. 6 % were unsure about it.
In Noida, 44% said it is the stubble burning by farmers of Haryana, UP and Punjab, while 12% said it is due to the garbage burning in the city. 33% said motor vehicle emissions and 11% said road dust.
In Ghaziabad, 52% said it is the stubble burning by farmers of Haryana, UP and Punjab, while 7% said it is due to the garbage burning in the city. 7% said it is due to Dussehra & Diwali cracker burning, 20% said motor vehicle emissions, 7% construction activities and 7% said road dust.
As far as the residents of Faridabad were concerned, 26% said it is the stubble burning by farmers of Haryana, UP and Punjab, while 27% said it is due to the garbage burning in the city. 0% said it is due to Dussehra & Diwali cracker burning, 27% said motor vehicle emissions, and 20% said road dust.
EPCA Diesel Generator Ban
Noida has lowest amount of support from residents for ban on diesel generators while more residents in other Delhi NCR cities support this ban
Delhi Residents were asked if the support the EPCA ban on diesel generators if air quality becomes very poor or severe. 57% said yes while 37% said no.
When it came to Gurugram, 53% said yes while 47% said no.
Situation in Noida was a little different. 25% said yes while 75% said they do not support the ban.
In Ghaziabad 55% said yes while 40% said no.
Finally, in Faridabad 65% said they support the ban while 29% said they do not support it.
The Odd-Even Program
Most residents of Delhi NCR cities not in support of the Odd-Even program; Resident support highest in Faridabad
When asked if they approve of the way the Odd-Even program is proposed to be implemented between Nov 4 - Nov 15 with the outlined exemptions, 72% citizens from Delhi answered in a negative while only 23% answered in an affirmative.
76% Gurgaon residents answered in a negative while only 24% answered in a positive.
In Noida, 92% citizens answered in a negative while only 8% answered in an affirmative.
In Ghaziabad, a majority of 80% citizens answered in a negative while only 13% answered in an affirmative, while in Faridabad 50% citizens answered in a negative while only 33% answered in a positive.
Burning Diwali Crackers?
Majority residents of Delhi NCR cities will not burn cracker this Diwali; More residents from Ghaziabad keen to burn them
The final question asked what do citizens plan to do on Diwali with regards to fire crackers. In Delhi 69% said they will not be burning any crackers while 8% said they will be burning regular crackers. Only 8% said they will be burning green crackers while 14% said they will only burn sparklers.
In Gurgaon 71% said they will not be burning any crackers while 29% said they will only burn sparklers.
In Noida 50% said they will not be burning any crackers while 25% said they will be burning regular crackers. None said they will be burning green crackers while 25% said they will only burn sparklers.
In Ghaziabad 46% said they will not be burning any crackers while 8% said they will be burning regular crackers. Only 23% said they will be burning green crackers while 23% said they will only burn sparklers.
In Faridabad 64% said they will not be burning any crackers while 18% said they will be burning regular crackers. 18% said they will only burn sparklers.
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