00:00Anger is building in Delhi against the city's choking air pollution crisis, and now it has spilled onto the streets again.
00:11Dozens of residents gathered at Jantar Mantar, a historic protest site, waving banners, chanting slogans and demanding the government to do more to protect their right to breathe.
00:22Some stood with oxygen masks, some carrying small cylinders to show the extreme measures people are now taking in the Indian capital.
00:30People here say they are tired of being ignored, tired of asking for clean air every winter and tired of seeing no real action from either local or federal governments.
00:41Every family, I think, has some case study where a child is sick, where an elder is sick, for your suffering, you know, with wheezing.
00:50Mothers are so, I mean, sometimes you can't even read those messages are so upsetting, you know.
00:56I remember the Diwali night, you know, one of the mothers that was in the group, she was expecting and she was supposed to go into delivery two days later.
01:04She had an anxiety attack seeing that the pollution levels were there.
01:08We cannot take away clean air from, it's costing us a huge amount of distress from the society and the people, the citizens, the future, the cognitive development, so much has been said.
01:21Several families told us this year's crisis feels worse.
01:24They spoke about burning eyes, constant coughing and children falling sick more often.
01:29My mother has asthma for last 10 years, she didn't have it before that.
01:35So that should tell you what's happening in Delhi.
01:39And the more important thing is the government is doing nothing.
01:43They seem to be incapable of any coordinated response or using their intellect.
01:50I have not found them using any intellect.
01:53And there are parts to this issue.
01:57Trees are being cut.
01:58For Parliament, they cut trees.
02:00For PM House, they cut trees.
02:02Sundarnagar, they've cut trees.
02:03And there are 70-70 year old trees which have been cut.
02:07And they talk of forestation in lieu of that, which is a joke.
02:13This isn't the first demonstration this month.
02:16Earlier this month, dozens were detained during a major protest near India Gate.
02:20But people say they will not be deterred and the situation has reached a breaking point.
02:25So we are trying to collect around 100 RTA applications from 100 people.
02:30And we are asking the CPC, the Centre Pollution Control Board, and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, DPCC,
02:37for real raw data around air pollution.
02:41The data that the air pollution, sorry, AQI centres are collecting over the many years.
02:47We are asking them about how they are utilizing funds meant for tackling air pollution.
02:52We are also asking them how they are reaching certain decisions that they are to tackle pollution, right?
02:59So all of that is being asked in this four-page letter.
03:03And we are asking this within 48 hours.
03:06So because the air pollution levels are next level, right?
03:09It's hazardous.
03:10And it's not getting any better.
03:12And it is affecting every single person every single second.
03:15So it is a direct threat to everybody's life.
03:26Protesters here are demanding emergency measures when the air turns hazardous,
03:30stronger public transport, better waste management, and coordination across states.
03:36It is an air quality emergency.
03:38It is a public health emergency.
03:40But the number, the private monitors tell you that the air quality index
03:44is actually 700, 800, 900,
03:47versus the government tells you that it's actually 250 or 300 or 350 only.
03:51And their court is not taking those emergency measures,
03:54which are only band-aid.
03:55In fact, I am not a proponent of Grab 1, Grab 2, Grab 3, Grab 4.
03:59But when you actually have pollution levels of this kind, of unprecedented levels,
04:03then the least that the government can do is to take some of those emergency measures
04:07to protect the citizens of the country.
04:10For many who are turning out to protest, this is not a political issue.
04:14It is a plea to be able to breathe, work, and live without fear.
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