It's been months since the last sustained rainfall. Finally, starting last night, it poured on and off more than twelve hours. The raindrops, fat and abundant, washed away months of accumulated dust and brought down the thick air pollution that was pricking inside my nostrils creating a wound that would not heal.
The Delhi air has been bad since late October and at times it's painful to inhale. I keep my windows shut in a lame attempt to protect myself from the outdoor air but like all residential windows here they were custom built using wet green wood. Six months after being installed they shrank and warped leaving gaps that allow breezes, insects and dust into my home. Most nights, as I'm drifting to sleep, I can smell and taste the tainted air.
My Indian colleagues call it winter "fog" but I call it pollution. The atmosphere on December 23 was tear inducing. I captured an image from my rooftop terrace and you'll note that you can't see two buildings past mine. After today's showers I snapped a picture from the same rooftop location, the picture says, "breath easy, my lungs!"
The Delhi air has been bad since late October and at times it's painful to inhale. I keep my windows shut in a lame attempt to protect myself from the outdoor air but like all residential windows here they were custom built using wet green wood. Six months after being installed they shrank and warped leaving gaps that allow breezes, insects and dust into my home. Most nights, as I'm drifting to sleep, I can smell and taste the tainted air.
My Indian colleagues call it winter "fog" but I call it pollution. The atmosphere on December 23 was tear inducing. I captured an image from my rooftop terrace and you'll note that you can't see two buildings past mine. After today's showers I snapped a picture from the same rooftop location, the picture says, "breath easy, my lungs!"
 | ||||
| December 23, a particularly bad fog day here in Delhi. |
 |
| January 18, the same view after twelve hours of rainfall. Breath easy! |
No comments:
Post a Comment