As Delhiites continue to suffer through a bout of extreme smog, irate celebrities, including Bollywood elites, have publicly criticized the government for perceived inaction over the growing public health crisis.
Film and TV star Priyanka Chopra is in Delhi to film her next project ‘The White Tiger’ and, despite expressing initial joy at filming in her home country, she quickly took to Instagram to share just how severe the air pollution is in the capital.
“It’s so hard to shoot here right now that I can’t even imagine what it must be like to live here under these conditions,” the actor said in the caption below her masked face. “Pray for the homeless. Be safe everyone.”
The seasonal smog is reaching ‘hazardous’ levels, with air quality now ranking in the ‘severe’ category at over 30 times the World Health Organisation’s safe daily limit of pollutants.
Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor also weighed in on the situation, sharing a pithy, wry tweet which read: “Breathlessness, Palpitation, moist eyes… you’re either in love or in Delhi.”
His tongue-in-cheek remark drew criticism, with some accusing him of making light of the pollution from afar and mocking the plight of everyday Indians.
The smog has led to schools being closed across the city. Flights have also been delayed, diverted or cancelled and a public health emergency declared by the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA).
Exasperated Bollywood actor and producer Arjun Rampal vented his frustration on Twitter, describing the situation as “absolutely disgusting.”
In an effort to curb emissions, Delhi has implemented an odd-even scheme in which vehicles are forbidden from being driven on certain days depending on the last digit of their registration plate. Critics say the government’s efforts do not go far enough.
The smog is the result of a combination of industrial emissions, smoke from agricultural burning and, of course, monumental traffic in the world’s second most populated city. Some 2.5 million people in India died from pollution-related causes in 2015.
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