In smog hazed Delhi, this NGO is on a mission to
protect waste pickers with anti-pollution masks
Oscillating between severe
and hazardous, the air we
breathe is slowly killing us.
The Lancet Commission
concluded that approximate-
ly 1.81 million Indians die
every single year due to air
pollution.
With the capital making news
as one of the highest pollut-
ed cities in the country, the worst hit are individuals who
are out on the streets clean-
ing up after the mess you and
I make. The privileged few
manage to arm themselves
with air purifiers, masks, and
the option of work-from-
home, but for waste pick-
ers who on an average earn
around 300 rupees a day, this
is not possible.
Their job is crucial to their
sustainability, and it is iron-
ic that at the same time it
contributes to their mortal-
ity. They live near landfills,
which are significant contrib-
utors of air pollution as they
are constantly on fire emit-
ting toxic fumes and particu-
late matter.
In Delhi alone, around 1,500
waste-picker families live
near the Ghazipur landfill.
With tons of garbage dumped
there every day, it invariably
means more waste is burned
and pollution generated. The
proximity of their homes to these sources of pollution
as well as their inability to
defend themselves against
it makes them extremely
vulnerable.To offer immedi-
ate assistance to this com-
munity bearing most of the
brunt, Chintan India, a non-
profit,
non-governmental,
environmental research and
action group, has launched
a crowdfunding campaign
called ‘Help Waste-pickers
Breathe’ to provide some re-
lief by raising funds to buy
anti-pollution masks for 5000
waste pickers.
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