BREATHE tarun magazine | Page 9

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. 9