Winters of despair: How Delhi's annual pollution curbs affect construction workers
New Indian ExpressNEW DELHI: "When they stop our work, we don't just lose the wages. He was one of thousands of migrant and local construction workers rendered jobless following the November 11 ban on construction, prompted by the Delhi-NCR's air quality plunging to hazardous levels. "Even though working in the polluted air makes it hard for us to breathe, I would rather work than sit idle," Raju Singh says, describing the crushing blow the restrictions have on his finances. The Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas -- a statutory body responsible for formulating strategies to combat pollution in the region -- implements anti-pollution measures under the Graded Response Action Plan. Dr Sarath Guttikunda, the founder and director of UrbanEmissions.Info, shared a study in which he reviewed Delhi's air pollution from 1990-2022 and found that construction-related work plays a significant part in the dust category, accounting for 10-30 percent of the pollution.