On 6th November, Scientists for Society and Campaign for Right to Public Health organized a protest at Jantar Matar against the failure of the Central and State Governments to deal with the climate crisis in Delhi.
Various students, activists, intellectuals, pro-people journalists, and artists, along with various organizations like Naujawan Bharat Sabha, Disha Students Organization, Progressive Artists League, and the Revolutionary Workers Party of India (RWPI), joined the protest. Concerned citizens across the city joined protest even after Delhi police sent a cancellation letter saying they have denied the permission and won't allow the protesters.
Chiranshu from Scientists for Society (SFS) talked about the current situation in Delhi, as the AQI has crossed the count of 500, which comes under the category of poor air quality, breaking all the previous records. He also pointed out the fact that in the past few years, the death toll due to poor air quality has increased to seventeen thousand every year. Chiranshu further emphasized that it might have become a normal thing to hear right after every festive session that the air quality has gone down, but the situation now is something one cannot ignore and must be dealt with by taking proper course of action.
Priyamvada from the Campaign for Right to Public Health talked about how this situation of environmental crisis is actually reversible if proper actions are taken by the governments. She suggested measures like providing affordable and better commute systems so that it gets easier for common people to travel, and they do not rely on their personal vehicles. The government should not wait for the situation to get out of hand at the end of the year. Rather, they should start monitoring the situation from the very beginning; a formal body to control pollution should be formed which comprises common people as well. A better system to treat sewage water should be formed. All the industries should be spread out all over the country so that some of the pressure gets released from the capital. Alternative energy sources should be taken up for use. Priyamvada added that even all these solutions are temporary, as this situation can completely change only when this system that has created and intensified this crisis will change. A capitalist system that only cares about the profit of some handful of people and exploits the natural resources to an extent that such drastic life-threatening pollution occurs can only be tackled by changing the system altogether.
Yogesh from the Revolutionary Workers Party of India (RWPI) talked about how the working masses are the ones that have to take the double toll of this crisis. On the one hand, the government tries to create a facade in the name of controlling the pollution by temporarily stopping some businesses that affect the working class, and on the other, the areas where they live are the ones that are most affected by the pollution. They cannot afford air purifiers that are costlier than their life in the eyes of the government. Yogesh also pointed out how workers are the ones that are most affected by this environmental crisis, and they are the ones who are trapped in it, unlike the rich brats who manage to go on vacations to mountains during this time.
Wishal from Naujawan Bharat Sabha (NBS) talked about the dramas these governments pull out to fool us all. From spraying water around the air quality monitoring stations to doing cloud seeding, which has clearly shown its incompetency to deal with pollution, he also pointed out that many researchers have proven the fact that cloud seeding is not a permanent and effective method to deal with the pollution in Delhi.
Keshav from Disha Students' Organization appealed to all the justice-loving students and youth who understand this situation to come forward and organize people so that a mass movement can be built for our right to quality healthcare and to hold accountable the authorities and the government for this situation.
Scientists for Society believes that knowledge and science are a collective endeavour. It is not a private property of some privileged people. They believe that the problems (including the climate crisis) that are emerging today are a result of this profit-orientated capitalist system, and only by changing this system can these issues be solved permanently. They appeal to all the conscientious people to come forward for this cause and spread the word among the common masses.
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