Delhi pollution: Foreign diplomats to meet officials of Ministry of External Affairs to express concern

NEW DELHI: Foreign diplomats posted in the national capital have raised concerns over the poor air quality and sought help from the Indian government.

The high air pollution is not only affecting the diplomatic community but also the tourists and other visitors coming to the country, a diplomat said.

“As a diplomat, we are concerned for our tourists coming to India and the nationals living here, but this does not affect only us,” Dean of Diplomatic Corps, Frank Hans Dannenberg Castellanos, told reporters on Friday.

Castellanos said a delegation of foreign diplomats would meet the officials of the External Affairs Ministry today to discuss the issue.

“We'll meet MEA and discuss measures which were taken by other countries facing a similar problem,” he added.

The air quality in Delhi has reached dangerous levels over the past few weeks due to multiple factors.

They claimed that rampant burning of crop residues by the farmers in Punjab and Haryana has resulted in the spike in toxic fumes in the air.

In addition, vehicular and industrial emissions, as well as dust materials from the construction sites have contributed to the deteriorating air quality.

The doctors have warned of a major medical emergency in the national capital if the toxic air continues to persist.