Expats learn to live in “Most Polluted” Gurugram City
As Gurugram – the home for sizable number of expats community especially from oriental countries like Japan, Korea and China, gets ranked as the most polluted city of the world in latest data compiled in the IQ Air Visual 2018 World Air Quality Report, the people here look forward to the government to take steps to improve air quality here.
However concerned they may be, the expats community staying in Gurugram or visiting this city for business or leisure has learnt to live with the pollution here and brave it from the front. But the foreign nationals who are living here with their children are really about them.
The expats have suggested way forward to curb poor air quality that include introducing checks on burning of garbage and use of fireworks during celebrations as well as strengthening public transport system to arrest use of private vehicles.
After getting to know of the news of Gurugram being ranked as the most polluted city in the world, Ryuji Tomiyama – a Japanese national living in Gurugram said that he was not too much worried about it but he has some suggestions to improve air quality.
“I sometime use mask but I cannot protect myself from pollution outside. In our restaurants, we have installed air purifiers so that our customers who are Japanese, Koreans and others can breathe clean air. But I would like to suggest to the government that it should ensure checks on fireworks which involves burning of garbage in the open,” said Ryuji Tomiyama who is the managing director and CEO of Namami enterprises Private Limited running chain of Manami Japanese Restaurants in Gurugram, Delhi and Neemrana (Rajasthan).
According to the report, Gurugram had received highest annual concentration of PM 2.5 in 2018 putting the spotlight on the poor air quality in the city.
The restaurants, hotels, guesthouses, shops, schools offering services to the expats community are forced to make heavy investments for installing centralized air purifier systems for making their venues air purified.
Clarens – a boutique hotel with Japanese and Italian restaurants catering primarily to Japanese nationals in Gurugram is a centrally air-purified property with air-pollution proof rooms and restaurants.
Rohit Mann, director Clarens Hotel suggests that the government instead of spending more on road highways and underpasses should strengthen public transport system, which is not that good in Gurugram.
“We have Metro network but it’s not well connected and expanded forcing the people take to private vehicles. More vehicles on the road, more is the requirement of roads, flyovers and subways. More vehicles mean more pollution,” Mann said.
However, the Korean national Eunyoung Jung feels that living life was more convenient than earlier in Gurugram where air quality was very bad last year comparatively.
She said that the air quality was better than the last year in Gurugram and people here are used to live in Gurugram. She uses masks sometime when she steps out of her home here.
Eunyoung Jung, however, said that some people who have young children they must be worried about the pollution here.
Yoshikazu Nishino representative partner of Nishino Solutions that serves Japanese cuisines in Delhi and NCR towns suggested that the government should make rules to check fireworks during celebrations as well as burning of garbage in the open.
“The central government should make rule that fireworks should not be used during celebrations, In India, there are many ways of enjoying celebrations, the country has great music and people do not require fireworks to add to their enjoyment,” Nishino said adding that some homeless people burn material to keep themselves warm and it also should be stopped and government should provide them houses to protect them from winter.
Gurugram topped the world tally with an annual average PM (Particulate Matters) 2.5 reading of 135.8 micrograms per cubic metre followed by another NCR town Ghaziabad with 135.2 micrograms per cubic metre and Faisalabad in Pakistan is third with 130.4 micrograms per cubic metre.
Neighbouring New Delhi with an average yearly PM2.5 concentration at 113.5 micrograms per cubic metre has been ranked as the most polluted capital in the world.
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