New Delhi: Amid Delhi’s murky haze and smog clinging to the streets like a toxic shroud Tuesday, 43-year-old Reema stood resolute on the pavement, her face covered by a black mask. A head constable with the Delhi traffic police, she waved down cars at ITO to enforce pollution checks, while the smog stung her eyes and made her breath laboured beneath the mask. Her working conditions mirror those of most of the city’s traffic police officers, who face the toxic smog day after day.
While the government provides them with N95 masks, health experts argue that gas masks would provide better protection. The health impact of the pollution, however, is not limited to lungs, they say. “I have to be here, no matter what.
It’s my duty,” Reema said, adjusting the mask on her face as vehicles whizzed past her. “The past two weeks have been especially tough. My throat aches constantly, and my eyes won’t stop watering.
On top of that, travelling from outer Delhi takes me nearly an hour and a half every day.” When off-duty, Reema, a marathon runner, has been training for an upcoming event in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. However, the choking pollution has thrown her training routine into disarray.
“I’ve stopped running in the mornings,” she said. “Instead, I’m focusing on core exercises like sit-ups, push-ups and squats at home. It’s the only way to keep up in this air.
” Head Constable Reema stationed in ITO | Mrinalini Dhyani | ThePrint Delhi has witnessed an alarming spi.