The smog here was so thick,

這裡的霧霾很濃厚

drivers couldn't see where they were going.

以致於駕駛看不清楚方向。

At least 24 vehicles were damaged

至少 24 台車輛損壞，

as drivers kept crashing into the pileup.

因為駕駛們不斷連環追撞。

These conditions happen every year,

這些情況每年都會發生，

when Delhi experiences a huge spike in air pollution.

當德里的空氣污染劇烈增加時。

“Are we breathing poison in Delhi?”

「我們是在德里呼吸有害物質嗎？」

“...every two minutes one person dies due to air pollution in this country.”

「這個國家，每兩分鐘就有一人死於空氣污染...」

“I get nauseous.

「我感到噁心

I get dizzy.”

以及頭暈」

" I have to go to the hospital or the doctor now."

「我現在必須去醫院或者看醫生。」

When it hits, the nearly 30 million people

每當空污襲擊時，將近 3000 萬人

here are forced to live in a toxic cloud.

被迫生活在有毒氣體之中。

Scientists estimate that spending a day outside

科學家估算，這種情況下在外頭待上一天

in these conditions is like smoking 50 cigarettes.

等同於抽了 50 根煙。

“As a lung surgeon, when I open the chest

「作為一名肺部外科醫生，每次劃開胸腔時，

I rarely see a normal pink lung these days.”

我很少能看到一個正常的粉紅色肺臟。」

On the ground, a layer of dust covers the entire city,

地面上，一層灰覆蓋了整座城市，

and, in the air, a thick layer of pollution hides landmarks

空氣中，一層厚厚的污染物覆蓋了

that are easy to see the rest of the year.

常年可見的地標。

Delhi has always been a big, busy, polluted city.

德里一直是一座忙碌、污染嚴重的大城市。

But in the last decade something is making

但在過去的十年裡，

it even worse.

情況變得更糟。

In the last 10 years, Delhi's population

過去十年來，德里的人口

has grown by more than 7 million people.

增長了 700 多萬人。

Today it's the second-largest city in the world

如今，它是世界第二大城，

and it's also among the most polluted.

也是污染最嚴重的城市之一。

More people means more cars,

越多的人意味著有越來越多的車，

spreading dust and exhaust into the air.

將灰塵及廢氣排放到空氣中。

As Delhi grows, there's also more construction,

隨著德里的發展，有更多的建築物

producing dust particles.

製造著灰塵顆粒。

And more industries, contaminating the environment.

以及更多的工業來污染環境。

All these things make  the average air quality in Delhi

這些因素使得德里整年的平均空氣品質

unhealthy year-round.

都不健康。

But something else is happening right here,

當十月、十一月，

when air pollution in Delhi spikes

德里的污染到達高峰時，

in October and November.

這裡還有其他事情正在發生。

It sends air pollution levels to

它使得空氣污染指數

fifty times what's considered safe.

超過安全標準的五十倍。

“Levels go haywire.

「指數瘋狂超標！

Many of the machines are not made

許多儀器都無法測出

to measure the levels that we achieve.”

我們所達到的空污指數。」

The smog is so bad , you can see it from space.

霧霾嚴重到你可以從外太空看到它。

But this cloud of pollution

但這團污染物質

isn't actually coming from Delhi.

卻不是來自德里！

It's coming from here.

它是從這裡來的。

The states of Punjab and Haryana

旁遮普邦及哈里亞納邦，

are known as “India's Breadbasket.”

這裡被稱為「印度的糧倉」。

They're a key region for the country's agriculture.

它們是國家農業的重點區域。

Farmers here grow rice

這裡的農夫種植稻米，

and that requires large amounts of water.

因此需要大量的水。

In the 2000s, rice farming here took off,

2000 年開始，稻米種植開始蓬勃發展，

and farmers in the area started using so much water,

這區域的農夫開始灌溉大量的水，

that the region's groundwater started running low.

導致這區域的地下水位開始下降。

So, to save water, authorities passed a new act in 2009.

為了節約用水，當局於 2009 年通過了一項新的法案。

It bans rice planting before mid-June.

在六月中旬之前禁止種植稻米。

That means farmers can't plant rice

這表示農夫在夏季季風期，

until right before the monsoon season,

有雨水來補足地下水之前，

when rains come to replenish the groundwater.

不能種植稻米。

That pushes rice harvesting later into the year,

這將水稻的採收期推遲至晚些時候，

which means farmers have less time

而也意味著農夫為下一季作物整理稻田

to get their fields ready for their next crop.

的時間也縮短了。

So, to clear their fields more quickly,

所以，為了更快速的整理田地，

more and more farmers have started

越來越多的農夫

setting their crop stubble on fire.

開始使用火耕的方式。

Every year, all those stubble fires

每年十月及十一月，

form a massive cloud of smoke

這些火耕的行為

during October and November.

都會形成巨大的煙霧。

And it heads straight for Delhi.

這些煙霧直接飄向德里

There are two reasons why smoke in this region

有兩個原因使得

makes things worse in Delhi.

這地區的煙霧加劇了德里的空氣污染。

The first is geography.

首先是地理位置，

The Himalayan mountains act like a kind of barrier,

喜瑪拉雅山像是個屏障，

directing the smoke towards Delhi.

將這些煙霧導向德里。

The second is the weather.

第二個原因是氣候。

During the winter, cold mountain air

冬天時，山上的冷空氣

rushes down from the Himalayas towards Delhi,

從喜瑪拉雅山湧入德里，

arriving beneath a layer of warm lowland air

抵達於低地暖空氣層之下，

that creates a kind of dome over the city.

形成了圓頂，籠罩整座城市。

The warm air keeps pollution trapped on the ground

暖空氣使得污染物困於地面上，

with nowhere to go.

無處可去。

So when the stubble fire smoke arrives in Delhi,

所以，當火耕的煙霧抵達德里

it mixes with the urban pollution

與城市污染混合後，

forming a toxic smog that sits on top of the city.

於城市上空形成了有毒的煙霧。

Mix all that together and you have

混合上述所有物質，

the most hazardous air pollution of almost anywhere.

你就擁有了幾乎是世界上最危險的空氣污染。

In November of 2019, India's Supreme Court

2019 年的 11 月， 印度最高法院判決

ruled that states in the North had to stop farmers

北方各州需禁止農民

from burning their crop stubble.

繼續實施火耕。

But so far, the ruling

但到目前為止，

hasn't been enforced on the ground.

裁決仍未實際執行。

In the weeks after the ruling,

裁決後一週，

tens of thousands of crop fires

數以萬計的火耕活動

continued to burn in Punjab and Haryana.

仍在旁遮普邦及哈里亞納邦持續著。

Delhi doesn't have the ability

德里沒有能力可以

to stop crop burning in neighboring states.

阻止鄰邦焚燒作物。

Instead, when pollution spikes

相反地，當十月、十一月的

in October and November,

污染高峰期時，

city officials change the things they can control:

城市的官員們決定改變他們可以掌控的事情：

Sometimes they'll halt all construction in the city.

有時他們會中止城市裡的所有工程建設。

Or put restrictions on vehicle use.

或是禁止開車上路。

Still, until India's ban on crop stubble burning

儘管如此，在印度的火耕禁令

is actually enforced,

真正實施之前，

these spikes will be back every year.

這些污染每年都會出現。

Making the city's already dangerous pollution

使得這座城市原本就很危險的汙染問題

even worse

更加嚴重，

and putting the lives of millions at risk.

也使得數百萬人的生命處於危險之中。

" I've lived in Delhi for over 50 years. Where will we go ?"

「我已經在德里住了五十年了，還能去哪？」

" Our livelihood is here."

「我們的生計就在這裡。」

“Here we are taking baby steps,

「我們正採取小步前進的措施，

but we are in a time period where

但我們身處的階段，

baby steps won't help anymore.”

小步前進一點幫助都沒有！」

“What we breathe should be fresh air.”

「我們需要呼吸新鮮的空氣！」