Mist or fog?

On my first morning here in Delhi, I looked out the window and noticed that the skies were (shall we say) overcast. Not thinking about where I was (perhaps I was too groggy at the time), I thought of course that we were in for some rain.

Four days have passed since that first morning, and with the exception of a VERY brief period of about 5 minutes sometime this afternoon, I don't think we've seen the sun once! Instead, the skies have continuously been overcast, although there hasn't been any moisture falling from the skies (OK, just a little sprinkle yesterday, but it was gone in just a few moments, and was barely enough to have dampened the pavement).

Instead, the overcast skies have actually been accompanied by an ever-increasing amount of what one of the locals referred to as mist. In actuality, I'm more convinced that it's a thick layer of smog that blankets the air in this city (and some other overpopulated areas of the world). This curtain of polution mixes with smoke from wood and cow-dung fires, which seem to be the only source of heat and cooking fuel for the abundant squatters who are found throughout Delhi.

We are told that the taxis and rickshaws have been converted to natural gas, instead of petrol, which has helped to clear up the problem to a great extent, but when there are so many people involved (Delhi boasts a population of some 10 million), it's difficult if not impossible to clear up such an issue without lots of patience and hard work.

If this amount of polution is any reflection of the state of affairs in other major cities such as Rio de Janeiro, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Beijing and others, no wonder we are being warned about the dangers of not caring for the environment. All the more reason why those of us who see blue skies on a regular basis should pause to give thanks.