Describe a place you visited where the air was polluted
Speaking cue card with answers(30 cue)
You should say:
– Where the place is
– When you visited it
– Why the air was not good
– And explain how you felt about the place
· Unfortunately, India is one of the most polluted countries in the world.
· And, the pollution problem is becoming worse day by day.
· Today, I am going to talk about a place which is always in the news for the dangerous levels of pollution.
· I visited it last December with a friend.
· He had a visa interview for US and as his parents couldn’t accompany due to work, he asked if I could.
· I wanted to buy some electronics from Delhi, so I gladly accepted.
· However, now I do regret visiting Delhi.
· From the moment we landed in Delhi, I could feel the pollution.
· My eyes were burning and I had trouble breathing normally.
· I felt there was something wrong with the air.
· I had listened to Delhi’s high pollution levels in the news, but it was way worse than I expected.
· It was very uncomfortable to even stand outdoors.
· Delhi’s pollution is mainly attributed to three reasons.
· First is obviously private vehicles, secondly, the stubble burning in neighbouring states and finally festivals like Diwali, where crackers are burnt.
· In fact, I visited Diwali nearly 15 days after Diwali, still the pollution levels were so high, I can’t even imagine how it would have been just immediately after Diwali.
· I had to immediately buy a mask and covered my eyes with sunglasses, which I didn’t take off till I reached inside my hotel room.
· Delhi is India’s capital, but I am ashamed that we have been unable to solve this problem.
· Both the state government and central government promise action but nothing is actually done to reduce pollution.
· I have decided, I am not visiting Delhi till the situation improves for good.
Part 3 Follow Up Questions
Is there more pollution than the past?
Yes, definitely there is more pollution now than the past in India. The main reason is increasing construction activities, industries and vehicles on the world. However, in some countries governments have been successfully able to reduce it by taking stringent action like banning industries in cities, promoting electric vehicles and switching to solar and wind energy from fossil fuels.
Do you think cities are cleaner or dirtier than the countryside areas? Why
I think cities are definitely dirtier as more waste is generated in cities than in rural areas. There are more vehicles and less greenery so the air is also less cleaner. I feel like nature has a capacity to certain levels of pollution and air and in the countryside we are below that level, but in cities we have far exceeded nature’s natural capacity to do so.
What can factories and power plants do to reduce pollutants?
To begin with, they can switch to less polluting fuels or non polluting fuels like wind power and solar power. Moreover, they should relocate to the outskirts of the cities to reduce the impact of city residents. However, this could be expensive and cannot be done immediately. In the short term, they can increase the height of chimneys.
Do you think wind has any effect on pollution? How?
Certainly yes. I am not sure how, but I think wind just spreads pollution over a larger area. I also read in a book that coastal areas are less polluted because of land breeze and sea breeze, so I am sure it does have an effect.
In what ways can air pollution be reduced effectively?
I think it is not a simple solution or it would have been done already. I think we should address the major causes of pollution- for vehicular pollution – I think the best answer would be to switch to electric vehicles. In case of industries switching to solar energy and wind energy and finally we should avoid burning waste and recycle it instead.
Do you think many companies have been forced to reduce pollution?
Yes in recent years, many companies have faced stringent fines and taxes for exceeding pollution levels. So companies have taken actions. For example, in my city, one of companies was forced to shut down for a whole month because of the toxic exhaust fumes. They also had to install waste treatment plants and now most companies treat their waste instead of dumping it directly into rivers and lakes.
