‘Sending families back to protect them’: Japanese, Korean expats in Gurgaon flag concerns over pollution

“… The Indian government must act swiftly to eliminate the sources of pollution,” said Hirose. “I believe it needs to make a serious commitment to addressing this issue.”

Like the head chef, several Japanese and Korean nationals in the city are concerned about the bad air affecting them, their families and their businesses. A visit to one of the malls along Golf Course Road — teeming with Korean restaurants, cafes, and salons to Japanese clinics — shows the stark reality of the diaspora struggling to stay afloat. Customers are fewer while concerned expatriates are willing to relocate their families amidst hazardous air quality levels.

Hirose is the head chef of a restaurant in Gurgaon’s South Point Mall. (Express Photo by Aiswarya Raj)

According to official records, there are more than 8,000 Japanese nationals registered in Gurgaon while there are over 3,000 Koreans. In Delhi-NCR, several restrictions have kicked in over the past few weeks as the air steadily deteriorated. In the latest such curbs, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai announced that 50% of the state government’s employees would be working from home. He also asked private sector offices to run at half capacity. The Gurgaon administration too issued an advisory seeking 50% of private offices to shift work online.

‘Never faced such a situation back home’

It was 10 years ago that Hirose came to the city 10 from Hokkaido, on the northern island of Japan, after stumbling upon a job he was hunting for his daughter. He now lives with his daughter who works at a Gurgaon company, and his wife. Though the family has raised concerns about pollution, they don’t plan on going back soon. “We are using an air purifier at home,” he said.

Hirose also brought up an oft-heard topic about the solution to the issue. “Air in Tokyo was bad a long time ago. India can learn from China maybe. They also suffered from air pollution, but it seems not to be the case anymore,” he said, comparing the AQI of Tokyo and Gurgaon on Tuesday night. While Tokyo’s was 32, Gurgaon’s was at 494.

According to Earth.org, since 1945, many small changes like more fuel-efficient vehicles, better urban planning and traffic control, along with other technological measures, have helped reduce emissions to an acceptable level in Tokyo.

At Healing Ray Clinic in the city, Japanese translator Kodai Miyao (32) said he suffered from viral fever before Diwali, which soon transitioned into an episode of pneumonia.

“I took intravenous drops for five days at the clinic. Even our clients have been complaining about diseases due to pollution for a few years now. One of them who works at an MNC here sent his family back to Tokyo last year after his child was diagnosed with chronic asthma. Many are sitting the winter out by flying out of India during these months.”

“The problem needs urgent attention because every year, people are suffering but the government has not done anything,” he added.
Hailing from Tokyo, Miyao has been working in Gurgaon for six years. The pollution in NCR has made it to the conversations of his family back home. “They are worried for me. They have decided not to come here because of this bad reputation,” he said.

The owner of the clinic, Abhishek Kapoor, said the footfall at the mall has gone down over the last week. “Expatriates have been leaving for their home countries due to pollution. Most of them work in companies such as Honda and Maruti Suzuki in the case of the Japanese and Hyundai for Koreans. They can afford to go back to their home countries.”

“We have also been observing the condition getting worse. We got an air purifier two years ago and it has become indispensable. But there is no end in sight for this. The Punjab government blames Haryana, Haryana blames Delhi and they blame the Centre. Now, the government is demanding artificial rain to reduce the AQI levels, but that is not the way to go,” he said.

The owner of Korean restaurant Gung the Palace, Kim Jin Bum (42), who came to India as a student I 2005, said he was shocked when schools were closed for his two children.

“We have never faced such a situation in Seoul and it came as a shock. Many Koreans are sending their families back so they don’t get exposed to the pollution. I cannot go back as my business is here,” he said, adding that the government and citizens should work together with strict regulations.

The owner of a popular Korean restaurant in Gurgaon, on condition of anonymity, said he has been living in NCR for 20 years. “It is the same thing every year. After winter, people will ignore the issue again,” he says.