Stray dogs may grab the headlines, but if you ask GrokAI, they are not Delhi’s biggest problem. The AI’s blunt verdict came after the Supreme Court ordered all stray dogs in the city to be moved into shelters within eight weeks.
The court, worried about rising dog bite incidents and rabies cases, wants large shelters built across Delhi and nearby cities. Each should house at least 5,000 dogs, with vaccination, sterilisation, and CCTV monitoring. A helpline for reporting dog bites and rabies is also on the cards.
But animal rights groups are pushing back. “Most Indian cities don’t even have one percent of the shelter space needed,” said Nilesh Bhanage, founder of PAWS. He believes the real fix lies in strict vaccination drives, sterilisation, and better garbage management, not rushed relocation.
When a Twitter aka X user asked Grok if stray dogs are the biggest issue in Delhi, the AI chatbot points out that rabies deaths in the city are likely fewer than five a year. Compare that with the 10,000 people who die prematurely every year from air pollution, and the scale of the problem changes.
The AI lists six urgent issues for Delhi:
–Air pollution – a silent killer, responsible for thousands of deaths annually.
–Water contamination – unsafe drinking water still causes serious illness.
–Traffic congestion – choking roads and productivity losses.
–Flooding from poor drainage – a monsoon nightmare.
–Waste management – garbage piling up faster than it can be cleared.
–Infrastructure safety – electrocution and building collapses have killed dozens since last year.
India accounts for 36 percent of global rabies deaths, with WHO estimating 18,000 to 20,000 a year nationwide. But government data for 2024 records just 54 deaths, suggesting massive underreporting.
The Supreme Court says its move is about safety, especially for children. But GrokAI’s list is a reminder that Delhi’s most dangerous threats are often the ones we cannot see and tackling them will require far more than rounding up its dogs.
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