Delhi has recorded severe air quality for five out of the last seven days post Diwali.
New Delhi:
An eye-popping haze layer thickened in Delhi-NCR on Friday, turning the sun orange and reducing visibility by 200 meters at several places in the region, which has been battling dangerous pollution levels since early November.
Delhi has recorded severe air quality for five out of the last seven days post Diwali.
According to an analysis by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), people in the national capital breathe the worst air between November 1 and November 15 every year.
The city recorded the air quality index (AQI) at 454 at 9 am. The 24-hour average AQI on Thursday was 411.
Faridabad (452), Ghaziabad (490), Greater Noida (476), Gurugram (418) and Noida (434) also recorded severe air quality at 9 am.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”. .
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the 24-hour average concentration of lung-damaging particulates, known as PM 2.5, in Delhi-NCR was 346 micrograms per cubic meter at 9 a.m. was almost six times higher. 60 micrograms per cubic meter limit.
The PM10 level was recorded at 544 micrograms per cubic metre.
According to the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), the air quality is considered to be in the emergency category if PM2.5 and PM10 levels remain above 300 micrograms per cubic meter and 500 micrograms per cubic meter, respectively, for 48 hours. more.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials said moderate fog and low temperatures in the morning – Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 12.6 degrees Celsius on Friday – and calm winds were trapping pollutants closer to the ground.
“The visibility level at Indira Gandhi International Airport and Safdarjung Airport dropped to 300-500 meters due to moderate fog. It (fog) intensified on Friday due to high humidity,” an official said.
Green think tank Center for Science and Environment (CSE) said the current smog episode is a public health emergency and could be the longest in four years.
The longer duration of this year’s smog, despite relatively firmer local conditions, could be due to the lack of pollution control measures in the city, CSE said in a report.
In another report, it said that the contribution of vehicles to Delhi’s pollution was more than 50 per cent during the initial phase of this year’s winter from October 24 to November 8.
According to SAFAR, the air quality forecasting agency of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, 3,914 farm fires accounted for 26 per cent of Delhi’s PM2.5 pollution on Thursday.
Stubble burning has accounted for at least 25 percent of Delhi’s PM2.5 pollution for eight consecutive days since November 4.
The share of farm fires in Delhi’s pollution rose to 48 per cent on Sunday, the highest since November 5, 2018, when it was recorded at 58 per cent.
Last year, the share of stubble burning in Delhi’s pollution reached 42 per cent on November 5. In 2019, burning of crop residues accounted for 44 per cent of Delhi’s PM 2.5 pollution as on November 1.
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Thursday wrote another letter to Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav, calling an emergency meeting with all NCR states to discuss the issue of stubble burning.
Mr Rai also launched a month-long campaign to stop open burning of waste and biomass in the city to further reduce pollution from local sources.
The second phase of the city government’s anti-dust campaign will start from Friday.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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