Tag: Spike in delhi pollution

Delhi residents are struggling to breathe as the air quality in the national capital region was in the ‘severe’ category for the consecutive third day. According to the Central Pollution Control Board data, Delhi’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 408 at 9.30 am.

Every year, Delhi residents struggle with choking air around October and November owing to the rise in air pollution. On Saturday morning, the air quality was severe in Delhi-NCR. Noida’s AQI was 529, Gurugram’s jumped to 478, and near Dhirpur’s it was 534, according to news agency ANI.

On Friday, the Aam Aadmi Party government declared that primary schools will remain shut from Saturday and 50 per cent of its staff will work from home.

In addition to this, the Delhi government has also imposed the final stage of the Graded Response Action Plan. The plying of four-wheeled diesel light motor vehicles in the city and adjoining areas and the entry of trucks into the national capital region have been banned as part of anti-pollution measures under the final stage of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

A recent survey conducted by LocalCircles stated that in every five families in the national capital region, one or more family members suffer from some pollution-related ailment or the other.

The survey also highlighted that the residents of Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Faridabad reported that their family members were ailing due to pollution, and reported symptoms like sore throat, cough, congestion in chest, blocked nose and burning eyes. Such cases have gone up by 70 per cent to 80 per cent in the last five days.

As per experts, senior citizens, who have weak lungs, are vulnerable to this severe air quality. Even children are also more susceptible due to fine PM2.5 particles that penetrate deep into lung passageways which affected people can’t breathe.

Blame game on harvest burning

As per the LocalCircles survey, Delhi residents said that air quality has been bad since Diwali, but in recent days it has risen alarmingly due to stubble burning post-harvest in Punjab.

On 4 November, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal with his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann by his side, said: “We (AAP) have our government in Punjab and we are responsible if ‘parali’ is being burnt there. Farmers are not responsible for it.”

The air quality at Delhi-NCR continued its downward spiral on Tuesday morning, recording the Air Quality Index (AQI) as high as 594 in Dhirpur, Delhi, which is in severe category. Noida, UP also recorded 444 AQI in the ‘Severe’ category and Gurugram, Haryana saw air quality dip to ‘Very Poor’ category. Delhi’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) this morning was at 385 in the very poor category leading Delhi government to ban all construction and demolition activities taking place in the national capital. 

It was already anticipated that the National Capital’s air quality would worsen in the coming days because of the calmer winds and other different meteorological conditions. In a news conference on Sunday, Gopal Rai, Delhi’s environment minister, said, “Experts are predicting that wind speed will fall from November 1 and its direction will change. Based on that, it is predicted that the AQI would go beyond 400 into the severe category.”

He further said that the pollution levels usually spike in the Delhi-NCR region around this time primarily because of dust, bio-mass burning and vehicular emissions, changes in the meteorological situation and air movement.

“586 teams had been formed to monitor construction works, and that exemptions would be given to hospitals, railways, airports and other such public activities. 521 machines would sprinkle water across the city to settle dust while nearly 233 anti-smog guns would be deployed,” informed Rai.

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered to be ‘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 government organisation.

Also Read: Construction activities banned in Delhi-NCR area amid worsening pollution levels