Delhi Air Quality Index 407, Pollution Remains “Severe”
Pollution levels in parts of Delhi and the national capital dropped this morning following a slight increase in wind speeds. Overall air pollution levels remain “severe”, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) measuring 407 at 10 am, as per data released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). In more good news for struggling residents of the city state, weather forecasts call for gusts of wind reaching 25 kilometres per hour between Sunday and Tuesday. According to news agency PTI, scattered rainfall is also expected in Punjab and Haryana, which will help in reduce the polluting spread and effect of stubble burning by farmers in those states.
On Friday the Environment Pollution (Prevention & Control) Authority (EPCA) declared a public health emergency across the National Capital Region after pollution levels entered into “emergency” category for the first time since January. A reading at 4 pm on Friday showed an overall AQI of 496.
The agency had advised people to refrain from exercising in the open until further notice and encouraged the wearing of breathing masks when venturing outdoors. It also shut down all construction activity till Tuesday and banned the bursting of firecrackers during the winter. In addition, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also directed all schools to be shut till Tuesday and confirmed the “odd-even” scheme would come into effect from Monday.
Air quality in Delhi has plummeted post-Diwali, which Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said was the “lowest in five years”. According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), Delhi recorded an AQI of 412 on Friday morning, which fell in the “very severe” category.
Mr Kejriwal, who blamed the governments of Haryana and Punjab for “forcing farmers to burn stubble” that led to the problem, has described the city as a “gas chamber”.
Data from SAFAR shows that stubble burning in those two states contributed 46 per cent of the haze and air pollution in Delhi-NCR on Friday alone; the highest so far this year.
“The effective stubble fire counts of northwestern India (Haryana and Punjab) is showing an increasing trend and on its peak value of this year (3,178) which has increased its share significantly to 46 per cent,” a SAFAR official was quoted in a report by news agency IANS.
Delhi is one of the world’s most polluted cities and each winter, seasonal crop stubble burning, dense cloud cover and smoke from millions of Diwali firecrackers turn its skies a putrid yellow.
