Thatch burning accounted for 32% of Delhi’s PM2.5 pollution (file)
New Delhi:
Air quality in and around Delhi fell to “severe” on Saturday as people defied the ban on lighting Diwali firecrackers in several areas, worsening pollution caused by the burning of agricultural waste in the areas. Neighboring states.
The city on Saturday recorded an overall air quality index or AQI of 414, which falls into the “severe” category. The 24-hour average AQI was 339 Friday and 314 Thursday.
Stubble burning accounted for 32% of the city’s PM2.5 pollution, weather officials told PTI News Agency, referring to the tiny particles that can be carried in the lungs, causing deadly disease, especially cancer and heart problems.
Almost all areas of the city have recorded PM2.5 levels above 400, with many areas approaching the 500 mark. Anything above 60 is considered unhealthy. A thick layer of smog enveloped the entire area, reducing visibility.
Residents complained of itchy eyes, sore throats and shortness of breath as the city grapples with the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
The calm winds made the situation worse, allowing pollutants to build up, weather officials said.
Earth Sciences Ministry Air Quality Monitor SAFAR said: “Even a slight increase in local additional emissions is likely to have a significant impact on the deterioration on Sunday and Monday.”
He said peak levels of PM10 and PM2.5 are expected between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. in the event of additional internal emissions.
Delhi recorded a 24-hour average AQI of 337 in Diwali last year (October 27), and 368 and 400 in the following two days. Subsequently, the pollution levels remained in the “severe” category for three days.
This time, India’s Meteorological Department said a further western disturbance could increase wind speed and improve air quality in Delhi-NCR after Diwali.
Light rain is likely Sunday under the influence of a western disturbance. It is still not clear whether it is enough to remove the pollutants, said Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of IMD’s regional forecasting center.
VK Soni, head of the Environmental Research Center at the Indian Meteorological Department, said firecrackers could push air quality into the “severe” area on Diwali night, with calm winds and smoke from farm fires.
The National Green Court (NGT) on Monday imposed a total ban on the sale or use of all kinds of firecrackers in the National Capital Region (NCR) from midnight November 9 to midnight November 30, noting pollution levels horrible.
A bench led by the president of the NGT, Judge Adarsh Kumar Goel, clarified that the directive will apply to all towns and villages in the country where the average ambient air quality in November 2019 was in the categories ” mediocre ”and superior.
(With PTI entries)
