Delhi’s air quality turned ‘severe’ on October 30, 2018. The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) was 401, falling in the ‘severe’ category, the highest this season, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) officials said. The centre-run System of Air Quality Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) recorded the AQI at 410.
The EPCA had, earlier, accepted the recommendation of a CPCB-led task force for the period between November 1 to 10, 2018, when further deterioration of air is expected, due to the festival season and stubble burning in neighbouring states.
The national capital has been grappling with dangerous levels of pollution for the last two weeks. Eighteen areas in Delhi recorded ‘severe’ air quality with the highest AQI at 4 PM recorded at Anand Vihar at 467, according to a data by the CPCB. Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Noida recorded ‘severe’ air pollution, crossing the AQI of 400. Greater Noida’s air is also on the brink of turning severe.
SAFAR has attributed the spike to ‘heavy stubble burning in the last 24 hours and calm winds’. About 28 per cent of pollution by PM2.5 (presence of particles in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers) on, October 30, 2018, was caused due to regional factors like stubble burning. The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) also spotted a large number of biomass fire spots, through satellite imageries in neighbouring states of Delhi.
Meanwhile, on the issue of firecrackers, the Environment Ministry said that the directions of the Supreme Court shall be followed strictly in Delhi and NCR. “Timings and locations, as envisaged in the Supreme Court’s order for bursting of firecrackers, would be strictly adhered to. Further only eco-friendly fire crackers would be sold, after proper authorisation has been obtained from the Petroleum and Safety Organisation (PESO),” the ministry said in a statement.
Any other kind of firecrackers would not be permitted to be sold in the NCR, as per the order of the Supreme Court. The Delhi Police and the DMs of Gurugram, Noida , Faridabad and Ghaziabad were requested to ensure that these measures were strictly implemented by them in their respective areas, it added. About 44 joint teams will be deployed from November 1, 2018, by the Delhi government to check air pollution in the national capital.
Courtesy/By: Shubham Mathur
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02 Nov 2018
