As Punjab and Haryana’s rates of stubble burning rise, Delhi, Noida, Gurugram, Ghaziabad, and Faridabad choke on pollutants and the air quality deteriorates.
A day before Diwali, the National Capital’s air quality index plummeted to “severe,” prompting the declaration of an air emergency on Thursday. Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, declared that all government and elementary schools in the city will be closed on Friday and Saturday due to the increasing levels of pollution.
The construction of non-essential buildings and the operation of BS-3 gasoline and BS-4 diesel vehicles in Delhi Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Budh Nagar have been prohibited by the Delhi government. The whole Delhi AQI on Friday morning was in the “severe” category, with the areas around IGI Airport (T3) at 473, Jahangirpuri at 491, Lodhi Road at 438, and RK Puram at 486.
AQI severe to dangerous for Delhi-NCR Here are the top 10 points
- An AQI of zero to fifty is good, 51 to one hundred satisfactory, 101 to 200 moderate, 201 to 300 poor, 301 to 400 very poor, 401 to 500 severe, and more than 500 dangerous.
- Scientists have issued a warning of additional deterioration in the air quality, even if Delhi’s AQI has become severe thus far. The AQI fell to 422, the lowest level of the season, on Thursday around 10 p.m. On Wednesday, it was 364; on Tuesday, it was 359; on Monday, it was 347; on Sunday, it was 325; on Saturday, it was 304; and on Friday, it was 261.
- At several sites on Thursday, the amount of PM2.5 exceeded the 60 micrograms per cubic meter safe limit by a factor of seven to eight.
- A model-based research by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune found that 25% of the PM2.5 pollution in Delhi on Thursday was caused by smoke from burning stubble. Today, it might increase to 35%.
- October 2023 had the worst air quality in Delhi since 2020 because there was no October rain this year. In contrast to October 2022’s 129 mm and October 2021’s 123 mm, only 5.4 mm of precipitation was observed in October 2023.
- The period from November 1 to November 15, when farmers in Punjab and Haryana start burning their stubble, is when Delhi’s air pollution peaks. According to the Commission for Air Quality Management, there has been a notable increase in the recent few days despite the fact that stubble-burning occurrences in Punjab and Haryana have decreased since September 15.
- Due to the deteriorating air quality index, Gurugram has invoked Section 144. Beginning on Friday, GRAP III limitations also apply to Noida and Greater Noida.
- In an effort to encourage people to use the metro rather than their vehicles, Delhi Metro will operate 20 extra trains.
- Further prohibited activities in Delhi under GRAP III are demolition work; loading and unloading building supplies anywhere inside or outside project sites; manual or conveyor belt raw material transfers, including fly ash; driving on unpaved roads; operating a batching plant; installing sewage and water lines; installing drainage systems; installing electric cabling via open trench systems; cutting and repairing tiles, stones, and other flooring materials; waterproofing; painting, polishing, and varnishing; and road construction/repair work, which includes paving sidewalks, pathways, and central verges, among other things.
- The government will ensure daily watering and dust suppressant application, as well as increase the frequency of mechanized road sweeping.