Delhi-NCR's 'severe' air quality raises alarms; AQI at 378

The smoky haze shrouding Delhi thickened on Thursday obscuring the skyline and hiding the sun due to a surge in farm fires and unfavourable weather conditions prompting doctors to issue warnings about breathing issues being aggravatedScientists have warned of a spike in pollution levels in DelhiNCR over the next two weeks This is concerning as the Air Quality Index AQI in many areas has already breached the 400mark to enter the severe categoryAn official from the India Meteorological Department reported that visibility reduced to just 500 metres at the Safdarjung Observatory around 7 am gradually improving to 800 metres as temperatures increased during the dayCold temperatures create stable atmospheric conditions known as temperature inversions where a layer of warm air traps cooler air near the ground allowing the accumulation of pollutantsAt 3 pm the citys AQI reached 378 The 24hour average AQI was 364 on Wednesday 359 on Tuesday 347 on Monday 325 on Sunday 304 on Saturday and 261 on FridaySeveral areas within the city including Punjabi Bagh 439 Dwarka Sector8 420 Jahangirpuri 403 Rohini 422 Narela 422 Wazirpur 406 Bawana 432 Mundka 439 Anand Vihar 452 and New Moti Bagh 406 recorded severe air qualityAn AQI between zero and 50 is considered good 51 and 100 satisfactory 101 and 200 moderate 201 and 300 poor 301 and 400 very poor and 401 and 500 severeThe concentration of PM25 fine particulate matter that can penetrate deep into the respiratory system and trigger respiratory problems exceeded the safe limit of 60 microgrammes per cubic metre by six to seven times in these areasHealth professionals have expressed concerns that air pollution is increasing asthma and lung problems in children and the elderlyWe are recording a surge in the number of irritative bronchitis infections It is recommended that people suffering from respiratory issues such as chronic bronchitis and asthma take their medicines regularly and do not go out in the open unless absolutely necessary said Jugal Kishore the head of the medicine department at Safdarjung HospitalConsidering the spike in indoor pollution in Delhi he advised people to use air purifiers in their homesOne of the major reasons behind the accumulation of pollutants in recent days is the lack of rainfall during this postmonsoon season so farAccording to government data Delhis air quality in October 2023 was the worst since 2020 with meteorologists attributing it to the absence of rainfall The capital recorded an AQI of 210 in October compared to 210 in October last year and 173 in October 2021 according to the Central Pollution Control Board CPCBIn contrast to October 2022 129 mm and October 2021 123 mm Delhi experienced only one rainy day 54 mm of precipitation in October 2023Unfavourable meteorological conditions combined with emissions from firecrackers paddy straw burning and local pollution sources contribute to hazardous air quality levels in DelhiNCR during winterAccording to an analysis conducted by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee DPCC the capital experienced peak pollution from November 1 to November 15 when the number of stubbleburning incidents in Punjab and Haryana increasedThe Commission for Air Quality Management CAQM a statutory body responsible for formulating strategies to reduce pollution in DelhiNCR reported that the number of stubbleburning incidents in Punjab and Haryana since September 15 has reduced by around 56 per cent and 40 per cent respectively compared to the corresponding period last yearThe Punjab government aims to reduce farm fires by 50 per cent in this winter season and eliminate stubble burning in six districtsAccording to Punjabs action plan to curb paddy straw burning about 31 lakh hectares of land in the state are under paddy cultivation expected to generate around 16 million tonnes of paddy straw nonbasmatiHaryana estimates that about 1482 lakh hectares of land in the state are under paddy cultivation expected to generate over 73 million tonnes of paddy straw nonbasmatiThe state is making efforts to nearly eliminate farm fires this yearAccording to a numerical modelbased system developed by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology IITM in Pune vehicular emissions 11 per cent to 16 per cent and stubble burning seven per cent to 16 per cent currently stand as the two major contributors to Delhis air qualityDelhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai announced on Wednesday that the city government would ban construction work in areas where the AQI remains above the 400 mark for five consecutive daysThe Delhi government launched a 15point action plan last month to mitigate air pollution during the winter season with a strong emphasis on addressing dust pollution vehicular emissions and open burning of garbageIn line with the practice of the last three years the Delhi government last month also announced a comprehensive ban on the manufacture storage sale and use of firecrackers within the cityIt has launched a Red Light on Gaadi Off campaign to curb vehicular pollution and plans to hire 1000 private CNG buses to strengthen public transport and reduce vehicular pollutionAir pollution in India resulted in 167 million deaths in 2019 the largest pollutionrelated death toll in any country in the world and accounted for USD 368 billion in economic losses according to a new study by researchers from the Global Observatory on Pollution and Health at Boston College the Indian Council of Medical Research and the Public Health Foundation of India