Mandhir Singh Deol
New Delhi, December 18
Air quality in Delhi took a ‘severe’ turn today, making the national capital the country’s most polluted city for the third day in a row.
The city was shrouded in a thick blanket of smog for the third consecutive day as the air quality index (AQI) crossed 440. This forced the authorities to reinstate the strictest pollution control restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
In view of the rising pollution crisis, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) had implemented the fourth phase of GRAP late on Monday night. Under this, entry of non-essential diesel trucks and operation of old vehicles has also been banned in the national capital. Public and private offices have been asked to function at 50 percent capacity. The rest of the employees have been advised to work from home. The Central Pollution Control Board recorded the AQI at a dangerous 442 at 7 am, with several monitoring stations crossing 450 in the ‘severe-plus’ range. There are similar reports in the National Capital Region (NCR). Areas like Faridabad, Noida and Gurugram also have very poor air quality. Pollution levels are likely to continue in the coming days.
The data showed that the concentration of PM 2.5 fine particles was 251.5 micrograms per cubic meter on Tuesday evening. This figure is 16 times higher than the World Health Organization’s safe limit of 15 micrograms per cubic meter. These particles are particularly dangerous because they can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream, causing long-term health problems.
Experts attribute the worsening air quality to a combination of stagnant winds, high humidity and emissions from local sources including vehicular and industrial pollution. The India Meteorological Department reported that low wind speeds caused the pollutants to be trapped close to the ground. Visibility declined rapidly across the region.
Yellow alert issued for dense fog for the next three days IMD has issued a yellow alert forecasting moderate to dense fog for the next three days and warned that cold and smoky conditions are likely to persist. State governments in NCR have also been empowered to implement additional restrictions, including the odd-even vehicle scheme, to further reduce emissions.
Officials have urged people to use air purifiers indoors and wear N95 masks outside. Pollution levels may remain in the ‘severe’ category on Thursday. However, a slight improvement is expected by December 19 and 20. A possible shift to the ‘very poor’ category is possible as wind speeds increase.