The situation worsened due to seasonal farm fireOn the morning of Diwali, the share of stubble burning in Delhi’s pollution increased to 25 percent. It is expected to increase further in the coming days.
People from many parts of the city and its suburbs complained sore throat And eye-watering, as a layer of haze, the first episode of this season, covered the environment, reported PTI.
residents of Lajpat Nagar In South Delhi, Burari in North Delhi, Paschim Vihar Despite a complete ban in the national capital till January 1, 2022, incidents of bursting of crackers took place at 7 pm in West Delhi and Shahdara in East Delhi.
Several incidents of bursting of crackers at high speed have also been reported from Gurugram and Faridabad.
Earlier in the evening, even before the festivities began, a thick blanket of mist had covered the sky.
air quality will drop further
Experts have predicted that the air quality in the national capital is likely to slide into the severe category by midnight due to adverse meteorological conditions – calm winds, low temperatures and low mixing altitude – and a toxic cocktail of emissions. firecrackers, stubble burning and local sources.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the “first string of fog” in the capital reduced visibility at Indira Gandhi International Airport and Safdarjung Airport to 600-800 meters in the morning.
“Due to calm wind conditions, it remained in the poor range of 800-900 meters in haze throughout the day,” senior IMD scientist RK Jenamani told PTI.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the 24-hour average PM2.5 concentration in Delhi-NCR increased from 243 micrograms per cubic meter at 6 pm to 263 micrograms per cubic meter at 9 pm, more than four times the safe Is. 60 micrograms per cubic meter limit.
The 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) of the capital was 382 on Thursday, as against 314 on Wednesday. It was 303 on Tuesday and 281 on Monday.
An AQI between zero and 50 is ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’ and 401 and 500 ‘very poor’. considered ‘serious’.
According to the forecasts of the SAFAR model, the share of stubble burning may increase to 35 per cent on Friday and 40 per cent on Saturday as the wind direction is changing to the northwest.
Northwesterly winds carry smoke from farm fires in Punjab and Haryana towards the national capital.
The Air Quality Forecasting Agency said relief is expected only from the evening of November 7, but the AQI will fluctuate within the ‘very poor’ category.
The contribution of stubble burning to Delhi’s PM2.5 concentration was 32 per cent on Diwali last year, compared to 19 per cent in 2019.
On 27 October, the Delhi government launched the ‘Jalao firecrackers’ campaign to create awareness against bursting of firecrackers.
Action can be taken under the relevant IPC provisions and the Explosives Act if anyone found burning firecrackers as part of the campaign.
According to the government, so far more than 13,000 kg of illegal firecrackers have been seized and 33 people have been arrested under the anti-cracker campaign.
(with inputs from PTI)
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