OCTOBER 28, 2023
Commuters out on a smoggy morning amid rising air pollution at Kartavya Path in New Delhi.
Air quality in the national capital on Saturday remained in the ‘very poor’ category. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the average air quality index (AQI) at 4 pm stood at 304.
The AQI in the city at 12 pm was recorded at 301, reflecting a deterioration from the reading of 261 recorded on Friday.
In the Delhi University area and Pusa, the AQI stood in the poor category at 316 and 201, respectively. In the IIT Delhi region, the AQI stood at 276. Similarly, Airport (T3) was in the ‘poor’ category, with an AQI of 293 on Saturday while Delhi’s Mathura Road recorded an AQI of 165, placing it in the moderate category.
In Noida, the AQI was recorded at 286 at 4 pm, indicating ‘poor’ air quality. On the other hand, Gurugram registered an AQI of 252. Other cities such as Ghaziabad and Faridabad also recorded an AQI of 291 and 272 respectively, data from the CBCB states.
As per the standard classification, an Air Quality Index (AQI) between zero and 50 is categorized as ‘good’, 51 to 100 falls under the ‘satisfactory’ range, 101 to 200 is classified as ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 is considered ‘poor’, 301 to 400 falls under ‘very poor’, and 401 to 500 is classified as ‘severe’.
Here are the top updates related to pollution in the national capital.
1. The New Delhi Municipal Council has deployed mechanical road sweepers and hired eight anti-smog guns in a slew of measures to control pollution. NDMC’s Vice Chairperson Satish Upadhyay announced a comprehensive set of “Air Pollution Control” measures for 2023-24. “We recognise the urgent need to prioritize environmental well-being as air pollution, a significant contributor to respiratory diseases, heart conditions, and cancer, demands our collective attention,” Upadhyay told PTI.
2. Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai has said that the number of stubble burning incidents recorded in neighbouring states so far is fewer than last year, and the overall contribution of farm fires to the city’s air pollution is expected to reduce. However, he cautioned that air pollution may increase in the coming days due to unfavourable meteorological conditions.
3. The Ministry of Earth Sciences’ System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research, which provided data about the contribution of smoke from farm fires to Delhi’s air pollution, has not been providing updates, and associated officials are unaware of the reason. “We are not aware of why updates on the SAFAR portal have stopped,” an official at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, which operates the website, was quoted by PTI as saying.
4. Several organisations in the city on Saturday flagged off a nine-day ‘Yamuna Yatra’ foot march to draw the attention of the authorities and people towards the issue of Yamuna river pollution. The march which started from Chhat Ghat near ITO here would traverse 180 km to conclude in Mathura on November 5, said Ravi Shankar Tiwari, convener of Yamuna Sansad.
5. According to the Centre’s Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi, the city’s air quality deteriorated to the ‘very poor’ category due to slow wind speed at night and a dip in temperatures. The air quality is expected to remain very poor till the end of the month, it said.
Courtesy: Hindustan Times / PTI
