Air quality remains 'very poor' for second consecutive day

NEW DELHI: Air quality in Delhi remained "very poor" for the second consecutive day on Thursday. The overall Air Quality Index stood at 315 in the afternoon, according to data from the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research. The air quality deteriorated to 'very poor' category for the first time in the season on Wednesday.

The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi was recorded at 315 on Thursday. An AQI between 0 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 'severe'. As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the worst was recorded from Dwarka Sector-8, 376, followed by Anand Vihar at 358, Jahangirpuri 333, Rohini 330 and ITO at 295.

According to Authority, the air quality will deteriorate further as the forecast mentioned that in coming days the PM10 level will reach 341 and the PM2.5 level 159. A CPCB official told reporters that a number of factors were responsible for the degrading air quality. This includes vehicular pollution, construction activities and meteorological factors- the drop and change of wind speed.

The air quality deteriorated days after the pollution control board implemented an emergency plan to combat air pollution. Reportedly, an official said on-ground implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) directions was being enforced, but the activities causing pollution were still continuing and making the situation worse.

The emergency plan is generally implemented if "very poor" or "severe" air pollution levels are recorded for 48 hours or more. But given the extent of winter pollution witnessed by the national capital, the plan was implemented as the air quality slipped to the "poor" category, an official said.

Notably, the authorities have also deployed 41 inspection teams to monitor air pollution. However, reports on the inspections conducted by the CPCB till October 7, it was found that a total of 96 inspections were conducted during which 554 violations were recorded. Of these cases, 41 per cent violations were for open storage of construction and demolition of waste, 14 per cent for open waste dumping, 13 per cent for dust from unpaved roads, and 10 per cent for the open dumping of construction waste.