Farm fires at a new high but winds improve air marginally
New Delhi: Even as the stubble burning count in states neighbouring Delhi shot up to a new season-high on Sunday, strong surface winds lowered pollution levels in the Capital marginally on Monday morning — with the Central Pollution Control Board recording an average AQI of 390 — down to the "very poor" category from "severe".
For three days after Diwali, the air in Delhi was in the "severe" category owing to the city's defiance of the firecracker ban and the sudden rise in stubble burning incidents combined with winds favourable for pollutants to travel here.
On Sunday, monitoring agencies had blamed the rise in farm fires for the slow recovery of air quality in the Capital. And even though 5,450 farm fires, the highest this season, were recorded in neighboring states on Sunday, their share in Delhi's air pollution reduced from 48 per cent a day ago, the highest in three years, to 30 per cent on Monday due to a drop in transport-level wind speed, according to air quality forecast agency SAFAR.
The India Meteorological Department said the wind speed varied from eight kmph to 14 kmph. SAFAR has predicted a marginal improvement in the air quality but said it will remain in the "very poor" category.
And even as the Delhi government waits for the Centre and other NCR states to act urgently on the problem of stubble burning, Environment Minister Gopal Rai here has called for a meeting today to discuss more ways to further reduce local sources of pollution.
On Monday, Rai inspected water sprinkling tankers near the Supreme Court on Tilak Marg. He said that 114 tankers are sprinkling water across the city to curb pollution, adding that while his government was working to control local sources of pollution, the Centre and other states need to act urgently on controlling stubble burning. Rai added that large anti-smog guns have also been operationalised across Delhi.
Rai has already written to the Centre, asking for a joint meeting between NCR states on the issue of stubble burning but the meeting is yet to be scheduled. Moreover, the city government here has ramped up campaigns to cut down on local sources of pollution such as their signature campaign against vehicular pollution - Red light on, Gaadi off.
