Air quality in Capital remains severe 2 days after Diwali
New Delhi: Strong surface winds slightly improved Delhi's air quality on Saturday but it remained in the 'severe' category as the contribution of farm fires in the city's PM2.5 pollution reached the season's highest of 41 per cent, officials said.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) bulletin, the city's air quality index (AQI) stood at 449 (severe) at 8 am, and 437 at 4 pm.
The AQI on Friday was recorded at 462.
The CPCB's Sameer app showed that the AQI at Punjabi Bagh was 452, ITO 443, Chandni Chowk 445, Ashok Vihar 450, Karni Singh Shooting Range 470, Mathura Road 446, IGI Airport (T3) 426, NSIT Dwarka 429 and Patparganj 452.
The Delhi government on Saturday deployed 114 water tankers to sprinkle water on roads to settle dust, one of major contributors to air pollution, after the national Capital's air quality deteriorated following the Diwali festival.
Environment Minister Gopal Rai flagged off the water tankers, terming it an "emergency measure" to help people.
"Last month, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had launched an action plan that is being implemented across the city. Along with the people of Delhi, we are running the campaign to check the local source of air pollution in the city — be it dust, vehicle or biomass pollution," Rai told reporters.
He added that on Diwali, instances of crop residue burning in Punjab and Haryana along with bursting of firecrackers in the city added to air pollution.
"Even today, incidents of stubble burning are increasing. Yesterday, about 3,500 incidents were recorded and today, it is more than 4,000. All this is impacting Delhi's air. As an emergency measure and to help people, we are sprinkling water from the tankers. We have even installed smog guns," the Aam Aadmi Party leader said.
The weather office said that strong surface winds will keep sweeping through the Delhi-NCR on Sunday as well and are expected to flush out pollutants.
The Ministry of Earth Sciences' air quality forecast agency, SAFAR, stated that stubble burning accounted for 41 per cent of Delhi's PM2.5 pollution on Saturday, the season's highest so far.
"Delhi's AQI is likely to improve to the upper end of the 'very poor' category as surface winds are becoming stronger, dispersing air pollutants. Strong northwesterly winds enhance the transport of emissions from stubble burning. Share of crop residue burning emissions in PM2.5 is 41 per cent (effective fire count 5,159)," SAFAR said on Saturday.
The weather office said the wind speed at both airports (IGI Palam and Safdarjung) was recorded between 10 and 15 kmph till 4 pm.
Weather experts said due to the rampant bursting of crackers on Diwali despite restrictions, the city's air quality after the festival dropped to its poorest level in five years. The rise in incidents of stubble burning in neighbouring states also contributed towards it.
Air quality degraded to the 'severe' zone in the Delhi-NCR due to unfavourable weather conditions, low temperature and low mixing height and a poisonous cocktail of emissions from firecrackers, stubble burning and local sources, they added.
On Saturday, Delhi's maximum temperature settled at 28.1 degrees Celsius, a notch below the season's average, and the minimum temperature was recorded at 14.7 degrees Celsius, normal for this time of the year, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
The minimum and maximum temperatures on Sunday are likely to hover around 15 and 28 degrees Celsius respectively, it added.
Weather scientists said the fog or smog condition has improved in the Delhi-NCR as forecasted.
In the morning, there was shallow fog in the city and visibility remained in the 600 to 800-metre range, reported at Delhi's two airports from 5.30 am to 9.30 am, the weather office said.
Visibility improved to 800 to 1,200m later in the day.
