First time this season, AQI in Delhi falls to 'very poor'
NEW DELHI: Delhi's air quality, for the first time this season, deteriorated to the 'very poor' category on Wednesday, with several areas in the national Capital nearing towards 'severe' levels of pollution, according to authorities.
The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi was recorded at 309, according to a data of the Centre-run System of Air Quality Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).
An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', between 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor' and that between 401 and 500 is categorised as 'severe'.
Wednesday's data released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed that Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 380, Dwarka Sector-8 registered AQI of 376, ITO recorded 295 and Jahangirpuri recorded 349 and Rohini had 353.
The level of PM10 (presence of particles with diameter less than 10 micrometre) in Delhi stood at 287 and that of PM2.5 was 131, as per the data.
Further deterioration of air quality is forecast in the coming days, with PM10 expected to reach 330 and PM2.5 151.
It is pertinent to mention that on Monday, the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority, or EPCA, implemented the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to control air pollution across Delhi-NCR.
As per the GRAP – prepared under directives of the Supreme Court – graded measures are implemented based on the air quality of the city. A CPCB official said that a number of factors are responsible for deteriorating air quality, including vehicular pollution, construction activities and meteorological conditions.
Among meteorological factors, the main reason is the drop and change of wind speed, which is now flowing from the stubble burning areas, another official said.
The GRAP, notified by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in 2012, prescribes a set of measures to curb air pollution based on the daily AQI.
The emergency plan gets implemented if 'very poor' or 'severe' air pollution levels are recorded for 48 hours; but given the extent of winter pollution seen in Delhi, GRAP has been implemented as the air quality slipped to the 'poor' category, the CPCB official said.
The CPCB has also deployed 41 teams to monitor the implementation of measures taken to combat air pollution.
Gurugram too breaths 'very poor' air
Gurugram: The Millennium City, at present, seems to be the leader among all areas in the National Capital Region in terms of poor air quality levels. On Wednesday too, there was no improvement and lakhs of residents were forced to inhale the poisonous air.
For a week now, dangers levels of PM10 (particulate matter with diameter 10 microns) and PM2.5 (particulate matter with diameter 2.5 microns) have been recorded in Gurugram, with concentration of the more lethal PM2.5 hovering around 200-250 microgram per cubic metres.
Other poisonous gases like sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide also are in high concentration.
The EPCA is trying to involve agencies such as Haryana State Pollution Control Board, Municipal Corporation of Gurugram and Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority to tackle the pollution menace.
