Delhi’s Air Quality Turns “Very Poor,” With No Improvements Expected in the Next Few Days

According to weather monitoring organizations, Delhi’s air quality dropped to the “very poor” category on Saturday and is predicted to become worse owing to adverse meteorological circumstances.

As to the Central Pollution Control Board, the average Air Quality Index (AQI) of the city was 261 on Friday, and it was worse at 301 at midday today.

In the surrounding regions, the AQI values were 248 in Gurugram, 284 in Noida, 268 in Faridabad, 286 in Ghaziabad, and 349 in Greater Noida.

The following ranges of AQI values are regarded as “good”: 0 to 50, 51 to 100, 201 to 200, 301 to 400, 201 to 300,’satisfactory,’ 401 to 500, and’severe.”

A decrease in temperature and sluggish nighttime wind speed have caused Delhi’s air quality to worsen to the’very bad’ level, according to the Center’s Air Quality Early Warning System. ‘Very bad’ air quality is predicted to persist until the end of the month.

Hazardous air quality levels in Delhi-NCR during the winter are caused by unfavorable climatic circumstances, local sources of pollution, and a mix of emissions from firecrackers and burning paddy straw.

Officials are uncertain of the cause for the lack of updates to the Ministry of Earth Sciences’ System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) data on the impact of smoke from agricultural fires to Delhi’s air pollution. In a similar vein, public access to data from the Decision Support System—a model-based system for locating the origins of particulate matter pollution—has been discontinued.

In order to reduce air pollution in the nation’s capital during the winter, the government of Delhi unveiled a 15-point action plan, with a focus on tackling dust pollution, vehicle emissions, and open burning of rubbish. There are already special drives in place to monitor for pollution from vehicles, industry, and dust.

Additionally, the manufacturing, storing, selling, and usage of firecrackers within the city had been outlawed by the government. The public awareness campaign ‘Patakhe Nahi Diye Jalao,’ which aims to prevent the firing of firecrackers, is coming again.

In addition to the current 13 pollution hotspots in the nation’s capital, the government has identified eight additional, and specialized teams will be sent there to investigate the causes of pollution. To stop dust pollution in the city, dust suppressants—which include chemical agents—will be employed to make tiny dust particles too heavy to fly into the air.