Severe or worse air quality in Delhi for 4th day on trot

Pollution levels in DelhiNCR on Monday morning were recorded around seven to eight times above the governmentprescribed safe limit as a toxic haze persisted over the region for the seventh consecutive dayStringent curbs including a ban on entry of polluting trucks came into effect in Delhi on Sunday as its air quality entered the severe plus category for the second time in three days due to unfavourable wind conditions and a sharp rise in farm fires across north IndiaThe 24hour average Air Quality Index AQI recorded at 4 pm every day worsened from 415 on Saturday to 454 on Sunday prompting the Centre to implement all emergency measures mandated under the final Stage IV of its air pollution control plan called the Graded Response Action Plan GRAPGRAP categorises actions into four stages Stage I Poor AQI 201300 Stage II Very Poor AQI 301400 Stage III Severe AQI 401450 and Stage IV Severe Plus AQI 450 The citys AQI stood at 440 at 7 am on Monday Several cities in neighbouring Haryana Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh have also reported hazardous air quality Neighbouring Ghaziabad 413 Gurugram 369 Noida 403 Greater Noida 396 and Faridabad 426 also reported hazardous air quality at 7 amAccording to the India Meteorological Department IMD conditions favourable for dispersion of pollutants are likely to develop Tuesday night onwards under the influence of an upcoming western disturbance weather systems that originate in the Mediterranean region and bring unseasonal rainfall to northwest IndiaThe concentration of PM25 fine particulate matter capable of penetrating deep into the respiratory system and triggering health problems exceeded the governmentprescribed safe limit of 60 micrograms per cubic metre by seven to eight times at multiple locations throughout DelhiNCR It was 30 to 40 times the healthy limit of 15 micrograms per cubic metre set by the WHOThe poisonous haze has been causing significant problems for people with existing respiratory issues according to doctors Unfavourable meteorological conditions combined with vehicular emissions paddy straw burning firecrackers and other local pollution sources contribute to hazardous air quality levels in DelhiNCR during the winter every yearAccording to a Delhi Pollution Control Committee DPCC the capital experiences peak pollution from November 1 to November 15 when the number of stubble burning incidents in Punjab and Haryana increases According to the New Delhibased Indian Agricultural Research Institute IARI a total of 4160 farm fires were reported from north India on Sunday the highest so far this seasonPunjab alone reported 3230 incidents of stubble burning the states highest in a day so far this season according to Punjab Remote Sensing Centre data The Commission for Air Quality Management CAQM a statutory body responsible for formulating strategies to combat pollution in the region asked Delhi and NCR states to order a ban on construction work related to linear public projects and allow 50 per cent of the staff in government and private offices to work from homeUnder Stage IV of GRAP only CNG electric and BS VIcompliant vehicles from other states are allowed to enter Delhi Exemptions are granted only to those involved in essential services All medium and heavy goods vehicles not engaged in essential services are also banned in the capital according to the latest CAQM orderOn November 2 the CAQM ordered a ban on nonessential construction work and specific categories of polluting vehicles The Delhi government has also announced the closure of all primary schools for two days in an effort to safeguard young children from hazardous pollution Air quality in DelhiNCR declined over the past week due to a gradual drop in temperatures calm winds that fail to disperse pollutants and a surge in postharvest paddy straw burning across Punjab and HaryanaData from the Central Pollution Control Board CPCB shows that Delhis air quality index increased by over 200 points between October 27 and November 3 ending up in the severe plus category on Friday Fridays 24hour average AQI 468 was the worst since the previous high of 471 recorded on November 12 2021While the capital is grappling with an air crisis a firstofitskind study launched by the Delhi government to help identify different sources of pollution in the city and accordingly take mitigating action was recently halted on the orders of DPCC Chairman Ashwani KumarKumar also unilaterally ordered a halt to the operation of a large smog tower installed at Connaught Place two years ago to mitigate air pollution in the area according to Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai Delhis air quality ranks among the worst in the worlds capital cities A report by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago EPIC in August said that air pollution is shortening lives by almost 12 years in DelhiThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its 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