Air quality in Delhi-NCR continue to remain in ‘very poor’ category

Speaking of other places, Dhirpur recorded an AQI of 319, Lodhi Road recorded 317, Delhi Airport (T3) recorded an AQI of 323 while Mathura road recorded AQI of 338, Pusa recorded AQI of 322, as per 6 am data. The AQI at Delhi University stood at 336. while that at IIT Delhi stood at 292 in ‘poor category.’ 

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The Air Quality Index from 0 to 100 is considered as good, while from 100 to 200 it is moderate, from 200 to 300 it is poor, and from 300 to 400 it is said to be very poor and from 400 to 500 or above it is considered as severe.

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Meanwhile, with slight improvement in pollution levels, the Delhi government on Monday decided to reopen primary classes from November 9 and revoke the order asking 50 per cent of its staff to work from home.

However, plying of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers in the national capital will remain banned under stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai told a press conference.

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The plan is a set of anti-air pollution measures followed in Delhi and its vicinity according to the severity of the situation.

The transport department, in an order, had said the vehicles found plying in violation of the rule will be prosecuted under the Motor Vehicles Act, which could invite a fine of ₹20,000.

Vehicles deployed for emergency services, and government and election-related work are exempted.

“There has been a rapid improvement in the air pollution situation in Delhi and farm fires have also reduced. Therefore, it has been decided to reopen primary schools from November 9 and revoke the order asking 50 per cent of the government staff to work from home,” the minister said.

Minister Rai said curbs under stage 3 of GRAP will remain in force. Private construction and demolition will remain banned in Delhi, he said.

Rai added that 500 additional buses will be run in the capital under the “Paryavaran Bus Sewa” campaign to bolster public transport.

With air pollution ameliorating in Delhi, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Sunday directed authorities to lift the ban on plying of non-BS VI diesel light motor vehicles in the region and the entry of trucks into the national capital imposed under the stage 4 of the GRAP.

It had also banned construction work in public projects such as highways, flyovers, power transmission, and pipelines in Delhi-NCR.

The CAQM order recommending the restrictions was issued on Thursday.

The capital’s 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) worsened from 339 on Sunday to 354 on Monday. It was 381 on Saturday. 

Meanwhile, with 2,487 more stubble-burning cases reported on Monday, farm fire incidents crossed the 30,000 mark in Punjab, according to the Ludhiana-based Punjab Remote Sensing Centre data as quoted by news agency PTI. From September 15 to November 7, the cumulative farm fire cases rose to 32,486 including fresh crop residue burning incidents reported on Monday, as per official data.

The smoke from farm fires are carried to the national capital region by transport-level winds that blow in the lowest two layers of the atmosphere — the troposphere and stratosphere.

According to an analysis conducted by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee last year, people in the national capital breathe the worst air between November 1 and November 15 when stubble burning peaks and winters set in.

The Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) released by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago in June showed that residents of Delhi stand to lose 10 years of life expectancy due to poor air quality.

(With inputs from agencies)