The air quality in the national capital on Friday morning (November 12) turned ‘very poor’ with an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) at 360, according to the Ministry of Earth Science’s air quality monitor, System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).
Dense smog aided by unfavourable meteorological conditions lowered visibility in several parts of Delhi-NCR.
Green think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said, the longer duration of this year’s smog despite relatively windier local conditions might be due to a lack of pollution control measures in the city.
An AQI between zero and 50 is taken into account “good”, 51 and 100 “passable”, 101 and 200 “average”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “extreme”.
In keeping with the Ministry of Earth Sciences’ air high quality forecast company SAFAR, 3,914 farm fires accounted for 26 per cent of Delhi’s PM2.5 air pollution on Thursday (November 11).
Delhi Atmosphere Minister Gopal Rai on Thursday (November 11) wrote one other letter to his Union counterpart Bhupender Yadav calling for an emergency assembly with all NCR states to debate the problem of stubble burning.
He also kicked off a month-long campaign to prevent the open burning of waste and biomass in the city in a bid to further cut down pollution from local sources.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the minimum temperature in the national capital this week will drop to 11 degrees Celsius.
On Thursday, the minimum temperature was recorded at 13 degrees Celsius while the maximum temperature for the day settled at 28 degrees Celsius.
This entire week the maximum temperature will fluctuate between 25 to 28 degrees Celsius, the IMD data revealed.
Five ways to reduce air pollution in Delhi :
- Use of public transportation: Vehicular pollution is one of the biggest causes of air pollution. Our personal vehicles like car and two-wheelers release toxic gases like carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides which pollute the air.
- Avoid burning garbage: The burning of waste also releases toxic gases in the air again polluting the environment and the air we breathe.
- Walking or cycling: If you are required to travel short distances, it is advisable to either walk or use your bicycle. Both ways will help in reducing air pollution caused by our use of personal vehicles.
- Using inverter for power back up: Diesel generator sets are a common sight during power outages in the city. Though the Delhi Pollution Control Committee has banned the use of electricity generators that run on diesel, petrol and kerosene in the city.
- Preventing landfill fires: In Delhi, we have regularly seen that the landfill sites catch fires too often and continue for days and weeks. The smoke from such fires engulfs the city leading to the spread of poisonous gases and unpleasent smell.