 "Delhi's air quality stays 'poor', anti-pollution drive to start today")
The overall air quality in Delhi on Thursday morning continued to be in the "poor" category, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) at 256, as per SAFAR-India. According to the daily bulletin of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the national capital's AQI, as of 4 pm on October 25, was 243.
Meanwhile, to reduce pollution in the national capital, an anti-pollution drive is also going to start today. According to reports, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has constituted 511 surveillance teams and assigned 1,064 officers to check open burning, illegal construction and demolition waste dumping, construction and demolition sites and dust on the road.
Meghalaya's Byrnihat most polluted city
The CPCB data also showed that Meghalaya's Byrnihat was the most polluted city as of October 25, with an AQI of 302. With this, it falls in the "very poor" category. It was followed by Rajasthan's Hanumangarh (297) and Uttar Pradesh's Greater Noida (278). Manesar's AQI was 251 and Bahadurgarh 247.
Noida and Ghaziabad were also in the "poor" category, with AQIs of 212 and 203, respectively.
Gurguram, however, fared better with an AQI of 190, falling in the "moderate" category. Mumbai's AQI was 157. No city in India, as of now, falls in the category of "severe".
How is the air quality in cities around Delhi?
Most cities around the national capital were in the "poor" category, with an AQI in the range of 200-300. Faridabad recorded an AQI of 270, and Noida 212.
Also Read: Haryana's air quality this year is the best since Covid-19 lockdown in 2020
Also Read: Haryana's air quality this year is the best since Covid-19 lockdown in 2020
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What is Delhi doing to improve air quality?
Delhi's Environment Minister Gopal Rai has urged the states in the region to ban firecrackers ahead of the upcoming Diwali, keeping in view the measures put in place to tackle pollution.
The minister said that during Dussehra, which was celebrated on Tuesday, there was less bursting of firecrackers, and if the same continues for Diwali, then it will have a better impact on pollution levels in Delhi.
"I think that comparatively, firecrackers were burst at a lesser number of locations this time (during Dussehra). I would like to once again request that the states in Delhi-NCR ban firecrackers because they are easily available to people in their states. I think if NCR states ban it too, this will have a better impact on Delhi," Gopal Rai said.
On the improvement, the Environment Minister said, "Two days ago, the AQI level in Delhi was above 300. A decrease in the AQI level has been recorded and it has come below 300. I think that in the days to come, this will keep fluctuating. It is being estimated that after October 30, this will perhaps go up again."
Further speaking on stubble burning, Gopal Rai said, "Stubble burning is going on but the number of such cases is low as of now. However, it is being estimated that these cases will increase around October 30. It is to be seen what kind of impact the measures taken up in Punjab have."
As stubble burning continues in parts of Punjab and Haryana, air quality in the national capital has worsened in the past few days. According to data, over 2,500 cases of stubble burning have been reported this year so far. However, farm fire numbers are better than those of the previous two years.
The second phase of the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) was implemented in Delhi to reduce the effect of increased pollution.
What is Grap?
The Centre's Pollution Control Board (PCB) had earlier come up with its Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) measures to deal with air pollution.
Under Stage I measures, construction and demolition activities on a plot size of or above 500 square meters are halted. The restaurants and hotels are directed to stop using coal and firewood in tandoors. Moreover, the government undertakes automated cleaning of the roads for dust management. It is activated when AQI is "poor".
Under Stage II, the parking fees are hiked to reduce the usage of private vehicles. To tackle the high number of daily commuters, the frequency of local buses and Metro is increased. It is initiated when AQI is "very poor".
Under Stage III, BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers are prohibited from entering Delhi-NCR, in addition to other measures. Moreover, all construction activities, except government projects, are halted. The entry of commercial vehicles registered outside Delhi is prohibited in the capital. This stage is activated when AQI is "severe".
Under Stage IV, all construction and demolition activity is banned. The authorities are asked to devise a plan for online classes for schools and remote work for the offices. The government kicks off this stage when the pollution levels are "severe-plus".
What is AQI?
The Air Quality Index is a tool for communication of air quality status to people. There are six AQI categories, namely good, satisfactory, moderately polluted, poor, very poor, and severe.
Each of these categories is decided based on the ambient concentration values of air pollutants and their likely health impacts (known as health breakpoints). According to the AQI scale, the air quality check between 0 and 50 is "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 450 "severe".
(With agency inputs)