Delhi’s Air Quality Severe Once Again; Farm Fires Major Contributor

GG News Bureau

New Delhi, 8^th Nov. The air quality in Delhi and its suburbs has once again dropped to the severe category on Wednesday morning. Smoke from post-harvest paddy straw burning in neighboring states is responsible for one-third of the air pollution in the national capital.

The city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) worsened from 395 to 421 after 4 pm on Tuesday.

Although there was a slight decrease, the concentration of PM2.5, which is fine particulate matter that can penetrate deep into the respiratory system and cause health problems, exceeded the government-prescribed safe limit of 60 micrograms per cubic meter by seven to eight times in Delhi.

This concentration was 30 to 40 times higher than the healthy limit of 15 micrograms per cubic meter set by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Several cities in the Indo-Gangetic plains also reported hazardous air quality, including Ghaziabad (382), Gurugram (370), Noida (348), Greater Noida (474), and Faridabad (396).

According to data from the Decision Support System, stubble burning in neighboring states, particularly Punjab and Haryana, accounted for 37 percent of the air pollution in Delhi on Tuesday. It is expected to contribute 33 percent on Wednesday.

In anticipation of further deterioration of air quality after Diwali, the Delhi government has announced the return of its flagship odd-even scheme after four years. The scheme, which allows cars to operate on alternate days based on their odd or even number plates, will be implemented from November 13 to November 20.

A study conducted by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) and Evidence for Policy Design in 2016 found that the odd-even system resulted in a 14-16 percent reduction in PM2.5 levels during its implementation in January that year. However, there was no reduction in pollution when the scheme was reintroduced in April.

To protect the health of school children, the government has also decided to suspend in-person classes in all schools, except for students in grades X and XII preparing for board exams, until November 10.

According to the Ministry of Earth Sciences Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi-NCR, the region is expected to experience severe air quality for another five to six days.

Doctors have stated that breathing in the polluted air of Delhi is equivalent to smoking approximately 10 cigarettes a day in terms of harmful effects.

Prolonged exposure to high levels of pollution can cause or worsen respiratory problems such as asthma, bronchitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It can also significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The final stage of the Central government’s air pollution control plan for Delhi-NCR, known as the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), has been implemented in Delhi. This includes a ban on all construction work and the entry of polluting trucks into the capital.

Unfavorable meteorological conditions, combined with vehicular emissions, paddy straw burning, firecrackers, and other local pollution sources, contribute to hazardous air quality levels in Delhi-NCR during the winter season every year.

According to the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), the capital experiences peak pollution from November 1 to November 15, coinciding with an increase in stubble-burning incidents in Punjab and Haryana.

The air quality in Delhi-NCR has declined over the past two weeks due to a drop in temperatures, calm winds that trap pollution, and an increase in post-harvest paddy straw burning in Punjab and Haryana.

Delhi’s air quality ranks among the worst in the world’s capital cities. A report by EPIC in August revealed that air pollution is reducing life expectancy in Delhi by almost 12 years.