AIR QUALITY REMAINS ‘VERY POOR’

NEW DELHI: Days before Diwali, Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) entered “very poor” category on Thursday, according to data shared by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). For the first time this season, monitoring station at Mundka recorded the air quality index at 420, which falls in the ‘severe’ category.

Keeping track of regular cases of stubble burning, Central-based agency SAFAR predicted that the cases of crop burning activity in Haryana and Panjab is ‘moderate’ at the moment. “The decrease in wind speed started to negatively influence Delhi’s air quality by drastically decreasing ventilation coefficients and thereby effecting dispersion,” forecasted

SAFAR.

It added that the AQI is forecasted to oscillate between high and middle range of very poor category. Delhi has been witnessing the air quality to be juggling between ‘poor’ and “very poor” as of now.

Areas such as Dwarka sector – 8 (344), which is also in the 12 “hotspot” category by the pollution board category, Anand Vihar (382), Bawana (340), ITO (307), Wazirpur (363) and North Campus (314) reached “very poor” category.

“All steps to curb air and noise pollution have been taken by the authorities,” said a Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) official.

Meanwhile, a special plan is being implemented in the “12 hotspots areas” recognised by the authorities. These areas include Anand Vihar, Mundka, Dwarka Sector 8, RK Puram, Rohini Sector 16, Narela, Okhla Phase-ii, Jahangirpuri, Vivek Vihar, Wazirpur, Ashok Vihar and Bawana. Water sprinkling has already started in these areas, while challans are being handed out by SDMC in all four zones for violating the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and Solid Waste Management norms. The authorities also said that high deterioration in AQI of Delhi is only expected by the first week of November.