Capital’s air quality worst since last Nov
A layer of haze lingered over the national capital and its suburbs on Thursday, with raging farm fires and a fall in the wind speed and temperatures pushing air quality to the worst levels in around a year.
As the skies hung heavy and acrid over the region, people complained of itchy throat and watery eyes. Experts said unfavourable meteorological conditions and smoke from farm fires in neighbouring states led to a dense layer of haze on Wednesday night as the air quality index entered the “severe” zone.
PM10 is particulate matter with a diameter of 10 micrometers which is inhalable. These particles include dust, pollen and mold spores. The levels of PM2, finer particles which can even enter the bloodstream, were 347 µg/m3. PM2.5 levels up to 60 µg/m3 are considered safe. On Wednesday evening, the haze reduced visibility to merely 600 metres at the Safdarjung Observatory, smudging landmarks from view. It was 1,200 metres on Thursday morning.
If this was not enough, a large number of people across DehiNCR burst firecrackers to mark the festival of Karwa Chauth.
“People are bursting crackers and it is not even Diwali yet. The city has already become a gas chamber. This happens every year. For how long will this continue,” asked Shiv Shrivastava, a resident of south Delhi.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the maximum wind speed was 5 kilometres per hour on Thursday morning and the minimum temperature 11.2 degrees Celsius. Calm winds and low temperatures trap pollutants close to the ground, while favourable wind speed helps in their dispersion.
Health experts said that during the Covid-19 pandemic, air pollution has become a serious concern for about the two crore residents of the national capital.
Ajit Jain, the nodal officer for Covid-19 at Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital, said air pollution was turning the pandemic catastrophic.
IMD officials said sudden change in the wind pattern led to “subsidence” -- the downward movement of air over a large area when it cools and becomes heavier. “The wind speed slowed down suddenly after 10 am in the Delhi-NCR region. The temperatures have dipped alarmingly over the last few days,” V K Soni, the head of IMD’s environment monitoring research centre, said.
HEALTH EXPERTS SAID THAT DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, AIR POLLUTION HAS BECOME A SERIOUS CONCERN FOR ABOUT THE TWO CRORE RESIDENTS OF THE CAPITAL