Delhi min seeks ‘emergency’ meet as AQI remains severe
As per SAFAR’s analysis at 6:15 am on Sunday, Delhi’s overall air quality was standing at 436
NEW DELHI: The Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi continues to remain in the ‘severe’ category, informed the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) on Sunday. Meanwhile, Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai said on Sunday that the Centre should hold an “emergency” meeting with the states bordering the national capital to address the issue of crop residue burning.
As per SAFAR’s analysis at 6:15 am today, Delhi’s overall air quality was found to be in ‘severe’ category with the AQI standing at 436. However, Delhi’s AQI was 437 on Saturday night wherein the concentration of PM 2.5 was 318, while that of PM 10 was reported to be 448.
As per the Centre-run SAFAR, Delhi’s AQI is likely to improve to the upper end of the ‘very poor’ category as the “surface winds are becoming stronger”, dispersing air pollutants from the evening of November 7.
An AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 moderate, 201-300 poor, 301-400 very poor and 401500 are marked as severe/hazardous. The Delhi environment minister claimed that burning of crop residue in the states of Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh is behind Delhi’s worsening air quality. Incidents of crop residue (parali) burning in other states and the air quality in Delhi are linked as deteriorating air quality figures show, Rai said at a press conference.
“There was also effect of cracker bursting on Diwali but it’s waning now. The effect of ‘parali’ burning, however, continues to worsen air quality in Delhi,” he said.
Rai said he has written to the Union environment minister asking for an “emergency” meeting of states, including Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi to find a mechanism to address the perennial issue of crop residue burning and high level of air pollution in the national capital.
Crop residue burning in neighbouring states is responsible for worsening air quality in Delhi during winters, he added.An AQI between zero and 50 is considered good, 51 and 100 satisfactory, 101 and 200 moderate, 201 and 300 poor, 301 and 400 very poor, and 401 and 500 severe.
Due to rampant bursting of crackers on Thursday despite restrictions in place, the air quality in Delhi was the poorest in five years post the festival with rise in incidents of stubble burning in neighbouring states.
The city’s AQI slipped to the severe category on Thursday night. As Delhi air quality remains between severe and very poor category, environmental experts stressed that the Centre and state should take collective efforts to mitigate the pollution. Apart from busting firecrackers, stubble burning, power plants, industries, transportation, fugitive dust, construction sites, and biomass emissions remain another major source of pollution throughout the year.
An environmental activist Vimlendu Jha told ANI, “the wind speed has increased, because of which pollution is getting dissipated. Water tankers are emergency measures but it is not a solution.”