The Delhi air quality on Monday turned ‘hazardous’ at several places with the beginning of stubble burning.
According to Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) data, Air Quality Index was recorded at 275 in Anand Vihar, at 263 in Rohini, at 275 in ITO, and 229 in Nehru Nagar; all four in ‘poor’ category on Monday.
The Delhi government has already launched a campaign, “War against Pollution” (Yuddh Pradushan ke Viruddh) on October 9. A tree transplantation policy has also been passed in this regard in a recent Cabinet meeting, news agency ANI reported.
On Sunday, Delhi’s air quality was recorded in the “poor” category for the fifth consecutive day on Sunday, while a government agency told news agency PTI that it is likely to improve slightly in the coming days due to a change in the wind direction.
On Sunday, the city recorded a 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) of 216. It was 221 on Saturday.
Delhi’s air quality had turned poor on Wednesday, the first time in since June 29, with the Central Pollution Control Board recording a 24-hour average AQI of 215.
An AQI between 0 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’.
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said a 10-member team has been constituted to monitor the levels of primary pollutants, and measures have been taken to curb pollution and status of complaints received through Green Delhi mobile application, News 18 reported.
A Supreme Court-mandated body on Thursday said stricter measures to fight air pollution will come into force in Delhi and its neighbouring cities from October 15 as part of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), as air quality in the region hit “poor” levels.
It, however, told the governments of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to “try and avert” the need to take emergency measures, such as a ban on construction and industries using fuels other than piped natural gas, as the economy is already under stress post-lockdown.
The Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority directed the governments of Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to ban the use of diesel generators, except for essential and emergency services, in the national capital and the neighbouring cities of Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida, Faridabad and Gurugram.
(With inputs from PTI)
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