Air quality in Delhi reached dangerous levels on Thursday. According to Hindustan Times, the Vasant Vihar area recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 1,336 at 11:55 am on Thursday. While Dwarka-Sector 8 recorded AQI of 1,051. Apart from this, AQI was recorded in the range of 740 to 980 in Punjabi Bagh area.
Meanwhile, American scientist Hiren Jethwa has shared satellite images of Delhi on November 14. According to Hiren, there is heavy smog in Delhi and the AQI is in the severe category. The heat of some other cities is affecting Delhi. Farmers of Punjab are burning stubble in the fields. Smoke from vehicles is also degrading the AQI.
Hiren is an aerosol remote sensing scientist at Morgan State University in the US. NASA has also shared images of Hiren.
Hiren shared these satellite images…
Online classes will be conducted in Delhi up to class 5 Out of 39 pollution monitoring stations in Delhi, 32 have declared the AQI as severe. This makes it more difficult to breathe air. In view of rising pollution, the Delhi government has directed all primary schools (up to standard five) to run online till further orders.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has banned buses from NCR i.e. Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. However, electric vehicles, CNG vehicles and BS-4 diesel buses will be exempted from this.
Ban on construction and demolition in Delhi-NCR
- Construction, mining and demolition will be banned in Delhi-NCR.
- BS-3 petrol and BS-4 diesel vehicles will also not ply in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar.
- Except BS-3 diesel emergency vehicles, all medium goods vehicles of this category will also be banned in Delhi.
- Besides this, steps will be taken to increase the frequency of cleaning with machines and sprinkling of water before peak hours on heavily trafficked routes.
- All these restrictions and measures will come into effect on November 15 at 8 am. This is being implemented under the third phase of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
Water is being sprinkled every day in Delhi.
The state government had said – we will not impose restrictions Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai had said on Thursday morning, 'GRAP-3 ban will not be implemented.' At 6 am in Delhi, pollution in 31 areas of Delhi rose from the worst category to the severe category. Jahangirpuri recorded the highest Air Quality Index (AQI) of 567.
Regarding this, BJP state president Virendra Sachdeva said that due to the inaction of the Atishi government, the pollution situation has become worse than the surrounding areas of Delhi. Areas like Rajpath also have AQI above 450. He said – People of Delhi want Gopal Rai to leave his post.
At the same time, Gopal Rai claimed that 35% of Delhi's poor air quality is contributed by BJP-ruled Haryana and Uttar Pradesh's NCR districts.
The highest Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi was 567 in Jahangirpuri.
People were seen wearing masks to avoid pollution.
What is a Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)? GRAP has been divided into 4 categories to control pollution in the capital. Under this different steps are taken.
- GRAP-1: Poor (AQI 201-300)
- GRAP-2: Very Poor (AQI 301-400)
- GRAP-3: Severe (AQI 401 to 450)
- GRAP-4: Very severe (AQI more than 450)
What's next: Very dense fog will cover these states Dense to very dense fog during night and morning over UP and Punjab till November 15 and Himachal till November 18. Haryana, West Bengal, Sikkim, Bihar, Jharkhand are likely to experience fog till November 16.
Davao- 69% households in Delhi affected by pollution According to NDTV, a survey conducted by private agency Local Circle claimed that 69% of households in Delhi-NCR are affected by pollution. The report released on November 1 had responses from 21,000 people. It has been revealed that 62% of households in Delhi-NCR have at least 1 member with eye irritation.
At the same time, 46% of families have a member suffering from cold or breathing problems (nasal congestion) and 31% of families have a member suffering from asthma. …
Grape-I was implemented in Delhi on 14 October Grape-1 was implemented in Delhi NCR on 14 October after Delhi's Air Quality Index crossed 200. Under this, use of coal and wood is prohibited in hotels and restaurants. The Commission of Air Quality Management has directed agencies to strictly monitor the operation of old petrol and diesel vehicles (BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel).
The commission has also asked agencies to increase the use of anti-smog guns, water sprinklers and dust repellent techniques in road construction, renovation projects and maintenance activities.
What is AQI and why are high levels dangerous? AQI is a type of thermometer. It works to measure pollution rather than just temperature. Through this scale, the amount of CO (Carbon Dioxide), Ozone, NO2 (Nitrogen Dioxide), PM 2.5 (Particulate Matter) and PM 10 pollutants present in the air are checked and shown in readings ranging from zero to 500.
The higher the amount of pollutants in the air, the higher the AQI level. And the higher the AQI, the more dangerous the air. Although an AQI between 200 and 300 is also considered bad, the situation is such that it has gone above 300 in many cities in Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. This increasing AQI is not just a number. This is also a sign of danger of upcoming diseases.
What is PM, how is it measured? PM stands for Particulate Matter. The very small particles in the air called particulate matter are identified by their size. 2.5 is the size of uniform particulate matter, measured in microns.
Its main cause is smoke, wherever something is burning then understand that PM2.5 is being produced from there. The tip size of a hair on a human head is between 50 and 60 microns. This is an even smaller 2.5.
It is clear that they cannot see even with the naked eye. The level of PM2.5 and PM10 is looked at to measure whether the air quality is good or not. The number of PM2.5 in the air is 60 and the number of PM10 is less than 100, which means that the air quality is good. Burning gasoline, oil, diesel and wood produces the most PM2.5.
Supreme warning to Haryana-Punjab government regarding stubble burning: Supreme said- Do not force to give strict order, scolded Punjab government for giving wrong information
A hearing was held in the Supreme Court in the case of increasing air pollution in Delhi. The Chief Secretaries of Punjab and Haryana appeared in the court. The Supreme Court reprimanded the Punjab government for providing false information. Even the Supreme Court does not seem satisfied with the action of the Haryana government. …
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
