School students visited Delhi's duty path on Wednesday amid inclement weather.
On Thursday, the air quality in Delhi reached the severe category and the Air Quality Index (AQI) crossed 500. At 6 am on Thursday, pollution in 31 areas of Delhi had moved from the worst category to the severe category.
Jahangirpuri recorded the highest AQI of 567. While Punjabi Bagh recorded 465 and Anand Vihar 465 AQI.
The cold has started in the capital too. Dense fog resulted in zero visibility at IGI Airport at 8 am on Wednesday, while visibility was between 125 and 500 meters at some places.
Due to dense fog, 10 flights had to be diverted at IGI Airport on Wednesday. Out of which 9 were diverted to Jaipur and 1 to Lucknow. Visibility in Safdarjung was around 400 meters in the morning. Long queues of vehicles were formed on NH-24, Dhaula Kuan, Ring Road due to fog.
4 pictures of Delhi's pollution…
This Wednesday picture is of Mayur Vihar Phase-1, New Delhi. Vehicles running in bad weather.
Vehicular movement continued on the Delhi-Gurugram Expressway amid zero visibility due to fog in Gurugram.
School students went on their way to their duties amid zero visibility due to fog on Wednesday.
Smog guns were fired at Mansingh Road by CPCB to reduce pollution.
What's next: Very dense fog will cover these states Dense to very dense fog will prevail over UP and Punjab till November 15 and Himachal till November 18 during night and morning hours. Haryana, West Bengal, Sikkim, Bihar, Jharkhand are likely to experience fog till November 16. Maharashtra's Vidarbha recorded the lowest minimum temperature of 11.4 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.
Accident due to fog: 9 vehicles collide, 1 youth dies Visibility was reduced to 20 meters in Haryana's Rohtak. Due to which many trains were delayed. 9 vehicles were damaged in the accident at 5 places. Dharmendra, a truck driver from Punjab, died in Kaithal.
Feeling cold in Delhi: Minimum temperature drops According to the Meteorological Department, the minimum temperature has come down in Delhi NCR during the last 24 hours due to which people have felt cold. The maximum and minimum temperatures are between 30-33°C and 14-18°C respectively. This type of weather will remain in the capital for the next few days. Delhiites may face a double whammy of smog and pollution.
The doctor said- the school administration should pay attention to the children RML Hospital Senior Medicine Specialist Dr. Ramesh Meena says AOI levels are very high in the morning and this is when children go to school. Young children have low immune system and may suffer from cough, sneezing, cold, vomiting, eye irritation and breathing problems.
In such a situation the school administration should pay attention to the children. However, last year, when the AQI level crossed 450 in Delhi, the Delhi government closed schools from November 9 to 18 and started online classes.
Firecrackers were burst in Delhi despite the ban The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) banned firecrackers till January 1, 2025. Making, storing, selling and using firecrackers is prohibited. Their online delivery was also banned, but crackers were still carried. Firecrackers increase AQI in Delhi.
Claim- 69% households in Delhi are 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. In this survey report released there were responses of 21 thousand people. It has been revealed that in 62% of households in Delhi-NCR, at least 1 member has eye inflammation.
In 46% of families, a member suffers from cold or difficulty in breathing (nasal congestion) and in 31% of families, one member suffers from asthma.
Grape-I was implemented in Delhi on 14 October. GRAP-1 was implemented in Delhi NCR on 14 October after Delhi's Air Quality Index crossed 200. Under this, the 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 technology 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 is 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. Very small particles i.e. particulate matter in the air 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 the hair on a human head is between 50 and 60 microns. These are even smaller, 2.5.
It is clear that they cannot see even with the naked eye. To measure whether the air quality is good or not, the levels of PM2.5 and PM10 are looked at. 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.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
