The concentration of particulate matter in the city’s air has gone up over 10 times the safe limit prescribed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the situation is likely to get worse in coming days, as per official data.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the level of hazardous PM2.5 — particulate matter 2.5 microns or less in diameter — was recorded at 160 micrograms per cubic metre at 9 a.m. on Sunday against the permissible limit of 15 micrograms per cubic metre for a 24-hour period.
PM2.5 are inhalable particles that remain suspended in the air, leading to serious respiratory issues once they enter the body and cling to the lungs.
Emissions from the combustion of fuel, wood and agriculture waste are the chief sources of PM2.5. Their concentration in the city’s air increases every winter due to farm fires in neighbouring states, the bursting of firecrackers on festivals and several meteorological factors combined with slow wind speed that prevent their dispersal.
After the last Deepavali, their concentration had shot up by over 123 times in parts of the city as residents flouted with impunity the ban on firecrackers.
Delhi’s 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) reading was 356 at 4 p.m. on Sunday, as per the CPCB’s daily bulletin. It may enter the ‘severe’ zone if residents once again resort to flouting the ban on firecrackers on Deepavali, according to the Central government’s Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi.
An AQI reading between 201 and 300 is termed ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’.
‘Crackers not the cause’
Meanwhile, the BJP blamed the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the situation. Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said that the main cause of pollution is either farm fires in Punjab or dusty roads.
He alleged that Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai is trying to shift the blame to the bursting of firecrackers on Deepavali despite the absence of any scientific evidence supporting this claim. “The real reason for the firecracker ban is the Rai’s anti-Hindu ideology,” Mr. Sachdeva said.
Reacting to it, AAP reiterated that incidents of stubble burning are increasing with each passing day in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
Published - October 28, 2024 01:02 am IST
