Delhi’s air quality remains poor, any respite unlikely soon | Delhi News

At 4 pm, the city’s 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 256, showing a deterioration from 243 on Wednesday and 220 on Tuesday.
In the neighboring areas, the average AQI was as follows: 235 in Ghaziabad, 254 in Faridabad, 230 in Gurgaon, 191 in Noida, and 260 in Greater Noida.

According to the Centre’s Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi, the city’s air quality is expected to fluctuate between the ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ categories for the next three to four days.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) scale is as follows:
0 to 50 is categorized as ‘good.’
51 to 100 is considered ‘satisfactory.’
101 to 200 falls under ‘moderate.’
201 to 300 is rated as ‘poor.’
301 to 400 is classified as ‘very poor.’

401 to 500 is designated as ‘severe.’
On Thursday, the government initiated a campaign aimed at reducing vehicular pollution. This move comes a year after Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena had previously suspended the campaign, expressing doubts about its effectiveness.
According to a 2019 study conducted by the Central Road Research Institute, idling engines at traffic signals can contribute to an increase in pollution levels of over 9 percent.
Several emission inventory and source apportionment studies conducted in recent years for Delhi have indicated that on-road vehicular exhaust emissions contribute to a significant portion of PM2.5 emissions in the capital, ranging from 9 percent to 38 percent.
Delhi’s air quality deteriorated to the ‘very poor’ category on Sunday, marking the first time it had reached this level since May.
This decline was primarily attributed to a decrease in temperature and wind speed, which facilitated the accumulation of pollutants.
Unfavorable meteorological conditions, combined with a mix of emissions from firecrackers, paddy straw burning, and local sources of pollution, consistently result in hazardous air quality levels in the Delhi-NCR region around the Diwali festival every year.
According to an analysis conducted by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, the capital witnesses its peak pollution levels from November 1 to November 15, corresponding to the period when stubble burning incidents in Punjab and Haryana are at their highest.
Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai has announced that the government has identified eight additional pollution hotspots in the national capital, in addition to the existing 13.
Special teams will be deployed to these areas to monitor and address pollution sources.
Rai also mentioned that the government has made the decision to use suppressant powder to mitigate dust pollution in the city.
Dust suppressants may encompass chemical agents such as calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, lignosulfonates, and various polymers.
These chemicals function by attracting and binding fine dust particles together, rendering them too heavy to become airborne.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), a statutory body entrusted with proactively implementing the pollution control plan called the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), issued a directive on Saturday to authorities in the National Capital Region (NCR).
This directive aims to raise parking fees to deter private transportation and improve the services of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) or electric buses and metro trains, in anticipation of a potential rise in pollution levels.
This action is part of Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which is implemented when Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) is forecasted to deteriorate to the ‘very poor’ category.
The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) classifies actions into four stages based on Air Quality Index (AQI) categories:
Stage I: ‘poor’ (AQI 201-300)
Stage II: ‘very poor’ (AQI 301-400)
Stage III: ‘severe’ (AQI 401-450)
Stage IV: ‘severe plus’ (AQI >450)
Last month, the Delhi government introduced a 15-point action plan to combat air pollution in the capital during the winter season.
This plan places a significant focus on tackling dust pollution, vehicular emissions, and the open burning of garbage.
With agency inputs