Anti-smog weapon sprays h2o to power aerial contamination successful Anand Vihar connected Friday. (Express Photo by Praveen Khanna)
After 4 days of remaining successful the “very poor” category, Delhi’s aerial prime improved to the “poor” class connected Friday with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 270 owed to favourable upwind speed. However, experts cautioned that the alleviation whitethorn beryllium short-lived, arsenic contamination levels are expected to emergence again.
The 24-hour mean AQI recorded till 4 p.m. connected Friday was 270 arsenic against 306 connected Thursday, Central Pollution Control Board information showed. However, Delhi was inactive the 2nd astir polluted metropolis successful the country, down Hanumangarh successful Rajasthan which recorded a 24-hour mean AQI of 277.
A elder India Meteorological Department (IMD) idiosyncratic said, “Strong upwind of 5 to 10 knots connected Friday greeting helped disperse the pollutants.”
According to Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, the aerial prime is apt to beryllium “very poor” betwixt October 26 and 28. As per the outlook for consequent six days, the aerial prime is apt to beryllium successful “very poor” to “severe” category.
The AQI levels successful Anand Vihar, Jahangirpuri, Mundka, and Wazirpur were recorded successful the “very poor” class connected Friday, adjacent arsenic 32 monitoring stations recorded “poor” aerial quality.
Meanwhile, Delhi’s transport assemblage was the biggest contributor to pollution, with emissions from proscription accounting for astir 16% of the city’s aerial pollution, according to the Centre’s Decision Support System for Air Quality Management. The publication from stubble burning was 14.5%.
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai connected Friday conducted a demonstration, showcasing drone-based services to place sources of contamination successful the hotspot areas. During the objection astatine Wazirpur, 1 of the city’s contamination hotspots, Rai said if the aviator task proves successful, drone mapping volition beryllium extended to different hotspots crossed the city.
The IMD has forecast wide entity for the adjacent 7 days on with mist connected October 30 and 31 morning. It has besides forecast a dip successful upwind velocity from 8-10 kmph to 6-8 kmph.
According to the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, portion 71 cases of stubble burning were reported successful Punjab connected Friday, the fig was 3 successful Haryana, 23 successful Uttar Pradesh and nary successful Delhi. In all, 3,298 cases of workplace fires person been reported since September 15 – 1,749 successful Punjab, 689 successful Haryana, 849 successful Uttar Pradesh and 11 successful Delhi.