The National Capital, Delhi, declared an air emergency as its Air Quality Index (AQI) plummeted into the ‘severe’ category just days before the festival of Diwali. In response to the alarming pollution levels, Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced the closure of all government and primary schools in Delhi on Friday and Saturday.
The Delhi government imposed a ban on non-essential construction activities and on the operation of BS-3 petrol and BS-4 diesel cars in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Budh Nagar. On Friday morning, the overall AQI in Delhi was in the ‘severe’ category, with specific areas reporting extremely high readings, such as Lodhi Road (438), Jahangirpuri (491), RK Puram (486), and IGI Airport (T3) (473).
Key Points Regarding the Air Quality Crisis
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered good, while values above 500 are hazardous. Delhi’s AQI reached the ‘severe’ category, with readings worsening throughout the week.
Scientists have warned that the air quality in Delhi could further deteriorate. On Thursday, the AQI reached its worst level this season at 422. The 24-hour average AQI had been steadily increasing in the preceding days.
The concentration of PM2.5 particulate matter, a major contributor to air pollution, exceeded the safe limit of 60 micrograms per cubic meter by several times at multiple locations.
A model-based study by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune revealed that smoke from crop burning accounted for 25% of the PM2.5 pollution in Delhi on Thursday, a figure expected to rise to 35%.
October 2023 witnessed the worst air quality in Delhi since 2020, with only 5.4 mm of rainfall during the month, compared to 129 mm in October 2022 and 123 mm in October 2021.
Delhi’s air quality is most critical from November 1 to November 15, coinciding with increased stubble burning by farmers in Punjab and Haryana. Although stubble burning had decreased since September 15, a significant rise was observed in the last few days.
In response to the deteriorating air quality, Section 144 was enforced in Gurugram, and Noida and Greater Noida came under GRAP III restrictions starting from Friday. Delhi Metro increased its services by running 20 extra trains to encourage people to opt for public transport over private vehicles.
Several activities were banned in Delhi under GRAP III restrictions, including demolition works, construction material handling, transfer of raw materials, operation of batching plants, road construction, and repair works.
The government plans to intensify mechanized road sweeping and implement daily water sprinkling with dust suppressants. The air emergency declaration and these measures aim to combat the growing air quality crisis and protect the health and well-being of Delhi’s residents.
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