1.AIR Pollution at the worst level :
According to data from SAFAR, the air quality in Delhi and the surrounding areas continued to be hazardous, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) reading 309 on October 29 morning, further dropping to “very poor”.
An AQI between 0-50 is considered “good”, 51-100 “satisfactory”, 101-200 “moderate”, 201-300 “poor”, 301-400 “very poor” and 401-500 “severe”. An AQI above 500 falls in the “severe plus” category.
At the Delhi airport (T3), 341 at Delhi University, and 362 at Dhirpur, the AQI readings were recorded. Gurugram’s and nearby Noida’s AQI readings were worse, at 221 and 372, respectively.
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2. government’s steps on increasing air pollution:
According to Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai, fewer stubble-burning incidents—which were a contributing factor in Delhi’s pollution—are anticipated to occur. However, he noted that because of unfavourable weather, air pollution might rise in the days to come.
He told the media that there had only been about 2,500 incidents of stubble burning this year, compared to 5,000 cases during the same period last year.
The ruling Aam Adami Party, to which Rai belongs, has previously claimed that Delhi’s noxious air is caused by the burning of rice stubble in Punjab and other nearby states. The party has faced criticism for its dismissal of the issue following its election to power in Punjab in 2022.
In an effort to combat the winter smog, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) plans to distribute sweeping machines and anti-smog guns throughout the nation’s capital. According to officials, eight anti-smog guns and seven mechanical sweepers are being hired to reduce pollution in the Lutyens Delhi area.
Vice-chair of the NDMC Satish Upadhyay unveiled a comprehensive package of “Air Pollution Control” measures on Saturday.
2.1. What minister said on air pollution:
He told reporters, “We recognise the urgent need to prioritise environmental well-being as air pollution demands our collective attention as it is a significant contributor to respiratory diseases, heart conditions, and cancer.”
The NDMC has purchased one anti-smog gun, which is presently stationed at Mahadev Road, but it is currently hiring eight more. According to Upadhyay, there aren’t any dust hotspots in the NDMC region right now.
3.Causes of Air pollution in Delhi :
According to the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, the main causes of Delhi’s worsening air quality on Monday were pollution from vehicles and neighboring areas.
The Decision Support System (DSS) in Delhi, which monitors different sources of pollution, they found that the smoke emitted from burning crop residue (parali) was the third largest contributor to the city’s pollution. On Monday, it was evaluated vehicles were responsible for approximately 13.9% of “very poor” air quality, followed by Gautam Buddh Nagar(Noida) at 13.1%, and crop residue burning at around 9.8%.
4 .Important steps towards reducing the air pollution
Every day, the mechanical sweepers with GPS tracking and wet sweeping capabilities will be used in two shifts. Between April 1 and October 26, these machines swept a distance of about 300 kilometres, according to the NDMC.
“Every avenue road in the NDMC area is automatically cleaned every day or every other day, and all side berks and central verges are already green-paved. Real-time monitoring is conducted at the Smart City Integrated Command and Control Centre. To meet its goal for 2023–2024, the horticulture department has planted over 3,000 trees and lakhs of shrubs, according to Upadhyay.
Upadhyay claims that 14 teams from the health department and a team of officers have been sent to check construction sites for the enforcement of dust mitigation measures and to conduct daytime inspections to monitor waste burning.
