At neighboring Gurugram in Haryana, the air quality was recorded in the “very bad” category.
New Delhi:
Delhi and neighboring areas continued today under thick haze as air quality in the region continued to deteriorate further, largely due to agricultural fires in neighboring Haryana and Punjab. The Delhi government has already banned the use of firecrackers in light of persistently high levels of pollution and smog that experts say put more people at risk from the coronavirus.
The air quality index (AQI) for the national capital stood at 397, which falls into the “very poor” category, at 9 am, news agency PTI reported.
Several areas of the national capital have recorded levels of PM 2.5 particles, the most dangerous to human health, above the 400 mark. The worst air quality (507) was recorded in Bawana on the outskirts of Delhi, while Wazirpur , in 272, it was one of the least contaminated, according to the readings.
On Thursday, the 24-hour average AQI was 450, the worst levels since November last year, and agricultural fires accounted for 42 percent of its pollution, the highest this season so far.
Experts said unfavorable weather conditions (calm winds and low temperatures) and smoke from agricultural fires in neighboring states pushed the air quality index into the “severe” zone on Thursday, for the first time since January.
The air quality in Noida in Uttar Pradesh, in 610, was the worst among the neighboring cities that border the national capital.
Neighboring Gurgaon in Haryana was shrouded in toxic haze and visibility declined due to colder temperatures and lower wind speeds that allowed deadly pollutants to float in the air. The explosion of firecrackers in the satellite city near Delhi has been a major factor in rising pollution levels.
“People have started to set off firecrackers before Diwali festival, we are having trouble breathing because of that,” said a local in Gurgaon.
“Pollution increases day by day, yesterday the situation was really serious and people burn garbage and set off firecrackers,” said another local.
The Gurgaon district administration has now designated eight locations to set off the firecrackers on November 14, the day of Diwali.
According to the air quality monitor of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, SAFAR, the count of agricultural fires in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and neighboring areas has risen significantly to 4,135, the highest this season so far.
SAFAR said the boundary layer wind direction is to the northwest, which is favorable for the transport of pollutants from agricultural fires.
“The proportion of stubble burning in Delhi’s PM2.5 pollution was estimated at 42 percent as of Thursday,” he said.
An AQI between 0-50 is marked as good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate, 201-300 is bad, 301-400 is very bad, and 401-500 is considered severe. According to experts, the severe category affects people’s health and seriously affects those with existing diseases.
With contributions from agencies
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