November 3, 2023
New Delhi, India – The national capital, Delhi, finds itself grappling with an alarming pollution crisis as air quality deteriorates to severe levels, prompting the authorities to implement stringent measures to combat the hazardous conditions.
On Friday, Delhi woke up to a thick haze and an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 464, firmly in the "severe" category, marking a significant decline from previous days. Areas like Mundka and Bawana saw AQI levels reaching alarming highs at 498 and 496, respectively. With the exception of Dilshad Garden, all monitoring stations reported "severe" air quality. Greater Noida recorded an AQI of 473, while Faridabad recorded 442.
Visibility in the city plummeted to as low as 600 meters at Safdarjung and 500 meters at Palam due to dense fog, further exacerbating the situation. Meteorological experts predict that wind speeds are unlikely to exceed five kilometers per hour, making any substantial improvement in visibility unlikely.
The deteriorating air quality has also led to the closure of schools for students in Classes 5 and below for the upcoming two days, Friday and Saturday.
This dire situation unfolded after Delhi recorded a 24-hour average AQI of 392, just shy of the "severe" threshold at 4 p.m. on Thursday. By midnight, the AQI surged to 427, with Mundka and Anand Vihar topping the charts at 453 and 449, respectively.
Greater Noida emerged as the worst-affected area in the National Capital Region (NCR) on Thursday, with an AQI reading of 402 (severe) at 4 p.m. Gurugram and Ghaziabad reported AQIs in the "poor" category at 297 and 286, respectively.
The deteriorating air quality in Delhi is largely attributed to local sources of pollution within the city. However, the impact has been aggravated by an influx of smoke from farm fires in Punjab and Haryana. These two states recorded a staggering 1,543 farm fires on Wednesday, nearly double the number tracked by satellites just a week ago. Differences in cropping and harvest patterns make year-on-year comparisons of stubble fires challenging, but the trend is concerning.
Particulate matter (PM2.5), a byproduct of combustion sources, emerged as a major pollutant, with levels peaking at 242.7µg/m³ at 10 p.m. on Thursday. PM10 levels also reached alarming heights at 412µg/m³ at the same time, both significantly exceeding India's safe standards. It is worth noting that India's pollution standards are less stringent than global thresholds, with an Indian safe standard for PM2.5 set at 60µg/m³, compared to the World Health Organization's (WHO) standard of just 15 µg/m³.
To address this critical situation, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) activated Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap), which includes restrictions on private construction and demolition activities, excluding non-polluting work such as plumbing, interior decoration, electrical work, and carpentry.
Critics argue that the authorities' response to the pollution spike should have been more preemptive, considering the foreseeable challenges posed by farm fires and the upcoming Diwali festival, which is expected to lead to further deterioration in air quality.
As Delhi grapples with this ongoing pollution crisis, concerns mount about the impact on public health and the need for long-term solutions to combat air pollution in the region.
