According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), air quality has improved significantly at 13 pollution-prone hotspots due to restrictions on the operation of industrial and commercial areas and movement of vehicles during the lockdown in Delhi.
The Delhi government has identified 13 locations with high pollution levels in the city based on the annual average of PM10 and PM2.5. These places are Okhla Phase-2, Dbaraka, Ashok Vihar, Bawana, Narela, Mundka, Punjabi Bagh, Wazirpur, Rohini, Vivek Vihar, Anand Vihar, R.V. K.Puram and Jahangirpuri.
PM 2.5 is a particle smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter. It can enter the lungs and even into the bloodstream.
The CPCB said it analyzed air quality data in three phases - before lockdown (1 to 21 March), lockdown in the first phase (25 March - 19 April), and in the second phase of lockdown (20 April - 3 May). In order to assess the improvement, a comparative analysis was also done with the data for the same period in 2019.
He said, "At Delhi's high pollution levels, the levels of PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 have seen a significant decrease as compared to the levels of 2019 during the lockdown period, as all industrial and commercial areas operating and vehicles during this period Movement was banned. ''