Due to the burning of straw in UP, Punjab, Haryana, and Uttarakhand, the air of Delhi-NCR has become more poisonous. The airflow is also being obstructed due to the smoke of the straw. Stubble burning accounted for nearly 40 percent of Delhi's pollution on Sunday, the highest in the season. According to Safar, an agency of the Ministry of Earth Sciences that monitors air quality, 3,216 incidents of stubble burning have been reported in Punjab, Haryana, UP, and Uttarakhand in the last one day.
3,216 stubble burning incidents in Punjab, Haryana, UP, and Uttarakhand
The air quality index (AQI) in Delhi on Sunday stood at 370, which falls in the very poor category. AQI was 367 on Saturday, while it was 374 on Friday. Parali's share in PM 2.5 in the capital was 40 percent, up from 32 percent on Saturday. Earlier, on 1 November last year, the starchy share in pollution was the highest at 44 percent.
According to Safar, satellite images from NASA showed a large and dense cluster of fire points over large parts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab. Despite the improvement in wind speed, air quality did not improve due to stubble burning incidents, the agency said. At night, the pollutant particles stay in the air. However, there is likely to be a slight improvement in the air within the next two days, but after this, once again from November 3, the air level may fall into a poor category. This will also depend on the burning of the straw.
Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, and Faridabad wind very bad
The wind is very bad in Delhi-NCR and adjoining Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, and Faridabad. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the air quality index levels in these five areas located in the neighborhood of Delhi remain extremely high, indicating a very poor condition. On Sunday, the average air quality index was recorded at 384 in Noida and Ghaziabad, 388 in Greater Noida, 354 in Faridabad, and 306 in Gurugram.
People breathed in the worst air in Jahangirpuri
In the neighboring state of Delhi, more incidents of stubble burning and industrial pollution caused people to breathe in the worst air in Jahangirpuri on Sunday. The average air quality index was recorded at 427, indicating severe condition. Index 419 was recorded a day earlier. Due to this, the local people complained of breath as well as eye irritation.
Sunday is the coldest morning of this season
Sunday morning was the coldest morning of this season in Delhi. On Sunday, the minimum temperature was 11.4 degrees Celsius, five degrees below normal, which is the lowest ever. Earlier on Thursday, the minimum temperature was 12.5 degrees Celsius, which was the lowest in the last 26 years. The minimum temperature is expected to reach 10 degrees in the coming days. It is noteworthy that October has been the coldest in the last 58 years.