NEW DELHI: Rohini, Jahangirpuri, GT Road, Bawana and Sector 62 in Noida have featured in the list of predicted pollution hotspots in Delhi and its adjoining areas for four days. System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the forecasting body under the Union ministry of earth sciences, identifies local spots that are likely to suffer a high concentration of PM2.5 (micro, respirable pollutants) the following day and publishes their names.
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These pollution hotspots are identified using 3D high-resolution air quality model, with the local meteorological condition as a factor. The aim of predicting these hotspots is to help civic agencies step up action at such places to reduce local emissions.
According to SAFAR, Bawana and Jahangirpur will continue to remain pollution hotspots on Tuesday too. Other air pollution hotspots for Tuesday are Vivek Vihar, Peeragarhi, Sahibabad, Gurgoan, Dwarka, Ashram Road, IIT Delhi and Narela. The PM2.5 concentration at these locations are forecast to be over 200 micrograms per cubic metre against the standard acceptable PM2.5 concentration of 60 micrograms per cubic metre.
After the air quality in Delhi started deteriorating, SAFAR started predicting the hotspots once in five days. “However, when the air quality continued to remain in the ‘severe’ category for five consecutive days, we started releasing the list of pollution hotspots every alternate day,” informed a SAFAR statement. “Whenever the air quality is likely to be at the ‘severe’ level or remain at the higher end of ‘very poor’ category, we identify such locations once in two days.”
The forecasting body said Rohini, Jahangirpuri, GT Road, Bawana and Sector 62 in Noida were in the pollution hotspots for the past four days due to the high concentration of PM2.5. Though the value of PM 2.5 concentration varied across these four days, the five locations had levels that put them in the hotspot list. On Sunday, SAFAR forecast the PM 2.5 concentration at these five hotspots for Monday in the ‘severe’ range.
For determining the hotspots for the following day, a total of 2,500 grid points in Delhi and a few in the neighbouring states are checked for PM2.5 levels. Those with the highest particulate matter levels are considered hotspots. Officials said if any stretch had a 24-hour average PM2.5 concentration between 120 and 250 micrograms per cubic metre, the air was considered ‘very poor’. A level higher than 250 falls in the ‘severe’ category.
Last year, the Central Pollution Control Board and Delhi Pollution Control Committee identified 13 pollution hotspots in the city based on the average PM2.5 and PM 10 levels recorded through the year. The notorious 13 locations are Rohini, Dwarka, Okhla Phase-2, Punjabi Bagh, Anand Vihar, Vivek Vihar, Wazirpur, Jahangirpuri, R K Puram, Bawana, Mundka, Narela and Mayapuri.