Delhi’s air quality very poor for 2nd day on trot, predicted to turn worse on Diwali

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, November 3

Delhi’s air quality, which remained “very poor” for the second consecutive day today, is expected to worsen over the next two days even if no firecrackers are burst on Diwali on Wednesday.

The authorities say even under a zero-firecracker emission scenario, Delhi’s PM2.5 concentration may land at the upper end of the ‘very poor’ category between November 4 and November 6.

However, if 50 per cent of the firecracker load of 2019, it may even degrade to the ‘severe’ category in the period.

Though there appears to be some decrease in stubble burning incidents (a main contributing factor to Delhi’s pollution) as compared to last year, the Centre’s air quality forecast agency SAFAR says the wind direction is changing from Friday. Winds from the Northwest will carry smoke particles from farms of Punjab and Haryana. 

Meanwhile, “very calm local Delhi wind conditions with little ventilation are expected for the next three days”,  SAFAR said.

Therefore, the PM 2.5 concentration runs the risk of surpassing 500 micrograms per cubic metre on November 5 as compared to the safe limit of 60 micrograms per cubic metre.

SAFAR said 3,271 farm fires accounted for 8 per cent of Delhi’s PM2.5 pollution on Wednesday. 

It is likely to increase to 20 per cent on Thursday and further to 35-40 per cent on Friday and Saturday with the wind direction changing to Northwest. Last year, the share of stubble burning in Delhi’s pollution peaked at 42 per cent on November 5.

In 2019, crop residue burning accounted for 44 per cent of Delhi’s PM2.5 pollution on November 1.

As per the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), incidents of stubble burning have come down by over 51 per cent this season so far compared to the corresponding period last year.

“Paddy residue burning events in Punjab, Haryana, NCR districts of UP and Rajasthan and Delhi have come down from 43,918 in 2020 to 21,364 in 2021 during the period from September 15 to November 2,” it said

The reduction in fire counts is 51.35 per cent in the current year compared to the corresponding period last year. Between October 27 and November 2 this year, only 12,853 farm fires have been recorded as against 23,628 cases in the corresponding period of 2020, a reduction of 10,775 cases, 

Enforcement agencies have inspected 8,575 sites in Punjab, Haryana and NCR districts of Uttar Pradesh and an environmental compensation of around Rs 58 lakh has been imposed for crop residue burning, the panel added.

Meanwhile, amid the ongoing controversy, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai appealed to opposition parties not to link the bursting of firecrackers to religion and jeopardise the wellbeing of children and the elderly for political ambitions. He also appealed to the Centre to issue an advisory to Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to mandatorily stop stubble burning during the Diwali period. 

Rai alleged some people of opposition parties are trying to sabotage the AAP government’s fight against pollution by linking firecracker bursting to religion.

“It was not a matter of religion but people’s lives,” he said.

“The Arvind Kejriwal government is working to take care of the religious sentiments of people and to save children and the elderly simultaneously,” he added.

AQI

According to the Central Pollution Control Board data, Delhi recorded a 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) of 314. It was 303 on Tuesday and 281 on Monday. Neighbourhood Faridabad (337), Gurgaon (330), Ghaziabad (353) and Noida (327) also recorded very poor air quality.

AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’.