As Delhi continues to grapple with high levels of pollution, with more than a dozen stations in the “severe” category, it is important to know where the pollutants are coming from. On Monday, November 4, nearly one-fourth of Delhi’s air pollution was linked to stubble burning, a significant environmental challenge.
Air Quality Update: The level of pollution in Delhi has increased significantly since Diwali. Due to this, Delhiites are facing many health problems. Due to the deterioration of the Air Quality Index (AQI), today the average AQI of Delhi was recorded at 384, which is in the ‘very poor’ category. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI in Anand Vihar area has crossed the 400 mark, which was recorded at 457 at around 7 am today i.e. on November 5, which falls in the ‘severe’ category. Earlier on Monday also, the AQI here was recorded above 350. At the same time, AQI 440 has been recorded in Jahangirpuri, Delhi.
Air quality started deteriorating in NCR too
- Greater Noida- 306
- Ghaziabad- 319
- Noida- 308
- Gurugram- 316
- Faridabad- 272
Where are the pollutants coming from?
When Delhi is constantly battling high levels of pollution, and more than a dozen stations are in the “severe” category, it is important to know where the pollutants are coming from. On Monday, November 4, about one-fourth of Delhi’s air pollution was found to be linked to stubble burning, which is a significant environmental challenge. As per data from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, like every year, the actual contribution of stubble burning to Delhi’s pollution level on October 4 was 23.4%. It is worth noting that the contribution of stubble burning to Delhi’s pollution was about 15% on Saturday and 20% on Sunday. The main reason for this is the continuous burning of stubble in neighboring states, which significantly affects Delhi’s air quality.
13.7 percent pollution due to smoke in vehicles
13.7 percent pollution in Delhi was due to smoke in vehicles. The level of pollution in Delhi has been increasing continuously since Diwali. The main reason for this is the vehicles of people going to office. In Delhi and its surrounding areas, pollution from factories contributed 3.4 percent. At the same time, construction activities accounted for about 2% and road dust accounted for 1% of the total pollution in Delhi. Burning of garbage, which remains a constant concern in the city, has increased pollution by more than 1.3%. The operation of Delhi’s energy sources has contributed 1.7% to the total emissions of the capital. Apart from local sources, a lot of pollution is also coming from neighboring cities. Among these cities, Ghaziabad was the highest contributing city, which had a 9% share in Delhi’s pollution, followed by Noida at second place with 6.5%. Gurugram and Faridabad contributed 2.6% and 2.2% respectively.
Delhi’s pollution situation is worrying
The pollution situation in Delhi is getting worse day by day, and a prime example of this is Anand Vihar, where the Air Quality Index (AQI) has reached the ‘severe plus’ category. The main reason for the AQI being above 450 in Anand Vihar is not smoke, but dust. Here the amount of PM 10 particles is increasing, which are four times larger in size than PM 2.5 particles and spread due to dust. There are various reasons for pollution in Delhi, and the situation in every area is different. For example, in Jahangirpuri, the pollution level reached 440 on Tuesday morning, and there too the main reason is dust, not smoke. Both Anand Vihar and Jahangirpuri are areas where there is heavy vehicular movement, due to which more dust flies on the roads.
Solutions need to be found soon
The AQI at Wazirpur has also reached 437, and here too, PM 10 particles are mainly responsible for pollution. The situation at Dwarka NSIT station is also similar. Apart from these, at stations like Ashok Vihar, Bawana, Moti Nagar, Lajpat Nagar, Vivek Vihar, and Punjabi Bagh, the main cause of pollution is PM 2.5, i.e. smoke. These examples make it clear that there are various causes of pollution in Delhi and they need to be addressed according to the location. Both dust and smoke are the main factors of pollution and organized efforts are needed to control them. Initiatives like traffic management, road cleanliness and control of industrial emissions can help in this. It is important for the health of Delhi residents that a solution to the problem of pollution is found as soon as possible.
How is air quality measured?
If the AQI of an area is between zero to 50 then the AQI is considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 AQI is considered ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 is considered ‘moderate’, if the AQI of a place is between 201 to 300 then the AQI of that area is considered ‘bad’. If the AQI is between 301 to 400 then it is considered ‘very bad’ and if the AQI is between 401 to 500 then it is considered in the ‘severe’ category. Air pollution can cause many types of diseases. On this basis, GRAP category restrictions are imposed in Delhi-NCR. Let us tell you that after the implementation of GRAP-2, 5 major restrictions have also been imposed.
What is GRAP?
GRAP stands for GRAP. The full form of GRAP is Graded Response Action Plan. This is a government scheme, which has been made against the increasing pollution in Delhi-NCR. Pollution is controlled through this plan. Actually, it has many phases and these phases also increase with increasing pollution. As the phases increase, the restrictions in Delhi also increase.
GRAP has 4 phases
- When the air in Delhi deteriorates from 201 to 300 AQI, then the first phase is implemented.
- After this, if the air becomes more bad and the AQI reaches 301 to 400, then its second phase is implemented.
- If the air becomes more bad i.e. AQI exceeds 400, then the third phase is applied.
- If the situation worsens, the fourth level of GRAP is implemented.
These restrictions will be implemented in Delhi-NCR under GRAP-2
- Diesel generators will be banned from running.
- Parking fees will be increased to reduce the use of private vehicles.
- Mechanical/vacuum sweeping and water sprinkling will be done on roads every day.
- CNG-electric buses and metro services will be increased.
- RWA will provide heaters to their security guards so that they do not burn garbage, wood or coal for warmth.
- Generators running on natural gas, biogas, LPG will be able to run.
- Generators with a capacity of more than 800kwa will be able to run only if they get retrofitting done.
