Delhi-NCR air quality improves to ‘moderate’ category

After days of “severe” and “very poor” air air pollution, the air quality of Delhi improved to the “moderate” category on Tuesday, the perfect in a couple of and a half months, in accordance to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) knowledge.

The air quality of Noida additionally acquired higher and got here to the ‘moderate’ category, whereas that of Gurugram continued to be within the ‘poor’ category.

In a associated improvement, AAP chief Atishi on Tuesday stated that “criminal negligence cases” needs to be filed in opposition to Chief Ministers of Punjab and Haryana. “Due to criminal negligence of Chief Ministers of Punjab and Haryana, the people of Delhi NCR have been suffering for the last 1.5 months from pollution due to stubble burning. Criminal negligence cases should be filed against both the CMs,” Ms. Atishi stated.

The air quality index of Delhi was 171 on Tuesday, higher than 221 on Monday, as per CPCB’s 4 p.m. bulletin, which is a median of the previous 24 hours. The values for Gurugram and Noida have been 204 and 178 respectively.

The final time the air quality of Delhi was higher than Tuesday’s was on October 1, when the AQI was 152.

An AQI between 0 and 50 is taken into account “good’’, 51 and 100 “satisfactory’’, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”.

Ms. Atishi stated that the air pollution due to stubble burning has additional weakened the lungs of the individuals already affected due to COVID-19. “Due to reduction in stubble burning incidents in the last two days, Delhi is witnessing cleaner air and lower pollution,” she stated.

Pollutant dispersion

“The overall air quality of Delhi is in the ‘moderate’ category as of today morning. Surface winds are west-southwesterly and energetic, very favorable for pollutant dispersion. Rainfall along with stronger winds under the influence of western disturbance helped to clean the build-up of pollution in the Indo-Gangetic plain,” stated government-run monitoring company SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research) in an announcement.

The AQI is probably going to marginally deteriorate and keep within the ‘moderate’ to the ‘poor’ category on Wednesday. “The AQI is forecasted to further deteriorate to the higher end of ‘poor’ to lower end of ‘very poor’ category on November 19 and 20,” SAFAR stated.

The contribution of stubble burning in neighbouring states to PM2.5, a chief pollutant, in Delhi was estimated to be solely 3% on Tuesday.