With itching in eyes and sour throats, residents of the national Capital faced tough time as rising values of noxious pollutants created breathing problems. Meanwhile, pollution monitoring agencies have issued alert and advised people to stay indoors and avoid outdoor physical activities.
Saturday saw 3,216 stubble burning cases — season’s highest; Sunday was the worst day of this winter season when there was no fog and value of Particulate Matters (PM) 2.5 escalated with addition of half burned agriculture residue.
The national Capital’s air quality remained “very poor”. The Air Quality Index (AQI) also recorded 381 micrograms per cubic of pollutants in the air on the National Ambient Air Quality Index (NAAQI).The values of Particulate Matter 10 and 2.5 was also recorded 366 and 225.
As per System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting Research (SAFAR) a unit of Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), in spite of what improved wind conditions, air quality has not progressed as expected due to high stubble-related intrusion and trapping of pollutants during night time due to low wintertime boundary layer height.
Citing MeT factors, it said, it has not deteriorated further in spite of continued favorable North-North-Westerly boundary level wind direction.”
“The highly favorable conditions for fire-related intrusion in Delhi expected to continue.”
The SAFAR synergized stubble fire counts over Punjab, Haryana, UP, Uttarakhand, and neighboring areas impacting Delhi air, stood at 3216, Stubble burning share in PM2.5 has increased and is estimated as 40 per cent, the highest of the season,” SAFAR monitored.
In its bulletin on air quality, SAFAR said,” A better ventilation condition is forecasted for the next two days.
However, the SAFAR model predicts that AQI is likely to improve only marginally (within very poor) for today and Monday which is now becoming dependent on stubble fire episodes.”
“It is set to marginally deteriorate on November 3rd. In summary, increased local surface wind speed with faster dispersion conditions is counteracting on 2 counts, namely, increased fire-related emission and accumulated intrusion mass load. Increased fire-related emission than existing conditions may lead to deterioration of AQI.”
Meanwhile, AQI in different region was fluctuated between 523 and 805. In RK Puram, AQI was recorded 472, Mandir Marg 523, Anand Vihar 856.