Air quality in Delhi has turned into “severe” with high thickness of fog and soaring levels of prominent pollutants on Sunday. Those partying on the roads of the city on the eve of the New Year will have to brave the bad air quality and the chill.
The air quality will remain severe for the next three days. Comparing the pollution levels of December 2016 with the corresponding period, the pollutants values have broken previous year’s records of December month. System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), a unit of Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) has put air quality under “severe” tag as the average value of Particulate Matter (PM) 10 was recorded at 428µgm-3 which is four times higher than its safer limits. And the value of PM 2.5 was also recorded five times higher.
Notably, as the experts say, Delhi’s climate and topography play pivotal role, the wind speed at 5PM of the day was recorded 14 km per hour that is sufficient to settle down the Suspended Particulate Matters (SPMs).
Under the weather forecast of Delhi city, the capital witness Moderate, Shallow and Dense fog till December 31. In such situations the high width of fog and concentrations of SPMs create thermal Inversion and that result - poor visibility and high pollution.
Gopal Krishna, Environmentalist, Anti-Toxic Watch Alliance (ATWA) said when a layer of warm air settles over a layer of cooler air that lies near the ground , the warm air holds down the cool air and prevents pollutants from rising and scattering.
“This situation occurs in Delhi and to overcome the process of pollutants’ immobility, the Government institutions have to take strict action on pollution contributors, instance — movement of heavy vehicles in city, industrial operations should be stopped during the dense fog period and encourage people to use public transportation,” said Krishna.
According to the pollution history of December 2015, the database of PM 2.5 of December month which was regularly derived from the Ambient Air Quality Index (AAQI) of DPCC showed that mass concentration of Particulate Matter-2.5 was oscillated between 129 to 322 (ug/m3) and in same month, the mass concentration had never enlarged than 381 ug/m3 (Anand Vihar, outer Delhi). The highest level of concentration in inner Delhi was observed on December 23 which was 327 in Punjbai Bagh while in RK Puram, which is green area of city, the concentration was 276 ug/m3 and in another location, instance — Mandir Marg, it was 322 ug/m3.
Taking on the account, in the mid days of December (11 to 20), the average concentration of PM 2.5 of four locations was 223, 198,210 (ug/m3) for RK Puram, Punjbai Bagh and Mandir Marg respectively.
The above figures of last month of 2015 are showing illuminated that concentration of PM 2.5 was never measured above 330 ug/m3 for inner Delhi. As per the DPCC official data of after December 20, there was significant drop was measured on AAQI. On December 21, level was dropped noteworthy as it measured at 190, 120,168 ug/m3 in all three above mentioned locations.
Now, taking the pollutant graph of this year of same location which are mentioned above. At Anand Vihar area, the values of both primary pollutants (PM 10, 25) were recorded at 508 and 339 in micro-cubic per gram where as last year value of PM 10 was not crossed more than 300.
At Mandir Marg area, the concentrations of both the pollutants were recorded 404 and 281. In Punjbai Bagh area, assessment of pollutants in air was recorded at 490 and 345 while in green are RK Puram, the concentration of PM 10 was recorded at 448 ug/m3.
In 2015, considering the vehicular emission a vital reason for the rising concentration of PM 2.5, the State Government implemented car rationing odd-Even scheme . Experts in Delhi have said drop or rise of primary pollutants in city is depending on the weather conditions.
A Senior IMD official said that in the last week of December, considerable fall in pollution was being observed and the pattern was followed in first three days of January, “weather pattern in Delhi is completely different this year. The temperature and wind directions both are responsible for the fluctuations of pollutants size in city air,” said the official.
It is to be noted that data of DPCC meters was 24 hours observations however data of Delhi Government during odd -even scheme is based on twenty minute timeline.