Air quality in Delhi on the second consecutive day was recorded as “severe” on the National Air Quality Index (NAQI) and with high pollutant in air and dense fog continued to choke the residents.
According to weather analysts, high humidity, low wind speed and low temperatures are the reasons why the particulate matter is not getting dispersed and continues to be major cause of pollution.
Scientists of the India Meteorological Department said the wind which is coming from the Bay of Bengal contains moisture in it and as a result pollutants are getting mixed into it. “Air quality and dense smog will remain but there will be improvement in the air quality after December 5. However thick smog will start again after 7th of this month,” said a senior group scientist in Ministry of Earth Science (MoES).
Sumit Sharma, fellow at TERI, the levels of PM 2.5 (particulate matters with diameter less than 2.5 mm) are three to five times higher than prescribed standards.
“Other than Delhi’s own pollution, sources in the NCR and beyond also contribute significantly to Delhi’s PM 2.5 levels. Gases like SO2 and Nox released from industries, power plants, vehicles and diesel generator sets also convert to particulates adding to the mass of PM 2.5. We suggest multi sectoral actions at regional scales and not merely in Delhi,” said Sharma.
He said the air purifiers being planned for traffic intersection will only have a limited impact on air quality in a very small area around the equipment, and that the city “needs more effective emission mitigation measures to
reduce pollution levels all across the city”.
It may be recalled that the Delhi Government has decided to install the air purifiers at six major traffic intersections of the city. Central Pollution Control Board’s data of the Air Quality Index (AQI) shows that the air quality of Delhi is slowly deteriorating.
The AQI on Thursday was 403 and in Faridabad was 431, which is labelled severe”. It was 410 or “severe” on Wednesday, 368 or “very poor” on Tuesday and 229 or “poor” on Monday.