At 431, Delhi-NCR's air quality remains 'severe' for third day
Delhi-NCR's air quality dipped to the "severe" category for the third day in a row on Saturday. Delhi's overall Air Quality Index (AQI) currently stands at 431, while it is presently at 529 in Noida. With a score of 478, Gurugram also remains in the 'Severe' category. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced on Friday shutting down of primary schools.
Why does this story matter?
Delhi is among the world's most polluted cities, presenting a major health risk for its nearly 30 million residents. Both city and central governments have been repeatedly pulled up by the Supreme Court to implement anti-pollution measures. Notably, Delhi's air quality turns hazardous every winter due to industrial and vehicular pollution, stubble burning, and bursting of firecrackers, among other reasons.
Reason behind the high AQI
As per the Central Pollution Control Board and SAFAR, stubble burning resulted in 30% of the PM2.5 pollution in Delhi on Friday, reported ABP News. The concentration of lung-damaging fine particles, which is also known as PM2.5, was over 470 micrograms per cubic meter. This is nearly eight times over the safe limit of 60 micrograms per cubic meter.
Grim scenes from Delhi this morning
All monitoring stations in Delhi report severe condition
An AQI above 400 is deemed "severe" and might also affect healthy individuals and impact those with illnesses. Nearly all monitoring stations in Delhi reported "severe" air quality on Friday. "There would be a partly cloudy sky on Saturday with shallow fog in the morning. The maximum and minimum temperature likely to hover around 30* and 16* Celsius," an India Meteorological Department official said.
Schools closed in Delhi
Delhi primary schools are closed from today onwards amid rapidly rising air pollution levels across the national capital. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal took the decision during a press conference on Friday, along with the Punjab Chief Minister. State Environment Minister Gopal Rai said that 50% of the Delhi government's staff would work from home and an advisory will also be issued to private offices.
Not all parents want schools to close
A lot of parents stated that temporarily closing the schools was not enough and long-term actions needed to be taken. Many were even against closing schools, stating that children's studies had suffered greatly during the COVID-19 lockdown. According to experts, Delhi's air quality is at its worst between November 1 and 15, as this is the time the city witnesses the most stubble burning.
