Delhi's air quality remains 'very poor' for 4th consecutive day
Delhi's air quality continued to remain in the "very poor" category for the fourth consecutive day, with the Early Warning System for Delhi (EWS) noting unfavorable conditions for pollutant dispersion. The average Air Quality Index (AQI) on Wednesday morning was recorded at 356, slightly better than Tuesday's 373. However, no major improvement is expected until Friday.
Shallow fog and calm winds exacerbate Delhi's pollution
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), visibility plummeted to about 800 meters at 7:00am owing to shallow fog, which has persisted for two days. Calm winds have also worsened the air quality by not allowing pollutants to disperse. Data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed that at least four monitoring stations recorded air quality in the severe category on Wednesday morning.
Severe air quality recorded at multiple monitoring stations
The CPCB data revealed that NSIT and Wazirpur stations recorded AQI levels of 444 and 421 respectively, both in the severe category. Historically, Delhi's AQI has worsened to severe at least once by November 6 since 2015. However, this year strong winds post-Diwali and higher-than-normal temperatures have kept AQI from reaching the severe mark.
Strong winds post-Diwali prevent AQI from reaching severe
Anumita Roychowdhury of the Centre for Science and Environment noted that even with Diwali on October 31, strong winds cleared out pollutants quickly. "This year, the overall temperature has also been higher throughout October, not just at the end of the month," she said. "However, one has to realize that AQI was still touching very poor even in October, which means our background emissions are high and it will only take a further dip in temperature to possibly touch severe."
Delhi launches campaign to curb open waste burning
Amid the worsening air quality crisis, Delhi's Environment Minister Gopal Rai announced a campaign from Wednesday to check open waste burning. He said 588 teams would be deployed across the city for the same. Resident Welfare Associations and government departments have also been asked to provide heaters to night-time workers to stop them from using firewood to keep warm.
