NCR Wakes Up to White, AQI Wakes Up in Maroon

Air Quality Index (AQI) at Delhi, NCR breached the 1000 mark (higher number is worse) over the weekend, mandating Delhites to use the N95 masks. With Delhi facing a ‘severe plus’ level air quality on account of high emissions from vehicles and construction, industrial pollution, stubble burning, fire crackers and unfavourable wind conditions, the government is seeking a plethora of measures.

Crux of the Matter

1. Particulates Measuring (PM) 2.5 and PM 10 breached the emergency levels of 300 and 500 respectively by a significant margin.

2. To put things in context, lung surgeon Dr Arvind Kumar mentioned, “A child born yesterday in Delhi would have smoked 40-50 cigarettes on the first day of his or her life.”

3. Delhi’s air carried carcinogens more than 6 times that in Beijing, another city that has grappled with epidemic air pollution in the last 2 decades.

4. Government urged citizens to avoid going out, schools were shut down and 37 flights delayed.

5. Enforcements are being sent to halt the incidents of stubble-burning – which accounts for 141 MT of Carbon Dioxide emission in India – in Haryana and Punjab.

6. In other measures, water sprinkling and the odd-even rule might give Delhites breathing space.

Curiopedia

The Great Smog of London 1952, was a severe air-pollution event that affected the British capital of London in early December 1952. A period of cold weather, combined with an anticyclone and windless conditions, collected airborne pollutants — mostly arising from the use of coal — to form a thick layer of smog over the city. It lasted from Friday 5 December to Tuesday 9 December 1952, and then dispersed quickly when the weather changed. It caused major disruption by reducing visibility and even penetrating indoor areas, far more severely than previous smog events experienced in the past. Government medical reports in the following weeks, however, estimated that up until 8 December, 4,000 people had died as a direct result of the smog and 100,000 more were made ill by the smog’s effects on the human respiratory tract. More recent research suggests that the total number of fatalities may have been considerably greater, one paper suggesting about 6,000 more died in the following months as a result of the event. More Info

Curated Coverage

1. The Indian Express – Delhi pollution: Air crosses severe level, PMO steps in, Centre to monitor

2. Live Mint – Delhi air pollution: Deadly smog envelops city, AQI breaches 858 at some places

3. News18 – Apocalyptic Haze Envelops Delhi-NCR as Air Pollution Levels Peak at 14 Times the Safe Limit, All Schools Shut Till Tuesday

#AirPollution #Delhi #Environment #India