Air pollution: The pollution level in Delhi NCR region is likely to see a spike this winter. Experts have warned people to be ready to be smothered. The smog that has been choking Punjab, will soon start smothering Delhi, they fear.
Delhi-NCR people heaved a sigh of relief when they opened their doors and windows a day after Diwali as they were greeted by clear skies and good air quality. This year’s day after Diwali was the cleanest in Delhi since 2015.
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AQI level
The Air Quality Index(AQI) a day after Diwali stood at 262 in 2022. Whereas, it was 360 in 2015, 445 in 2016, 403 in 2017, 390 in 2018, 368 in 2019, 435 in 2020 and 462 in 2021.
An AQI between 0-50 is considered ‘good’, 51-100 ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 ‘moderate’, 201-300 ‘poor’, 301-400 ‘very poor and 401-500 ‘severe’.
Citizens expressed joy at clean air. However, the happiness was short-lived. For the first time this season, the air quality of cities in Haryana – Gurugram, Faridabad, Charkhi Dadri and Ballabhgarh in NCR dropped to the ‘very poor’ category. The pollution levels for the next day were the lowest since 2015 owing to the warm and windier weather conditions diluting the impact.
Though cracker bursting on Diwali day is believed to be the reason behind rise in pollution level, stubble burning in neighbouring Punjab is the biggest culprit. And while farmers say that stubble burning can only be reduced with government help, the central government argues that it has done a lot on the issue.
No option
Farmers say they don’t have any option but to burn the stubble in the fields as transportation incurs heavy expense.
They want the government to bear part of that cost.
And while politics is played over the issue every year with the onset of winter, it’s the people of Delhi-NCR who have to face severe health issues because of the air pollution.
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