NEW DELHI: The severe air pollution causing health emergency in Delhi that has grabbed international headlines, however politicians are busy playing politics over the issue.
The situation may dissipate by Saturday-Sunday as favourable weather conditions is forecast that may cause a slow recovery in its air quality index (AQI).
The toxic haze covering Delhi’s skies is that for three weeks stagnant conditions caused by delayed withdrawal of the monsoon had caused a deterioration due to accumulation of pollutants.
The blanket of haze over Delhi on Friday forced a number of people to miss morning activities because AQI drops to ’emergency’ category as the pollution level spikes overnight.
Blame Game
Prakash Javadekar slams Kejriwal
Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar hits out on Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal and said that he is doing politics over pollution matter. “Chief Minister of Delhi is politicising pollution and has entered into blame game.
Delhi govt didn’t give Rs 3500 crores it had to, for Eastern Peripheral Expressway, that could have reduced pollution in Delhi. If we keep blaming each other, many things will come up,” he said.
“But providing relief to people from pollution is everyone’s responsibility. I appeal that instead of blaming Haryana and Punjab and blaming each other, all 5 states should sit together and discuss ways to mitigate pollution,” he further added.
What the SAFAR India says?
This impact is ending now, according to SAFAR India (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research), under the Ministry of Earth Sciences and Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune.
While AQI in Delhi is in the severe plus category, the highest grade of computation at 435, the US Embassy is denoting a sharp improvement in PM 2.5 levels compared to the peak values on Friday of 454.
On Saturday, the PM 2.5 count at 9 a.m. has halved at 208, according to US Embassy data.
According to the forecast by SAFAR India, the overall air quality of Delhi continues to be in the severe plus. However, as the winds have become westerly from Saturday the further intrusion will be less and slow recovery is expected.
“The AQI is expected to remain in severe category today morning but likely to be recovering further by evening towards upper end of very poor,” it said.
Fresh Western Disturbance
A fresh Western Disturbance is likely to advance to eastern regions of northwest India on Saturday, which is likely to positively influence Delhi’s air quality by increasing surface and boundary layer winds speed and thereby flushing out the accumulated pollutants.
The worrisome part is that biomass burning in Punjab and Haryana hit a new peak with a contribution of 44 per cent in air pollution but that is expected to dissipate.
The effective stubble fire counts of North west India (Haryana & Punjab) touched a new peak value of this year (3,178) Friday.
Odd-Even plan
The Delhi High Court asked the Delhi government to consider representation of various petitioners who have challenged the third edition of the Odd-Even scheme that will take place between November 4 and 15.
The multiple petitions have raised questions over the city government’s odd-even scheme which had not granted exemption to CNG vehicles to ply on the roads because it is difficult to check fuel of every vehicle.
The petitioners have said that the two-wheeler vehicles which are causing the maximum pollution have been exempted. It also raised issues of granting exemption to women drivers stating that since the women are exempted from the scheme, it denies equality before the law on the grounds of sex.