Residents Gasp For Breath As Delhi-NCR Turns Into A Gas Chamber, Stubble Burning Adds To The Woes

Residents of Delhi and adjoining cities like Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Faridabad woke up to another smog-filled morning on Thursday as the air quality levels continued to dip.

On Thursday morning, the air quality index (AQI) in most parts of Delhi remained in the very poor or severe category.

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Slow wind speed and farm fires make air toxic

An AQI range between 0 to 100 is considered good, while from 100 to 200, it is termed moderate, and from 200 to 300, it is poor. AQI ranging from 300 to 400 is very poor, and an AQI between 401 and 500 is categorized as severe.

Unfavourable meteorological conditions with slower wind speed and the sudden spike in farm fire incidents in neighbouring Punjab and Haryana are attributed to the dip in air quality.

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Stubble burning accounted for 32% of PM2.5

SAFAR, a forecasting agency under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, had earlier said stubble burning accounted for 32 per cent of the PM2.5 pollution in the capital on Wednesday.

PM2.5 are fine particles that are 2.5 microns or less in diameter and can travel deep into the respiratory tract, reaching the lungs and entering the bloodstream.

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Highest number farm fires in Punjab

According to the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Punjab reported 3,634 farm fires on Wednesday, the highest this year so far. However, their share in Delhi's PM2.5 pollution was just 12 percent due to unfavourable transport-level wind speed.

The number stood at 1,842 on Tuesday, 2,131 on Monday, 1,761 on Sunday, 1,898 on Saturday and 2,067 on Friday.

Punjab reported 71,304 farm fires between September 15 and November 30 last year and 83,002 farm fires in the corresponding period in 2020. Last year, the share of farm fires in Delhi's PM 2.5 pollution peaked at 48 per cent on November 7.

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According to an analysis by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, people in the national capital breathe the worst air between November 1 and November 15 -- the period when stubble burning peaks.

Air turns toxic, people struggle to breath

As the air quality worsens, hospitals in Delhi and NCR have also seen an increase in patients with respiratory issues.

Those seeking treatment for burning sensation on the eyes and skin have also increased in recent weeks.

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With air pollution worsening in the national capital, Delhi authorities halted all construction work and demolition activities till further orders.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has urged the Delhi government to shut schools till air quality improves.

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