With Clear Skies & Fresh Air, It Was The Cleanest September In 9 Years In Delhi

There was something unusual about the air in the national capital during the month of September. As per the data from Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), it was the cleanest September that the bustling city of New Delhi had seen over the past nine years.

According to an analysis by The Times Of India of DPCC data between 2011 and 2019, it was found out that both the average PM2.5 and PM10 levels were within safe standards for the first time during September in all these years.

The TOI report said that while the average PM10 level was 99 microgram per cubic metre (as against a safe standard of 100), average PM2.5 level was recorded at just 40 microgram per cubic metre, well below the safe limit of 60.

¡°Meteorological conditions have certainly played a part this September but if you look at trends from 2015 onwards, there has been a gradual decline each year,¡± Mohan George, head of DPCC¡¯s air division, was quoted as saying in TOI.

¡°Pollution was at its peak in 2015. Since then, not only has coordination on the ground improved but there is better preparedness from us and other agencies. Violators are being fined on the spot and there is greater deterrence,¡± George added.

India falls in the shameful list of countries with the highest number of deaths due to air pollution, according to a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which estimates seven million people are killed every year due to air pollution while non-fatal effects include irregular heartbeats, aggravated asthma and decreased lung function.

Further according to the AirVisual and Greenpeace index, which was released in March this year, Seven of the world's 10 worst polluted cities are in India. New Delhi, which is home to more than 20 million people, was ranked at 11, making it the world's most polluted capital, even ahead of Dhaka and Kabul.