‘Severe’ levels of Delhi’s air quality prompts emergency review meetings

New Delhi: The air pollution level in Delhi and its surrounding cities nosedived on Friday with Air Quality Index in most of its satellite towns in the “severe” zone prompting emergency review meetings in Delhi government but a central agency decided to wait for a few more days before ordering more stringent actions to lower the pollution load.

A thick, noxious grey smog enveloped the National Capital Region causing health troubles to the vulnerable and forcing many to stay indoors. The masks were out and many who had to go out returned home with coughs, headaches and burning eyes.

A spike in the stubble burning in Punjab and parts of Haryana coupled with vehicular and industrial emissions, waste burning and road dust led to the creation of the toxic haze that stretches up to the Gangetic plains. The maximum impact, however, is felt in Delhi-NCR.

“Many students went back home because of headache and water in the eyes. The visibility in the morning was just about 500 mt when I travelled to my school in the morning at 7 AM,” said a teacher working for a school in east Delhi.

While Delhi ordered shutting down of primary schools for this week, further decision on the school closure will be taken on Monday.

Dangerous levels of air pollution persisted throughout the day in Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad from where lakhs commute to Delhi.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board, at 4 PM Delhi’s Air Quality Index stood at 468, but Greater Noida recorded an AQI of 494 followed by Faridabad (460) and Noida (440). Gurugram was a tad better with a “very poor” AQI 367.

While the Delhi AQI improved a bit by 6 PM (456), the situation remained the same for the NCR cities. Because of the common air-shed, the national capital is unlikely to get clean air unless the air quality improves in the NCR cities.

The Central Air Quality Management sub-committee, which oversees the control actions, however, decided to wait for a few more days before undertaking more stringent actions as one set of emission curb measures were announced on Thursday.

Such measures – a part of the Graded Response Action plan Stage 3 - include stopping most of the construction and demolition activities in the private sector, restricting movement of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles in Delhi NCR besides closing down of stone crusher and mining activities.

“After comprehensively reviewing the overall air quality scenario and relevant aspects, it was decided by the Sub-Committee unanimously to watch the situation for a day or more, before invoking more stringent disruptive actions under GRAP-Stage 4,” the panel said in a statement after a review meeting.

The worsening air quality has prompted a blame-game with BJP and AAP accusing each other for their failure to control the spiralling air pollution level.