With Level Of Pollutants Set To Rise, 2017 May End On ‘Severe’ Note

New Delhi: Suffering “very poor” air quality, the national capital Delhi and the surrounding regions will witness a plunge in the levels of pollutants till December 29 i.e, Friday. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), average Air Quality Index (AQI) on December 26 at 4PM in Delhi was 363. Anand Vihar, Ghaziabad and Noida reeled under severe level of pollutants. While Ghaziabad had severe level of pollutants with an AQI of 445 and PM2.5 being the major pollutant, Noida had an average AQI of 476.

According to the forecast by Met department, the concentration of pollutants will rise due to low velocity wind and the coming down of the atmospheric layer where air and pollutants mix close to the surface.

Explaining the wind speed and when will it drop, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said that wind speed 900 metres above the ground may fall to 4km/hr on December 29. However, from December 30 i.e. Saturday wind speed may rise up a bit and reach to 13km/hr on December 31.

CPCB’s air lab Chief Dipankar Saha said,

The IMD has predicted that low winds, poor ventilation coefficient and stable atmospheric conditions are likely to cause episodic severe air quality events particularly in the evening and night till December 29.

Also Read: Shortage Of Funds Halts Central Pollution Control Board’s Plan To Install Air Monitoring Towers

Poor ventilation coefficient is the inability of the atmosphere to disperse the pollutants. Wind also helps in dispersing the pollutants, but decrease in wind speed will make the pollutants hover in the air which in turn will lead to increase in pollution.

In order to prevent the emergency situation, the concerned agencies have been asked to remain alert and take necessary measures.

According to the forecast, the major pollutant PM2.5 or particles in air with diameter less than 2.5 micrometers, will be 290 units on December 28. PM2.5 is an atmospheric particulate matter of diameter less than 2.5 micrometers, which is around 3% the diameter of a human hair. It can lead to respiratory problems and reduces visibility.

While, PM 10, another major pollutant is expected to be 276 units, Carbon Monoxide is predicted to be 109 units which is poor.

Also Read: Pollution In ‘Emergency’ Bracket Again; CPCB Recommends Closure Of Coal-Based Industries In January

According to CPCB’s daily air quality status of Delhi, on December 27 at 4PM, PM2.5 was 222.3 units and PM10 was 361.9. Also, average AQI was under very poor category with an index value of 363 and PM2.5 and PM10 being the major pollutant.

Shuffling between “severe” and “very poor” levels of air quality index, Delhi celebrated a Grey Christmas and may celebrate a similar new year. On December 25, 9 out of 17 monitoring stations of CPCB in the city recorded ‘severe’ air quality. Such severe level of pollutants can easily affect healthy people and make situations worse for people with existing diseases like asthma and other respiratory diseases.

Delhi’s air has been like this since past few months. In November, the level of pollutants rose so much that Delhi government declared a public health emergency. Schools were shut and both government and private hospitals witnessed a rise in the number of patients by 10-15%.

With all the prophecy and forecasts, let’s see what Delhi’s air has in store for New Year and how Delhiites celebrate New Year.

Also Read: As The Level Of Air Pollution Rose, Delhi Celebrated A Grey Christmas

With inputs from PTI