New Delhi: A thick layer of smog veiled the national capital Delhi on Thursday (November 16) morning with air quality being recorded in the ‘severe’ category in several parts of the city. As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the air quality at 7 am in Bawana was recorded at 442, RK Puram was 418 in Jahangirpuri it was 441 in Dwarka it was 416 in Alipur 415, in Anand Vihar at 412, in ITO it was 412 and near the Delhi airport the AQI was recorded at 401. Visuals from India Gate this morning showed people exercising and working out wearing masks.
An athlete detailed his problems with the poor air. He said,
I’m an athlete, but I find it difficult to breathe in this pollution. I train outdoors, and I find it difficult to breathe.
Harshit Gupta, who came from Uttar Pradesh in Delhi, said that the government needs to come up with solutions quickly. He said,
I have come from UP; breathing in Delhi feels like inhaling smoke. The government here must see to it. Why is this happening? Some solutions need to be found. We’re coming from faraway places and if this is the situation in Delhi, our health will surely deteriorate.
Also Read: Delhi’s Air Quality Very Poor, Vehicular Emissions Largest Contributor
Nine out of 11 state capitals analysed in India recorded higher pollution in the first 12 hours after Diwali celebrations this year as compared to last year.
The government’s National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) tracker analysed PM 2.5 (fine particulate matter) data for 11 capital cities.
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Wednesday announced that the government was closely monitoring the city’s pollution levels and will consider measures such as artificial rain and the implementation of the odd-even rule if the situation escalates to the ‘Severe’ plus category.
“The decision will be made based on observations over the next two to three days,” he said.
Mr Rai said,
We will reach this decision (artificial rain and the implementation of odd-even) after observing the situation for the next two to three days. If the pollution escalates to the ‘Severe’ plus category, measures will be implemented to mitigate it.
Further, the minister said,
Preparations are being made at various places in Delhi for Chhath Puja; this time also, Chhath Puja will be organised at more than 1000 places… Teams have started work regarding that (cleaning of the River Yamuna) also.
The pollution control measures under stage four of the GRAP are currently underway in the national capital.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which in its Season 10 is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Ayushmann Khurrana. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In a world post COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental well-being, self-care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
