New Delhi, Jan 13 (.) The national capital’s average air quality on Tuesday turned ‘very poor’ after witnessing a spike of 63 points in the index values as compared to Monday, making things worse for the people amid the cold weather.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the average AQI level on Tuesday was recorded at 360, with the PM 2.5 particles being the prominent pollutants present in city’s air, followed by the PM 10 particles.
The worst affected areas in Delhi in terms of air pollution include Anand Vihar with an AQI of 436, Dwarka Sec 8 426, Nehru Nagar 416, NSIT Dwarka 411, and Jahangirpuri 407.
The observations that reflected the average AQI data on Tuesday were from the 39 out of the total 40 monitoring stations across the city.
Experts say those already suffering with breathing issues and elderly must try to stay indoors, as cold weather amid such AQI levels increases the likelihood of health issues.
Very poor air can increase the possibility of respiratory illness on prolonged exposure, as per the CPCB.
Anti-pollution measures under the Graded Response Action Plan’s (GRAP) stage-II are being implemented by the agencies concerned, the sub-committee Commission for Air Quality Management in Delhi and NCR (CAQM) may think of switching to the next level of GRAP, if the AQI levels further deteriorate.
The CAQM has taken such decisions to prevent worsening of the air quality in the past as well.
Meanwhile, as per the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, the air quality is likely to be in the ‘Very Poor’ category up to January 16.
It was on Monday, Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (EFCC), Bhupender Yadav had chaired a high-level meeting to undertake a detailed review of the Action Plans of the Delhi government of for tackling air pollution.
The meeting was part of the regular annual review mechanism to assess progress and strengthen implementation of identified measures.
. APS PRS