New Delhi: Delhi continues to breathe polluted air with the city's Air Quality Index reaching 428 ('severe' category) at 9 am on Thursday.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) said it has decided against enforcing the stringent Stage III GRAP for the time being but is closely monitoring the situation.
Sensing the concern among citizens, Environment Minister Gopal Rai in a press briefing on Thursday morning said the Delhi government will ensure strict enforcement of pollution control measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage 2 to combat deteriorating air quality in the city.
Rai attributed the worsening conditions to a combination of calm winds and a drop in temperature. He also said that GRAP III would not be imposed yet as the situation is expected to improve from tomorrow (Friday).
Fog engulfs national capital
A thick blanket of fog covered parts of the national capital for the second consecutive day today as the mercury hit 16.1 degrees Celsius, the lowest minimum temperature of the season so far, according to the weather department.
The Central Pollution Control Board said Delhi's AQI at 9 am was 428 with 32 of the 39 monitoring stations in the city recording air quality in the 'severe' category, with readings above 400.
"These stations include Anand Vihar, Ashok Vihar, IGI Airport, ITO, Mandir Marg, North Campus, Patparganj, Punjabi Bagh, and Pusa among others," an official said. On Wednesday, the air quality in Delhi was the worst in the country, plunging into the 'severe' category for the first time this season, even as the central pollution watchdog attributed the deterioration to an "unprecedentedly dense" fog and described it as an "episodic event".
The city's 24-hour AQI, recorded at 4 pm every day, stood at 418 on Wednesday, up from 334 the previous day. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", 401 and 450 "severe" and above 450 "severe plus".
The worsening air quality may trigger stringent restrictions under the third stage of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to mitigate hazardous conditions.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), however, said owing to stronger winds, the pollutant concentration is expected to start showing a declining trend from Thursday onwards and the AQI is likely to move back to the "very poor" category.
"After a comprehensive review, the sub-committee decided to closely monitor the situation before implementing Stage III of GRAP and will reassess the status on Thursday," the CAQM said in a post on X on Wednesday.
In another post on the microblogging platform, the CAQM said its sub-committee noted the steep rise in Delhi's AQI owing to this "episodic event" since morning.
What is Stage III GRAP?
The GRAP is a set of actions to be taken according to the levels of pollution in the Delhi-NCR region. The GRAP is classified into four stages. They include: Stage I ‘Poor’ (AQI 201–300), Stage II ‘Very Poor' (AQI 301-400), Stage III ‘Severe’ (AQI 401-450), and Stage IV ‘Severe+’ (AQI over 450).
In November last year, the central government enforced Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in the national capital when the AQI in the city touched 400.
Under GRAP III, which could be enforced in Delhi now if the AQI levels don't improve, an 8-point action plan was implemented in the entire Delhi-NCR last year. Under it, a strict ban on construction and demolition activities in the entire NCR was enforced.
Daily commuters, school-goers face difficulty in breathing
Raunak, a school student, said that he had been coughing continuously due to the excessive pollution around. "I go for running daily. However these days with the increase in pollution, I have been coughing continuously which could also affect my lungs. If there is a controlled use of pollution and more CNG-based vehicles, the problem could be solved. However there is no cooperation by the people," Raunak said.
Prateek, another local said the visibility had reduced, and people had started feeling suffocated. "The pollution level has increased a lot. The visibility on the roads has reduced, there is barely any visibility, our eyes burn and we have started feeling suffocated. The government needs to do something on this," Prateek said.
AQI at Anand Vihar was recorded as 470, 469 at Anand Vihar, 417 at ITO and 451 at Rohini. Meanwhile, on November 13, the Central government, in consultation with the CPCB exempted certain categories of industrial plants from the provisions applicable under Section 21 of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
City under a thick layer of smog
The national capital saw its first dense fog and lowest daytime temperature of the season so far on Wednesday, trapping pollutants. The maximum temperature in Delhi (Safdarjung) dropped from 32.8 degrees Celsius on Tuesday to 27.8 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.
Bihar's Hajipur, with an AQI of 417, had the second-worst reading in the country on Wednesday, the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) data showed. Of the 36 monitoring stations in Delhi, 30 recorded the air quality in the "severe" category, the CPCB said.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", 401 and 450 "severe" and above 450 "severe-plus".
According to the CPCB, Delhi's AQI was in the "severe" category for three days in January. On January 14, the AQI was recorded at 447, followed by 409 on January 24 and January 26.
If the city's air quality remains in the "severe" category on Thursday, authorities may impose restrictions under the third stage of the GRAP, including a ban on construction and demolition activities and plying of BS-lll petrol and BS-IV diesel light motor vehicles.
According to the Centre's Decision Support System for Air Quality Management, vehicular emission was the top contributor to Delhi's pollution on Wednesday, with an estimated share of 13.3 per cent. The other prominent pollutants were PM2.5 and PM10.
PM2.5 and PM10 refer to fine particulate matter in the air, with the numbers indicating their size in micrometres. PM2.5 are fine particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less, about the width of a human hair. These are so small that they can penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream, posing significant health risks.
PM10 are coarser particles with a diameter of 10 micrometres or less, about the width of 10 human hairs. While not as concerning as PM2.5, these can still irritate the airways and worsen respiratory problems. Long-term exposure to these particulate matter can increase the risk of heart disease.
According to the latest CPCB data, Delhi's annual average PM10 and PM2.5 levels were higher by 5 per cent and 7 per cent respectively between January 1 and November 12 against the year-ago period.
Between January 1 and November 12, the capital witnessed 116 days when the AQI was in the "poor", "very poor" or "severe" categories. The AQI on 201 days was "good", "satisfactory" or "moderate", the data showed.
Health hazards, cancer risk
LM Darlong, the head of thoracic oncosurgery at the Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre, told news agency PTI that long-term exposure to PM2.5 poses a significant risk of lung cancer.
These fine particles can trigger mutations in the lung cells, leading to uncontrolled cell growth. Over a decade of exposure, these mutations are often linked to genes that play a key role in regulating cell division, Darlong said.
Early detection of lung cancer is critical as symptoms such as persistent cough or blood in sputum often appear only at later stages, making treatment more challenging, he added.
The fog led to limited visibility in the morning, with conditions at the Delhi airport dropping to zero. This marked a notable shift in the capital's climate and a few flights were diverted due to the low visibility, an official said.
Zero-metre visibility was recorded at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport at 8:30 am, with the Runway Visual Range varying between 125 metres and 500 metres at different locations, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported.
"Very dense" fog began forming around 5:30 am, casting a thick haze over various parts of the national capital, it noted. "By morning, a heavy layer of fog blanketed the city, reducing visibility to as low as 125 metres in certain areas," an IMD official said.
The weather department has forecast a largely clear sky for Thursday, with predominant surface winds likely from the northwest at a speed of less than 6 kilometres per hour during the morning hours.
The IMD has also said smog or dense to very dense fog is expected in the morning. The wind speed will increase to less than 10 kmph from the northwest in the afternoon, decreasing to less than 8 kmph from the same direction in the evening and night. Smog, mist or moderate fog is likely in the evening and night.
Anti-pollution measures
Meanwhile, on November 13, the Central government, in consultation with the CPCB exempted certain categories of industrial plants from the provisions applicable under Section 21 of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
The exempted industries and sectors listed in the notification include assembly of air coolers, repairing and servicing, assembly of bicycles, and other non-motorizing vehicles, bio-fertilizers, cotton, woollen and hosiers making, surgical and medical products assembling and many others.
According to the notification, the sub-sections from which the sectors have been exempted are, "All industrial plants having pollution index score up to 20 as listed in the Schedule to this notification, subject to condition that such plant shall inform in writing to the State Pollution Control Boards or the Pollution Control Committees," read the notification issued by the Central government."
All industrial plants which have obtained prior environmental clearance as per the notification of the Government of India in the erstwhile Ministry of Environment and Forests number S.O. 1533(E), dated the 14th September, 2006 issued under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 (29 of 1986), in respect of previous consent to establish such plant," the notification added.
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