New Delhi: The air quality level in Delhi remained in 'severe' category on Thursday with the Air Quality Index (AQI) crossing 400 but Environment Minister Gopal Rai is hopeful that the conditions will improve from Friday onwards.
Rai held a meeting with various departments at the Delhi secretariat and attributed the deteriorating air quality to snowfall in the mountains, resulting which, both temperature and wind speed have decreased.
Rai has said that pollution control restrictions under Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage 3 will not be enforced at the moment. The deteriorating air conditions are expected to improve due to an increase in the wind speed, he said. A green war room has been set up in the Secretariat to monitor the situation.
Reasons behind rise in pollution level
In the meeting, officials of the Indian Metrological Department (IMD) revealed two major reasons behind the increase in pollution level in Delhi. The first being a dip in the temperatures due to snowfall in the mountains and the second is decease in wind speed, which is preventing the pollutants present in the atmosphere to reach higher levels. Thus, Delhi remains covered by a thick blanket of smog.
When can conditions improve?
A somewhat relief is expected when wind speed increases from tomorrow. The Central Pollution Control Board has stated that Delhi recorded an AQI of 424 on Thursday afternoon. Rai said that a layer of smog has formed over Delhi and as the wind speed is expected to increase tomorrow, the air quality will subsequently improve. With air conditions expected to improve tomorrow, efforts will be on to ensure proper implementation of GRAP Stage 2 measures.
The government has urged residents to follow the existing restrictions under GRAP Stage 2. A 21-point Winter Action Plan has been prepared by the Delhi government to curb pollution and instructions have been issued to all the departments to take necessary measures.
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