The air quality in the Capital improved to the “very poor” category on Sunday after remaining in the “severe” level for the last three days. This comes on a day when the Delhi Government, in a move to control local sources of air and dust pollution, decided to close educational institutions and ban construction activities, while encouraging work from home.
According to the data provided by the Central Pollution Control Board, the average air quality index (AQI) over the past 24 hours ending at 4 p.m. on Sunday, based on the reading from 36 monitoring stations, was 330. The AQI was 437 on Saturday, down from 471 on Friday. The improvement in the air quality has been attributed to the increase in wind speeds which dispersed pollutants.
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The forecast shared by the Central Government-run Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi shows that the air quality is likely to deteriorate but remain in the “very poor” category on Monday and Tuesday. Shallow to moderate fog is likely on Tuesday morning.
Environment Minister Gopal Rai said that his department has issued orders under the Environment Protection Act, 1986, regarding closure of schools, colleges, skill development centres, and educational institutions till November 20. Only in cases where examinations are being conducted, will the institutions be allowed to open, he added.
Construction and demolition projects have been put on hold till November 17 to curb dust pollution while the Delhi Government offices and Government autonomous agencies will remain closed till November 17.
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The Minister said that on November 17, the ban on construction will be reviewed as it has been estimated that the pollution levels are going to escalate in the coming days.
“The objective of these emergency measures is to cut down on vehicular pollution, giving the people of Delhi some relief. An advisory has been issued to private offices to follow suit and help this initiative have an impact on the pollution levels,” Mr. Rai said.
Sisodia appeals to people
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia appealed to the people to take small steps at the personal level like turning off the engine at traffic signals and using public transport for at least one day every month to make the city healthy and pollution-free. He was speaking at a ‘Yuddh Pradushan Ke Virrudh’ campaign conducted by the Delhi Government’s Dialogue and Development Commission in association with Raahgiri Foundation at Patparganj.
Mr. Sisodia said there is a need to work at three levels to reduce pollution in Delhi. It is the Government responsibility to make rules and regulations, introduce systems to facilitate enforcement, conduct awareness campaigns, and take action against violators. Secondly, he said, industry and construction stakeholders should reduce their share of pollution, and in the third step, the citizens of Delhi need to come forward and bring down pollution at the individual and community levels.
An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”.