BackAQI: Delhi govt asks people to work from home to control pollution
The Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi has appealed to people to work from home to reduce vehicular pollution.
PremiumThe Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi has appealed to people to work from home to reduce vehicular pollution. In addition, it has also suggested the use of shared transport, Environment Minister Gopal Rai has said. The Air Quality Index (AQI) of the national capital stood at 376 at 9AM. The 24-hour average AQI was 424 at 4 pm on November 1, the worst since December 26 last year when it was 459.
It was also the second "severe" air quality day in Delhi this year after January 2 (AQI 404), according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The monitoring stations at Bawana (402), Wazirpur (414), Vivek Vihar (403), Patparganj (410), Jahangirpuri (409), Sonia Vihar (426) and Ashok Vihar (402) recorded the air quality in the "severe" category.
The citizens of Delhi stand to lose 10 years of life expectancy as a result of poor air pollution, according to the EPIC Air Quality Life Index (AQLI), which was published in June.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) stated that there is no immediate need to implement curbs, such as a ban on the entry of trucks and a closure of educational institutions, under the fourth stage of the Graded Response Action Plan, despite Delhi's air quality marginally improving on November 2 morning due to relatively better meteorological conditions (GRAP). Stronger winds beginning November 3 are expected to result in further improvements to the air quality, according to forecasts.
Also Read: Air quality poor, but better than previous Diwalis
In the morning, Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 15.5 degrees Celsius, which is somewhat higher than average, and a wind speed of about 8 kmph. Around the Palam and Safdarjung airports at 9:00 am, there was increased visibility (1,500 metres), which indicated a small improvement in the air quality.
An AQI of 400 or more is deemed "severe", and it can have an adverse effect on both healthy individuals and persons who already have medical conditions.
(With PTI inputs)
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