BackWhat govt says about Delhi's air quality as annual particulate matter concentration declines. Read here
The Environment Minister on Monday told Lok Sabha that the number of 'good', 'satisfactory' and 'moderate' days in Delhi has increased to 197 in 2021 as against 108 in 2016
PremiumUnion Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Monday that there has been a "consistent improvement" in Delhi's air quality amid reports suggesting that the annual PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations in the national capital have reduced by 22% and 27%, respectively, between 2016 and 2021.
The Environment Minister on Monday told Lok Sabha that the number of 'good', 'satisfactory' and 'moderate' days in Delhi has increased to 197 in 2021 as against 108 in 2016, adding that continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (CAAQMS) data for Delhi has revealed that annual concentration of particulate matter (PM) has declined since 2016. While the concentration of PM10 and PM2.5 declined by 27% and 22% between 2016 and 2021.
Additionally, the number of 'poor', 'very poor' and 'severe' days have decreased to 168 in 2021 as against 246 in 2016. Notably, as per the the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), air quality index (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", and 401 and 500 "severe."
However, the Minister said that there is no conclusive data available to establish a direct correlation between death and disease exclusively with air pollution. "Air pollution is one of the many factors affecting respiratory ailments and associated diseases. Health is impacted by a number of factors which include food habits, occupational habits, socio-economic status, medical history, immunity, heredity, etc., of the individuals apart from the environment," he said further.
Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party governments in Punjab and Delhi have announced that they plan to provide cash incentive to farmers in the border state for not burning stubble and have requested the Centre to share the cost, according to officials. This development comes in the wake of paddy straw burning in Punjab and Haryana being a major reason behind the alarming spike in air pollution levels in the national capital during the months of October and November. It is important to note that the farmers set their fields on fire to quickly clear off the crop residue before cultivating wheat and potato. Apparently, Punjab generates around 20 million tons of paddy straw annually.
(With inputs from PTI)
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