The season’s highest air pollution was recorded in the Delhi NCR with its AQI being 700 while the safety limit is 50!
The current air quality in Delhi and its neighboring regions was categorized as ‘very poor’ since the start of month. The comprehensive air quality index (AQI) for the national capital stands at 999.5 ug/m3 at Pusa on November 13 breaking its own record.
Last year, our air quality on Diwali was at 312, but this year, it’s showing off a whopping 397.
What is the reason behind this? Farmers burning leftover crops, factories sending out stuff, cars adding their share, and sometimes the weather isn’t helping either. Then comes Diwali, and the fireworks make the sky pretty but also bring not-so-pretty things. Recent research found more bad stuff during Diwali, like particles and metals. It’s like a pollution party, and we’re all stuck breathing it in.
To fight the pollution in Delhi, the government is thinking of other alternatives – making artificial rain! The Environment Minister, Gopal Rai, talked with experts from IIT Kanpur about this on November 8. They’re planning to try it out if the sky looks cloudy around November 20-21.
This rain-making thing is called cloud seeding or Artificial Rain. It’s like adding special stuff to clouds to make them give us rain. They use planes or helicopters to do it. But it only works if the weather is right – clouds should have water, and the wind should be just right.
A significant chunk, about 40%, of Delhi’s air pollution was due to biomass burning, which includes emissions from activities like stubble burning. This marks an increase from the previous day, Tuesday, when biomass burning contributed to 26.45% of the pollution, according to the Decision Support System for Air Quality Management in Delhi.
Biomass burning isn’t just about stubble burning; it includes various activities like large-scale wildfires, prescribed fires, agricultural fires, charcoal production, and burning biofuel for heating and cooking.
The Delhi government has taken steps to tackle air pollution, like cleaning roads, daily sprinkling of water, banning construction, and limiting vehicle entry. However, experts suggest a stronger focus on improving public transport to reduce reliance on private vehicles.
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