As the air quality in Delhi remained ‘severe plus’ on Tuesday, a report by news agency AFP said the PM2.5 pollutant levels was 60 times the World Health Organisation’s recommended daily limit.
On Tuesday, the average air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 488, ‘severe plus’ category.
The global health-monitoring body recommends that the annual average level of PM2.5 should not exceed 5 μg/m3, and the 24-hour average exposure should not be more than 15 μg/m3 for over 3-4 days in a row.
The PM2.5 pollutants are cancer-causing microparticles that enter a human’s bloodstream through the lungs. It is also known to cause severe heart diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and cognitive decline.
The air quality in Delhi has been falling since October. The AQI has further worsened now, owing to the smoke from firecrackers and from stubble burning, something that most commonly comes from Punjab and Haryana.
According to the state-run Punjab Remote Sensing Centre, the state on Monday recorded 1,251 farm fires. This tradition of burning crop residue occurs at the beginning of every winter, resulting in Delhi residents feeling the chokehold of the smog.
Notably, the AQI will likely remain in the “severe” zone until at least Thursday.
The smog and polluted AQI have led to authorities extending the order for all schools to switch to online classes. Offices have also been prompted to shift to “work-from-home” mode.
As winter begins to settle in a better manner, further drop in temperature only impacts the air quality negatively. Delhi’s minimum of 12.3°C is around normal for this time of the year.
Experts concerned on ‘public health emergency’
Health and climate experts have termed the ongoing air quality situation as a “public health emergency”, calling for replacing fossil fuels with clean energy solutions, news agency ANI reported. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) activated Stage-4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). This has led to restrictions being imposed on entry of diesel-powered truck and a halt on public construction projects.
Health experts, however, have argued that such measures are merely a temporary solution for a problem which needs deep and more systemic resolve.
According to the State of Global Air 2024 (SOGA) report, air pollution accounted for 8.1 million deaths globally, becoming the second most risk factor for death, including for children under the age of five.
