Many parts of the country including Delhi are in the grip of air pollution these days. The air in and around the capital has become suffocating. Due to this people are facing many health problems. All measures to control pollution are proving inadequate, which is a matter of great concern. Let us know about the situation of pollution in the country and various facts related to it these days…
Winter is yet to begin in Delhi, even before that the city has been engulfed by smog. Here, air pollution is becoming worse with each passing day. The situation in Delhi has become suffocating due to toxic substances dissolved in the air. On the 3rd of this month the air quality index here crossed 400. At many places it was measured close to 500. The AQI of the capital was 468 on November 3, 415 on November 4 and 454 on November 5.
Talking about PM 2.5, on November 2, at many places the concentration of PM 2.5 exceeded the safe limit of 60 micrograms per cubic meter by more than seven times. Similar situation prevailed in the areas around Delhi also. According to the data released by the Central Pollution Control Board on November 2, 2023, pollution reached emergency level in Fatehabad, Greater Noida, Hanumangarh, Hisar and Jind and there too the AQI remained beyond 400. Due to this, it has become difficult for the people here to even breathe. Along with shortness of breath, people are facing many other problems like dry cough, throat infection etc. Due to poisonous air, the situation has become very serious for patients, elderly and children.
Delhi’s air has been the most polluted in the last five years
Not only this month, pollution in Delhi has reached a critical level, but even during October, the level of pollution here remained many times higher than the national and international standards. Data from climate-tech startup Respir Living Sciences shows that in the last five years, this time in the month of October, the level of PM 2.5 in Delhi was the highest in the country. If we compare October last year with October this year, pollution was 4.4 percent more this year. The average level of PM 2.5 in Delhi, which was recorded at 109.1 micrograms per cubic meter in October 2022, increased to 113.9 micrograms cubic meter in October this year. Paying attention to the data shows that in October 2023, while the pollution in the capital was seven and a half times more than the standards set by the World Health Organization, it was also 3.7 times more than the ‘safe’ limit set by the Central Pollution Control Board.
restrictions imposed in the capital
The situation due to pollution has become so serious that primary schools in Delhi have had to be closed. Several restrictions have also been imposed to improve air quality, including a ban on plying of BS-3 petrol and BS-4 diesel cars, including non-essential construction activities, in Delhi and its surrounding areas. Other prohibited activities include demolition works, loading and unloading of construction material anywhere within or outside the project sites, shifting of raw materials, movement of vehicles on unpaved roads, drainage works and laying of electrical cables, tiles, stones and Other work includes cutting and fixing flooring materials, waterproofing work, painting, polishing and varnishing work, road construction/repair work including paving of footpaths/walkways etc.
Due to smog in Delhi and its surrounding areas
In the last few years, Delhi and its surrounding areas have generally been wrapped in a blanket of smog during the winter season. Burning of crop residues by farmers, smoke from vehicles and emissions from factories combine to cover Delhi and its surrounding areas with smog during the winter season. But this time such a situation has arisen just now (before winter arrives). In fact, in this winter planting season, there has been a sharp increase in the last 10-15 days in the incidents of farmers burning crop residues (straw or straw) in the fields in Delhi’s neighboring states – Haryana and Punjab. . Due to the pollutants emanating from these reaching Delhi with the air and the drop in temperature, the air of the capital has become extremely polluted. Other factors responsible for pollution in the city include car emissions, construction activities, burning of garbage in waste plants and adverse meteorological conditions.
PM 2.5 levels increased in these cities
Analysis by Respir Living Sciences shows that apart from Delhi, the level of pollution (PM 2.5) in these three major cities of the country – Mumbai, Hyderabad and Kolkata – has also increased in October 2022 compared to the same period in 2023.
Most polluted cities of the country (6th November, 4.30 pm)
city aqi
hisar 378
New Delhi 331
Panipat 325
Bhiwadi 324
Faridabad 323
sirsa 322
Rohtak 316
Gurgaon 307
Source: AQI.in
World’s most polluted cities (except Delhi) (November 6, 4.15 pm)
city aqi
Lahore, Pakistan 238
Karachi, Pakistan 181
Kolkata, India 162
Mumbai, India 156
Dhaka, Bangladesh 156
Tashkent, Uzbekistan 152
Source: acuair.com
Pollution levels in Mumbai were recorded 42.1 percent higher this October compared to the same period last year.
A 40.2 percent increase was seen in pollution levels in Kolkata.
Pollution levels in Hyderabad increased by 18.6 percent.
Economic effects of air pollution in India
17 lakh deaths occurred due to air pollution in 2019, which was 18 percent of the total deaths in the country. This resulted in loss of 38 lakh mandays.
Deaths from indoor air pollution decreased by 64 percent between 1990 and 2019, while deaths from outdoor pollution increased by 115 percent during this period.
36.8 billion dollars, or 1.4 percent of GDP was lost in 2019 due to deaths and diseases caused by pollution.
The GDP of the states of North India and Central India suffered the most loss. The highest losses were incurred by Uttar Pradesh (2.2 percent) and Bihar (2.0 percent).
Source: Lancet Planetary Health Report published in December, 2020
What is particulate matter?
Particulate matter, also known as particle pollution, is a combination of extremely small particles and liquid droplets found in the air. Acids like nitrate and sulphate, organic chemicals, metals, dust particles, pollen etc. combine to form these particles. These particles are up to 30 times finer than our hair and can be seen only through a microscope. Their excessive presence in the air has a direct impact on our health. Particulate matter ten micrometers in diameter or smaller reaches our bloodstream directly through the throat and nose and causes damage to the heart and lungs. Particulate matter is mainly divided into two parts. PM 10 or inhalable particles and PM 2.5 or fine particles.
PM 10: These particles are larger than 2.5 micrometers and smaller than 10 micrometers in diameter. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the normal level of PM 10 is 100 micrograms per cubic metre.
PM 2.5: These particles are 2.5 micrometers or smaller in diameter. The normal level of PM 2.5 is 60 micrograms per cubic metre, according to CPCB.
What is air quality index?
Air Quality Index, i.e. AQI is an index measuring air quality on a daily basis. It is a measure of how air pollution affects one’s health within a short period of time. The higher the value of this index, the higher the level of air pollution and the greater the health concerns.
air quality index category
Six categories have been created to measure air quality, on the basis of which it is known whether the air of a particular place is safe or unsafe.
Good (0-50): Minimal impact
Satisfactory (51-100): May cause minor difficulty in breathing in sensitive people.
Moderately polluted (101-200): Patients suffering from asthma may have difficulty in breathing. Heart patients, children and adults may also have difficulty breathing in such air.
Poor (201-300): Prolonged exposure to air may cause difficulty in breathing and may cause discomfort to heart patients.
Very poor (301-400): People are likely to develop respiratory disease if exposed to the air for a long time. Problems of lung and heart patients may increase significantly.
Severe (401-500): This condition can cause respiratory problems even in healthy people and serious health problems in lung/heart patients.