Choked! Delhi’s AQI falls to ‘very poor’ ahead of Diwali due to stubble burning

With days to Diwali, Delhi is grappling with air pollution as the air quality in the national capital has dropped to “very poor”. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 357 in parts of Delhi like Anand Vihar and Akshardham temple at 07:00.

According to a statement by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, the development comes amid an increase in stubble burning in some states of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

In view of the air pollution in the Delhi-NCR region, the Delhi government has launched the second phase of the Differentiated Response Action Plan (GRAP). According to GRAP 2, air quality is classified as: Stage I — “poor” (AQI 201-300); Stage II — “very bad” (AQI 301-400); Stage III — “severe” (AQI 401-450); and stage IV – “strong plus” (AQI above 450).

As pollution levels continue to remain high, toxic foam has been spotted on the Yamuna River in Kalinda Kunj.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) on Sunday announced that there will be water shortage in several parts of the national capital till November 1 due to high ammonia content in the Yamuna river.

“The raw water source for the 110 MGD (million gallons per day) Bhagirathi WTP and 140 MGD Sonia Vihar WTP is the Upper Ganga Canal, Muradnagar, Uttar Pradesh. In connection with the scheduled annual maintenance of the Upper Ganga Canal by the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department. from October 12 to October 31 at midnight on October 12, the channel was closed from Haridwar,” it said.

The water treatment plants (WTPs) are now dependent on the Yamuna as an alternative source of raw water till October 31. However, DJB vice-president Vijay Mishra claimed that the ammonia content in the Yamuna river was 0.9 parts per million (ppm), which is above the safe limit of 0.5 ppm for effective purification.

He added that the pollution of the Yamuna has led to a reduction in water production by 25-30 percent, which has seriously affected the water supply in Delhi. “Hence production at Bhagirathi and Sonia Vihar has been reduced to 30 per cent. Also, the production will depend entirely on the quality of the raw water in the Yamuna and the production at these plants will vary accordingly,” DJB noted.

The Jal Council also advised the residents of Delhi to store sufficient water in advance according to their needs and use it judiciously. In addition, water tankers will be available on request through Jal Board hotline or central control room.