New Delhi's Air Quality Index Hits 379, Rated 'Very Poor,' on November 4 as Stage II Emergency Measures Take Effect Before Diwali
NEW DELHI — Air quality in India's capital continued to deteriorate on the morning of November 4, with data from India's Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) putting the city's 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) at 379 at 9 a.m., in the "very poor" category (301 to 400), while several districts had already reached the "severe" level (above 400).
The CPCB's daily bulletin put New Delhi's 24-hour average AQI at 350 at 4 p.m. on November 3, up from 324 the day before. Several areas of the city, including ITO, Dwarka, Rohini, Punjabi Bagh, Alipur, Bawana and Jahangirpuri, were at "severe" levels on the morning of November 4. The central government's Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi expects overall air quality to remain "very poor" for three days. The Commission for Air Quality Management activated Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan on November 2.
Diwali falls on November 8, and fireworks are expected to push pollution higher. India's Supreme Court on November 2 allowed the manufacture, sale and use of certified green firecrackers in Delhi and neighbouring areas for a limited period: they may be set off only between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. and between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. on November 7 and 8, and fireworks are banned within 300 metres of hospitals, care homes, schools and other designated silence zones.
A survey of more than 38,000 residents of the Delhi National Capital Region found that over half of parents surveyed want schools across the region to stay closed from November 10 to 15 to avoid the post-Diwali pollution peak; that is a parental demand, and any school closure is subject to a decision by the local authorities.
Source: Central Pollution Control Board of India
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图片来源：印度北部上空雾霾卫星图（资料图），美国国家海洋和大气管理局（NOAA），公共领域（Wikimedia Commons）
