Air pollution in the Indian capital New Delhi reached “unhealthy” levels on Monday, according to government figures, as the city braces for more toxic air during the coming festive season.
Pollution levels in Delhi spike around Diwali, the festival of lights, that also marks the beginning of winter season in the northern plains bringing down temperatures and winds.
Delhi’s AQI turned “poor” and “severe” with the Anand Vihar station recorded 420 AQI early morning on Monday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board, the country’s top environmental watchdog.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor” and 401 and 500 “severe”.
The PM 2.5 concentration in the city was 74 microns per cubic metre — nearly 15 times the safety limits of particulate matter (PM) 2.5 of the World Health Organisation, as per the IQAir — a Swiss air quality technology company that analyses global air quality data.
Fine PM 2.5 particles penetrate deep into lungs and into the bloodstream and are blamed for chronic respiratory and cardiac diseases.
The WHO in its revised guideline considers five micrograms per cubic metre as the safe level of exposure of particulate pollution.
Air monitoring website World Air Quality Index, a non-profit initiative that promotes air pollution awareness, put the toxicity levels in the capital city at hazardous levels with an AQI of 749 early in the morning.
New Delhi, home to 20 million residents, suffers from air pollution throughout the year but toxic air levels surge during winter, when winds push the smoke from farmlands into the city and shroud it under a blanket of smog.
It was ranked as the world's most polluted capital cities earlier this year.
Authorities at the weekend asked the agencies to implement measures under the Graded Response Action Plan — a set of anti-air pollution measures to be followed in the capital.
Under the plan, the unregistered construction and demolition activities at sites have been advised to stop, while mechanised sweeping of roads and water sprinkling will be done.
Heavy fines will also be imposed for violation of the curbs on open burning of biomass and municipal solid waste.
Delhi’s chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had last month announced these measures to tackle air pollution.
Mr Kejriwal and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government blame stubble burning in neighbouring Punjab state for the pollution.
Despite a ban on stubble burning more than 51,000 cases have been reported in Punjab in the past 10 days.
Experts have said emissions from vehicles are the biggest contributor to particulate pollution in the capital.
Vehicle emissions contributed up to 53 per cent to the city’s pollution between October and November last year, according to figures.
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The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
