Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Thursday ordered blanket ban on all civil constructions across the city till Sunday as part of the emergency measures, which also include intensifying mechanical road sweeping.
Delhi continued to breathe in heavily polluted air as the air quality remained severely affected for the fourth consecutive day on Friday. Authorities, however, are hopeful that the situation will improve with strong winds expected to clear the stagnant air.
The PM10 level (presence of particles with diameter below 10 mm) was recorded at 754 in Delhi-NCR and 801 in Delhi, leading to hazy conditions. On the other hand, the PM2.5 level (presence of particles with diameter below 2.5 mm) that deteriorated from 'very poor' to 'severe', improved marginally at 184 in Delhi and 175 in Delhi NCR, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. The PM2.5 level in Delhi-NCR and Delhi was 268 and 277 respectively, on Thursday.
According to the CPCB, the air quality index (AQI), a measurement of the concentration of toxic particulate matter in air, at several places in Delhi remained over 500. The calculation table considers an AQI between 0-50 as good, 51-100 satisfactory, 101-200 moderate, 201-300 poor, 301-400 very poor and 401-500 severe.
As the national capital region struggles with severe dust pollution, Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Thursday ordered blanket ban on all civil constructions across the city till Sunday as part of the emergency measures, which also include intensifying mechanical road sweeping.
Strong winds are expected to clear the air, said Gufran Beig, a scientist at the Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research institute (SAFAR). "The air quality is expected to improve and clear the stagnated dusty air that has primarily led to the rise in the pollution level," he said. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said strong winds are expected to continue over the region.
"Strong dust raising winds of the order of 25-35 kmph likely to continue over Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi and west Uttar Pradesh during next 24 hours," the IMD said. Thunderstorms also likely to occur at isolated places over the city in coming days, bringing relief from dusty air.
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