Delhi pollution: Air quality remains in 'severe' category

-

Air quality in New Delhi continued to remain in the ‘severe’ category as a thick layer of smoke and haze engulfed the city on Saturday.

Early on Saturday, Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 413 (severe category), data from the Central Pollution Control Board showed.

The national capital’s air quality plunged to 468 on Friday from 392 on Thursday owing to northwesterly winds that carry pollutants from the stubble fire from nearby states.

An AQI between O 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 and above 500, it is hazardous.

Delhi LG holds emergency meeting

Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena held a meeting with Environment Minister Gopal Rai amid severe air pollution in the city on Friday, in which a decision was taken to appeal neighbouring states, particularly Punjab, to check paddy stubble burning.

The government will also adopt interim measures like issuing advisories by the Environment department asking people, especially children and the elderly, to take extra care and remain indoors as far as possible, preparedness by the Health Department and optimal use of mechanised road sweepers, water sprinklers and anti-smog guns.

The strict implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) on the ground was also decided in the same meeting.

“It was decided to appeal to the neighbouring states, especially Punjab, which accounted for 1,921 (71.57 per cent) incidents of parali (stubble) burning out of a total of 2,684 such events on November 1, to curtail crop residue burning by incentivising farmers so that the resultant smoke in the region could be checked,” said the statement.



from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/cEeKL5Y
Ayndrila Banerjee

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Both COVID-19 vaccine doses needed for good protection against B16172 variant

-
It’s been a concerning few weeks in the UK, with the B16172 variant first taking hold and then spreading to become dominant. This more infectious form of the virus, initially identified in India, is what we’re now going to have to live with – unless it is out-competed by another variant in the future. Worryingly, experts had predicted that B16172 might be able to escape some of the effects of vaccines, which if true would threaten to derail the UK’s plans to finish lifting restrictions from the end of June. However, Public Health England (PHE) has looked at the ability of various variants to evade immunity and says that the UK’s vaccines remain effective against the variants circulating, including B16172. On the surface, this looks like good news. But delve a bit deeper, and things get more complicated, says Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia. PHE’s research found a little drop-off in protection against B16172 among people who were fully vaccinated.
Read more

New coronavirus variant emerge in India: How should our COVID response change?

-
Image
After genome sequencing of over 10,000 COVID-19 cases in India, researchers have discovered a new variant with two new mutations which may be better at evading the immune system. In 15-20 percent of samples from the Indian state of Maharashtra (the state accounting for 62 percent of cases in the country) a new, double mutation in key areas of the virus has been detected. These are now known as the E484Q and L452R mutations. What makes the variant different? Both these mutations are concerning because they are located in a key portion of the virus – the spike protein – that it uses to penetrate human cells. Spike proteins attach via a “receptor binding domain”, meaning the virus can attach to receptors in our cells. These new mutations include changes to the spike protein that make it a “better fit” for human cells. This means the virus can gain entry more easily and multiply faster. Given what we have seen with other similar mutations , it might also make it harder for our immu
Read more

120 flights delayed, 30 trains running late; Delhi fog & cold wave continue to give shiver to travellers

-
Arrival and departure of 120 flights, both domestic and international, to Delhi airport were affected due to dense fog and cold wave conditions on Wednesday, according to Delhi Airport FIDS (Flight Information Display System). As per the Delhi Airport FIDS, a total of 53 flights, including 21 domestic arrivals, 16 domestic departures, 13 international departures and three international arrivals scheduled are cancelled and not operating due to fog and other operational reasons from and to Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in the national capital on 17 January. #WATCH | Delhi: Several flight operations delayed at IGI airport due to low visibility amid fog. pic.twitter.com/hG1DUKllEt — ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2024 Visuals from the Delhi airport showed passengers waiting outside, checking update of their scheduled flights. There were also some people waiting for flight of their families, friends and loved ones to arrive, which got delayed due to fog. #WATCH | Delhi | Pas
Read more