At present, there is a blanket of fog in the sky in Delhi-NCR. Zero visibility is being recorded on the roads in the early morning, due to which the traffic has also slowed down. Long lines of vehicles can be seen on the roads. This smog has become a cause of trouble for the people. While people are troubled by problems like cough and eye irritation, on the other hand, there is little hope for them to get relief from pollution. Now Grape-3 has been implemented in Delhi-NCR. It remains to be seen to what extent Grape-3 provides relief?
Every year, plans are prepared on paper regarding pollution in Delhi. Big announcements are made to control pollution, but all of them prove to be a fallacy. When the month of November comes, Delhi is covered in a blanket of smoke. In the name of controlling pollution, Grap-1, Grap-2, Grap-3 and Grap-4 are then implemented, but no relief is provided. For four months only fog is visible in the sky.
There has been fog in Delhi-NCR for the last two days. Today CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board) has implemented Grape-3 after AQI crossed 400. In view of the increasing pollution, the Atishi government of Delhi has also taken a big step. It has been announced to close physical classes of primary (up to class 5) in all the schools of Delhi. Delhi Chief Minister Atishi said that due to increasing pollution levels, online classes will be conducted in all primary schools of Delhi till further instructions.
After the implementation of Grape-3, all vehicles from the states of Delhi-NCR except interstate buses, electric and CNG vehicles, BS-6 diesel buses and other vehicles are banned from entering Delhi. Along with this, there is a ban on construction and demolition of new buildings. Now water will be sprinkled daily on the major roads of Delhi, so that pollution can be reduced. After the implementation of Grape-3, there will be a ban on running of BS-3 petrol and BS-4 diesel vehicles in Delhi and Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddha Nagar districts.
Delhi's Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Thursday that if the situation regarding pollution worsens, more strict rules will be implemented. Gopal Rai blamed the decreasing wind speed and falling temperature for the worsening situation. Let us tell you that the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) said that on Thursday morning Delhi AQI was 428, which falls in the severe category. The worst AQI in the country was recorded in Delhi on Wednesday, which reached the severe category for the first time this season.
In Delhi, people have to face the brunt of pollution throughout the year, but by November the situation becomes worse. The festival of Diwali takes place around the velvety cold of November. Despite the ban on firecrackers, a lot of crackers are burst in Delhi. This cannot be stopped. On the other hand, in Haryana and Punjab, paddy harvesting is also in full swing during this season. Farmers burn the paddy straw in the field itself. Both of these come together with many factors and turn Delhi into a gas chamber in November.
The kind of smog that was prevalent in the last few years immediately after Diwali, this time there was no such smog immediately after Diwali. In such a situation, people heaved a sigh of relief, but after about 10 to 12 days suddenly a cloud of fog appeared in the sky, which raised lines of worry on people's foreheads. This time, the Air Quality Index (AQI) data of one week around Diwali shows that no significant effect of firecrackers was seen here. AQI remained around 300. The AQI reached near 400 in two days.
Last Wednesday, AQI reached above 450 in many areas of Delhi. Anand Vihar 466, Ashok Vihar 466, Jahangirpuri 465, Sonia Vihar 460, Vivek Vihar 459, Wazirpur 459 AQI was recorded. There was fog in the sky the whole day. Visibility became zero at Delhi airport, due to which many flights were affected. The routes of some flights were diverted. At present Delhi is dying due to pollution. Right now, there seems to be little hope of getting relief from this.
Meanwhile, the survey report of an organization named 'Local Circle' has scared us. The information that has come out in the survey report is shocking. According to the report, people living in Delhi-NCR are facing respiratory problems due to increasing pollution. According to this report, due to increasing pollution every third family has to buy cough syrup. About 13 percent people have bought inhaler or nebulizer.
