Dwarka air quality worst on Day 1 of index

NEW DELHI: The air quality index launched by Ministry of Environment and Forests on Monday confirmed that piecemeal measures will not curb air pollution. Of the five stations monitored in Delhi, three recorded ‘poor’ air quality while data from the rest was insufficient to compute a report.
Dwarka recorded the worst air quality on Monday, with a ‘poor’ AQI of 251 on a scale of 500. Levels of NO2, CO, PM2.5 and SO2 touched moderate levels at least once a day.PM2.5, the deadliest respirable pollutant, peaked between 11pm and 1am and remained on the higher side till 8am. Dwarka had the highest PM2.5 levels among the five stations.
At Shadipur, the level of NO2 shot up to 249 around 8am while PM2.5 reached ‘very poor’ levels at 10pm and continued there till 8am. IHBAS in Dilshad Garden, the third location with a ‘poor’ AQI, saw PM2.5 climb to ‘very poor’ levels between 10pm and 2am and then again between 7am and 9am.
The AQI confirms that Delhi is dealing with an extremely unhealthy level of PM2.5 while ozone is threatening to get out of hand as the summer sets in. The high levels of PM2.5 are worrying as it can lodge inside lungs and have severe health effects. It is emitted by vehicles, power plants and burning of organic matter, among other processes.
While experts welcomed the launch of the AQI, they said the government needs to draw up a road map to deal with the pollution. “It is good that the government is finally taking ownership of air quality data and informing people of the possible health consequences but it needs to draw up a contingency plan to deal with days when pollution levels remain consistently high,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, Centre for Science and Environment. “The results shown by the AQI on Monday were not surprising since Delhi already has another AQI system in place under Delhi Pollution Control Committee. The government needs to integrate the two systems and will have a very good network at its disposal.”
Randeep Guleria, head of the department of pulmonary medicine at AIIMS, said the AQI should help the government decide what measures are needed to deal with pollution levels on “bad” days.
By knowing the likely pollution levels in advance, the government can take steps to inform people and prepare accordingly, Guleria said. “With this data, the government has to draw up a long-term strategy, specifically to spread awareness among people. Right now, it seems that the public is not particularly aware of how it is contributing to rising pollution levels and its participation is needed if the levels need to be brought down.”
Aishwarya Madineni, a Greenpeace campaigner, said, “Our air quality survey conducted inside schools across Delhi revealed that schoolchildren are consistently being exposed to unacceptable levels of pollution. Delhi is facing a public health emergency and an Air Quality Index needs to be matched with actionable plans to bring down the pollution levels, with a health advisory at the very least.” She said Beijing uses its AQI not merely to say how bad the air is but to ensure that immediate action is taken to minimize the health impact on the public.