Air quality in India’s capital, Delhi, has turned poor for the first time this season.
The air quality index reached 245 on Wednesday.
Authorities have begun the first stage of an emergency pollution plan.
Experts blame cold nights, light winds, farm fires and festival emissions.
Forecasts say the air will stay poor in the coming days.
Stage I focuses on dust and waste, with road cleaning, water sprinkling, construction dust control and action against open waste burning, according to NewsDrum and Aryan Age.
Coal use in hotel and restaurant tandoors is restricted, and diesel generators are permitted only in emergencies, according to the reports.
Entry of intercity and interstate buses from several northern states is banned if they do not meet BS-VI norms and do not run on electricity or compressed natural gas, according to Outlook India.
Public transport has been expanded, including extra CNG and electric buses, and the Delhi Metro added 20 weekday trips from Thursday, according to the same report.
Delhi Traffic Police urged commuters to use public transport or carpool and reminded motorists to keep valid Pollution Under Control certificates.
Skymet’s Mahesh Palawat cited falling night temperatures and light winds, which trap traffic, industrial and dust emissions, according to Outlook India.
Envirocatalyst’s Sunil Dahiya pointed to slow north-westerly winds carrying farm fire smoke and festive emissions, according to the same report.
Firecrackers and Ravana effigy burning on Dussehra contributed, according to Outlook India.
Stubble burning contributed an estimated 3.9% of Delhi’s PM2.5 on Wednesday, and the Decision Support System projects 7.4% on Thursday, 15.9% on Friday and 4.1% on Saturday, according to the report.
On Friday, October 23, the reading at 8 am was 223, in the poor category, according to Asianet News, with Bawana at 275 and Patparganj at 298.
The India Meteorological Department and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology forecast that the AQI will stay in the poor range in the coming days, according to Outlook India.
Air pollution in Delhi (file image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
