Delhi: Amid 'poor' air quality, government issues 2nd pre-Diwali advisory
The Delhi government released a pre-Diwali advisory on Sunday, providing general guidelines, including "dos and don'ts," for people to follow during the festivities. This comes a day after it issued a similar advisory. This latest one addresses several health-related concerns as well. According to the latest data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi's air quality remained in the "poor" category on Sunday morning and is anticipated to deteriorate further.
Why does this story matter?
Delhi's air quality index (AQI) has been in "very poor" to "severe" air quality for two weeks, primarily due to lower temperatures and stubble burning in the nearby regions. The Delhi government introduced numerous anti-pollution measures, even announcing early winter breaks for schools to tackle the pollution crisis. Earlier this week, the Supreme Court (SC) slammed the Arvind Kejriwal administration for the rising air pollution and said that schemes like the odd-even rule were just "optics."
Advisory highlights do's and don'ts
The advisory asked people to avoid areas with high pollution, such as busy roads, industries, and construction zones. It discourages the use of firecrackers and the burning of wood, leaves, crop residues, and waste. The guidelines also recommend rinsing eyes with running water, regularly gargling with warm water, consuming a nutritious, balanced diet, and seeking medical advice in case of breathing difficulties or eye irritation. It also advised people to "practice wet mopping instead of sweeping inside homes and workplaces."
Delhi air quality index remains poor
On Sunday morning at 07:00am, the CPCB recorded an AQI of 266 in Anand Vihar and 241 in RK Puram. Similarly, the AQI in Punjabi Bagh was 233, while in the ITO area, it stood at 227. To ensure compliance with GRAP 4 regulations, officials are inspecting vehicles entering the national capital. Despite the SC's direction to the Punjab government to put an end to the practice of stubble burning, the state reported 104 farm fires on Saturday.
'Diya Jalao, Patakhe Nahi' campaign launched
The Delhi government also launched the "Diya Jalao, Patakhe nahi (light an earthen lamp not crackers)" campaign on Friday to address concerns about rising pollution levels after Diwali Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai stated, "Today, due to the rain and wind, pollution has reduced significantly. "People of nearby cities are requested to light lamps and distribute sweets during Diwali but not burst firecrackers. We want the pollution level to remain good even on the next day of Diwali."
