When the air quality in the Delhi-NCR approached the emergency level on Thursday, the government moved quickly to mitigate the health-threatening pollution, closing primary schools and prohibiting non-essential construction activities.
The concentration of PM2.5, a fine particulate matter that can enter the respiratory system deeply and cause health issues, surpassed the safe limit of 60 micrograms per cubic meter by a factor of seven to eight at several locations across the Delhi-NCR region as a thick and odorous haze covered the skyline.
A computer model-based method created by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune states that 25% of Delhi’s PM2.5 pollution on Thursday came from burning stubble. It may rise to 35% on Friday.
The Center’s pollution control panel issued an emergency suspension on non-essential building activities, stone crushing, and mining in the area due to the alarming increase in air pollution levels.
Additionally, there are restrictions on the use of four-wheelers with BS III gasoline and BS IV diesel in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Budh Nagar.
