Odd-Even phase II: Crop burning, forest fires in other states led to spike in pollution levels during, says CSE Study

According to the report, there was a distinct and sudden spike after April 23. PM 2.5 levels increased by as much as 92 per cent and NO2 by 47 per cent.

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The Air Quality Index (AQI) for cities such as Delhi, Faridabad, Agra and Lucknow shows an overall increase in PM 2.5 after April 26. Within a day, the AQI worsened by 22 to 20 per cent in these cities while Delhi’s AQI worsened by 16 per cent.

Based on NASA satellite imagery, the CSE report points to a significant rise in crop burning in Punjab and Haryana that caused a spike in pollutants despite increase in wind speed. The report also attributes the spike in pollutants in part to the Uttarakhand forest fires.

“The CSE investigation was triggered by widespread media reportage on the findings of India Spend — that PM 2.5 had increased by 23 per cent and PM 10 by 22 per cent — when compared to the previous fortnight,” states the report.

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