Delhi woke up to another smog-filled morning on Saturday with the air quality remaining in the ‘severe’ category, according to data by the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR). As per SAFAR data, Delhi’s air pollution rose to 46 per cent on Friday due to crop burning. Yesterday, the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) had declared a public health emergency in the Delhi-NCR region and banned construction activity till November 5. Delhi is also rolling out the odd-even scheme to cut vehicular pollution from Monday.
Severe cyclonic storm #MAHA over East Central Arabian Sea moved westwards and intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm at 1430 IST today over East Central Arabian Sea about 590 km WSW of Veraval (Gujarat), IMD reported.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of intense rain over five districts in Maharashtra -- Dhule, Beed, Ahmednagar, Satara and Kolhapur during the next four hours.
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The latest nowcast issued by the Met office suggest that these districts would experience thunderstorm activity accompanied by gusty winds and lightning in the coming few hours.
Gujarat and some northern districts of Maharashtra are bracing for cyclone Maha, which had intensified to Severe Cyclonic Storm and located at about 550kms away from Veraval and 580kms west-southwest of Diu in Gujarat by Sunday afternoon. Presently, it is moving at a speed of 130 - 140 kms/hr and gusting to 150kms/hr.
Though the cyclone is presently heading westwards or away from the Indian mainland, it is expected to recurve and head towards south Gujarat in the coming two days days.
Latest satellite images maintained by IMD indicate that the extreme outer bands of cyclone Maha lay close to the western coast of Gujarat ,which has caused clouding like situation over the State.
All government and private schools up till Class 12 in Ghaziabad, Noida and Greater Noida will remain closed on November 4 and 5 in the wake of spike in the pollution level, officials said on Sunday.
The administrations of Gautam Buddh Nagar and Ghaziabad said the decision has been taken as the levels of particulate matter 2.5 and 10 have been excessive in the air since Diwali, resulting in a major dip in the overall air quality. (PTI)
On the severe climatic condition in Delhi, CM Arvind Kejriwal said, " All scientists and experts are saying that pollution from stubble burning is coming to Delhi, due to which there is pollution everywhere. We don't want to do any blame game, there should be no politics at this stage. All governments should come together and discuss the issue." (ANI)
As a vast swathe of the North Indian plains gasp for breath and the search for a solution to the air quality problem is lost in the fog of allegations and fingerpointing by rival political parties, much of the blame has come to be placed on Punjab and the stubble-burning in the fields ahead of the rabi sowing season. This is the dominant accusation in the noisy and influential narrative emerging from the national capital in particular, amplified by the government of Delhi and voices in the media.
A public health emergency has been declared in the national capital due to the toxic smog choking its residents as the overall air quality index continued to remain in the “severe category” on Sunday. On Friday, a Supreme Court-mandated Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) ordered a complete ban on construction till 6 am Tuesday. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, on the other hand, ordered all schools in the city remain shut till November 5 and also distributed 50 lakh masks to students.
South Gujarat experienced the effects of Cyclone Maha in various parts in the past 24 hours. Surat, Navsari, Valsad, Dang and Tapi districts in the region received unseasonal rainfall and high-speed winds. The change in weather came on Friday night, as the temperature dipped and high-speed winds began blowing, bringing unseasonal rainfall with them. The rainfall that began on Friday night in Surat continued for a few hours on Saturday as well, inundating some areas of the city.
Wealthier households are able to avoid the outdoors, commute in air-conditioned vehicles, work in offices, and invest in air purifiers. Many of these luxuries are simply inaccessible for poor households. In other words, air pollution is likely to impact the poorest citizens the most. At the same time, given that these individuals are facing such high levels of indoor air pollution, handing out masks may not achieve much. Second, providing people with information about the detrimental health effects of air pollution increases the likelihood they will purchase a pollution mask. In our experiment, we offered pollution masks at various discounted prices. Even at a 50 per cent discount, less than 1 in 10 residents purchased a mask for Rs 50. However, people were more likely to purchase a mask if we showed them a simple, two-minute educational video about air pollution.
Delhi was enveloped in a thick layer of smog on Sunday morning with the minimum temperature settling at 18.7 degrees Celsius, four notches above the season's average. The day is forecast to remain generally cloudy with light rain or drizzle expected later on. The maximum temperature will be around 28 degrees Celsius, he said. The air seed was around three knots at 8.30 a.m., the official said, adding the visibility was poor due to the smog. Some respite is expected from the heavy pollution, with strong surface winds forecast in the daytime on Monday and Tuesday. (PTI)
Delhi’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) marginally improved Sunday after isolated showers in a few areas, but it still remained in the ‘severe’ category. The AQI stood at 410 at 9 am on Sunday, according to data by the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR). In adjoining Noida, major pollutants PM 2.5 and PM 10 stood at 486 and 459, both in the ‘severe’ category, in Sector-62, according to the National Air Quality Index (NAQI) data. Sectors-125, 1, and 116 were also in the ‘severe’ category.
Battered by three cyclones in five years — Phailin in 2013, Hudhud in 2014 and Titli in 2018 — south coastal Odisha’s Ganjam district is taking the next step in disaster management through Swayamsiddha, a scheme that aims to impart rural women with life-saving skills and information in the event of a natural calamity. Kumar, a member of the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), is training a batch of 50 women — all of them dressed in Swayamsiddha’s special uniform, green coats and caps — who have assembled at the Old Collectorate Building at Chattrapur block in Ganjam.
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