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If you woke up in <keyword id="19900881" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="delhi" source="keywords">Delhi</keyword> recently, you might have noticed more than just the nip in the air – a thick, toxic smog has blanketed the city, turning the air almost unbreathable. On Monday, Delhi’s <keyword id="19920379" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="air-quality-index" source="keywords">Air Quality Index</keyword> (<keyword id="19916482" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="aqi" source="keywords">AQI</keyword>) hit 481, placing it in the "severe plus" category. For context, the “severe” category begins at an AQI of 401, and anything above 450 poses serious health risks even for healthy individuals. According to Swiss group IQAir’s live rankings, Delhi is currently the most polluted city in the world, with an air quality score of 1,081 – a “hazardous” level that is 130.9 times the World Health Organization’s recommended limit for PM2.5. <h3 style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:14pt;margin-bottom:4pt;">Major contributors to Delhi’s smog</h3>The root causes of Delhi’s pollution are manifold: <ul><li>Stubble Burning: On Saturday, crop residue burning contributed 25% of Delhi’s air pollution. By Sunday, this figure had climbed to 40%, according to SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research). Satellites recorded 1,334 stubble-burning incidents in six northern states on Sunday alone, the highest number in four days.</li><li>Vehicles: On Sunday, vehicular emissions accounted for 15.8% of the city’s pollution, according to the Centre’s Decision Support System for Air Quality Management.</li><li>Construction Dust and Industrial Emissions: PM2.5, a deadly pollutant, remains the most prominent factor, capable of penetrating deep into the lungs and leading to severe respiratory and cardiac diseases.</li></ul><h3 style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:14pt;margin-bottom:4pt;"><keyword id="24020184" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="GRAP-Stage-4" source="keywords">GRAP Stage 4</keyword></h3>To combat the rising pollution levels, authorities have enforced Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). Here’s a breakdown of the restrictions: <ul><li>Vehicle Restrictions:</li><ul><li>Diesel medium and heavy goods vehicles (BS-IV and below) registered in Delhi are banned unless carrying essential goods.</li><li>Non-essential light commercial vehicles from outside Delhi can only enter if they use CNG, BS-VI diesel, or are electric.</li><li>Trucks carrying non-essential items are barred unless they use cleaner fuels like LNG, CNG, or BS-VI diesel. </li></ul><li>Workplace and School Adjustments:</li><ul><li>Classes for students in grades 6 to 9 and class 11 have moved online.</li><li>Offices in the National Capital Region (NCR) are advised to work at 50% capacity, with the rest operating remotely. </li></ul><li>Construction Ban: </li><ul><li>Construction and demolition (C&amp;D) activities have been halted, including large projects like highways, flyovers, and pipelines. </li></ul></ul>Out of Delhi’s 40 monitoring stations, 32 reported AQI levels above 400 on Monday. Visibility in parts of the city dropped to just 100 metres due to the thick smog. The health implications of these numbers are alarming. <keyword id="20118319" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="PM2-5-levels" source="keywords">PM2.5 levels</keyword> in Delhi were recorded at 130.9 times the safe limit set by the WHO. According to experts, long-term exposure to such air quality could lead to an 11% increase in premature mortality rates due to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Studies have shown that Delhi residents may lose an average of 10 years of life expectancy if pollution levels persist. Despite the restrictions, life in Delhi continues under a cloud of smog. Iconic landmarks like India Gate have become barely visible through the haze. While flights and trains are operational, some delays have been reported.

GRAP Stage 4 restrictions take effect as air quality in Delhi deteriorates; PM2.5 levels 130 times higher than WHO limits

Shocking images of India's national capital Delhi breathing toxic air that is equal to smoking 33 cigarettes a day

<ul><li>With winter coming, the air quality in major Indian cities like Delhi, Chennai, Bombay and Bangalore is only set to get worse.</li><li>Mobile apps can't clean up the air but can help your better prepare for the deteriorating air quality.</li><li>One size does not fit all, so each app has a unique characteristic that could make it perfect for your requirement.</li></ul> Air pollution isn’t just something that we read about in school and can ignore as we go about our lives. Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai measure ‘severe’ on the Air Quality Index (AQI) as winter starts to kick in. However, a number of mobile applications allow users to monitor the level of air pollution in their immediate area. It doesn’t make the air cleaner but it can help prepare for what’s in store — like when you wear a mask out of the house, guilt trip you into using public transport instead of the car, or maybe invest in air purifier so that it’s at least to safe breather inside the house. These apps don’t actually measure the air quality that’s immediately around you but uses data feeds from monitoring stations to tell you what the air is like in your area. Here are some fun apps you can download on your phone to track air quality in your area on a daily basis:

Before you breathe, use these apps to check if the air is clean enough

<ul><li>The <keyword id="6354977" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Supreme-Court">Supreme Court</keyword> in a verdict blamed disappearance of Aravalli Hills as one of reasons for rising pollution in Delhi. </li><li>31 out of 128 Aravalli hills in <keyword id="6355588" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="rajasthan">Rajasthan</keyword> have disappeared due to <keyword id="6367140" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="illegal-mining">illegal mining</keyword> activities. </li><li>The negligence of the Rajasthan government has led to severe environmental consequences. </li></ul>The Supreme Court have discovered one more reason for deteriorating air quality in New Delhi. The <a href="https://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/shocking-human-activity-is-making-entire-hills-in-the-aravallis-disappear-with-disastrous-long-term-consequences/1360378/">unrestrained mining activities by real estate firms have caused much damage to Aravalli Hills</a> in Rajasthan. In fact, 31 out of 128 hills in the range have already disappeared and the number is only increasing. Rajasthan government has been held responsible for not keeping a check on illegal mining activities being performed in 115.34 hectare area of the range. The court has instructed the state to take immediate steps to restrict these activities within 48 hours. The state government was getting a royalty of ₹5,000 crore against illegal mining activities conducted on the hilly area. Aravalli Hills have been playing a crucial role in balancing the climate of Indus-Ganga plain in Northern India. Many climatic factors like rainfall, and soil conservation are dependent on the old mountain range. Inching sand dunes towards National Capital Region <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/how-shrinking-aravalis-opened-giant-gateway-for-dust-pollution-in-delhi-ncr/articleshow/65816163.cms">Sand dunes are approaching National capital region</a> through the Harchandpur village, Sohna which is merely 20 km from Gurgaon and 60 km, revealed a study by Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in 2017. The Aravallis in Rajasthan and Haryana used keep the velocity of wind in check, but because of the mining activity the wind pattern is getting directed towards the plateau and that contains a lot of sand and dust. Limited seasonal rain Earlier, the hills accelerate seasonal rainfall in the nearby areas. The degradation in hills along with changing land patterns and weather exploitation has decreased the amount of seasonal rainfall to minimal. As a consequence, the mining activities are transforming land in barren desserts. Decline in number of rainy days To much surprise, the damage is not only accelerating the pollution level but it is also decreasing the number of rainy days from 60 to 80 days to 18-30 days which is constantly affecting monsoon patterns in North India.

Here’s how the vanishing Aravalli hills in Rajasthan are affecting air quality in Delhi

<keyword id="53848" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Air-quality" source="Orion">Air quality</keyword> across Delhi continued to be in the 'very poor' category with AQI at 324. "With severe air quality and high level of pollution in Delhi-NCR, we are observing an increase in number of patients coming to us with complains of redness, Itching, and watering in the eyes," said Dr Ikeda Lal, Cornea and Refractory Surgery Specialist, at Delhi Eye Centre and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital New Delhi. "Patients with pre-existing dry eyes are experiencing exacerbation due to high pollution. We are observing almost increase of 40 rise in number of patients coming to us with eye related problems," he added. Dr Lal explained that pollutants and dust in the air is one of the major reasons for causing eye allergy and eye related problem. Delhi has been witnessing a steep increase in AQI levels after a marginal improvement on Sunday. The city's AQI stood at 348 at 4 pm on Monday, deteriorating from 301 on Sunday. The increase in AQI levels comes after the Centre on Saturday had removed stringent curbs, including a ban on construction work related to linear projects and the entry of polluting trucks, in Delhi following a drop in pollution levels due to favourable wind speed and direction. "The increase in the incidence of dry eye and ocular allergy is causing discomfort even in normal eyes. It aggravates the eye complaints in eyes that are prone to dryness and allergies. If care is not taken immediately, some of these eyes can have reduced vision due to this problem as well," said Dr Rajesh Sinha, Professor of Ophthalmology at RP Centre AIIMS New Delhi. While lubricating eye drops and the use of sunglasses are helpful options, contact lenses and eye makeup should be avoided until the eyes are healed completely, Dr Lal said. Doctors advised to not rub eyes if they itch, wash eyes with clean water; repeat if it still feels uncomfortable. They suggested that cold compresses can help relieve mild itching and to see an eye doctor as soon as possible and avoid prolonged exposure of eyes to pollution.

You Searched For "air quality in delhi" and got 5 results

GRAP Stage 4 restrictions take effect as air quality in Delhi deteriorates; PM2.5 levels 130 times higher than WHO limits

BI India Bureau

Shocking images of India's national capital Delhi breathing toxic air that is equal to smoking 33 cigarettes a day

Before you breathe, use these apps to check if the air is clean enough

Prabhjote Gill

Here’s how the vanishing Aravalli hills in Rajasthan are affecting air quality in Delhi

BI India Bureau

40% rise in eye related problems due to pollution, say Delhi doctors

IANS

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