Dust storms aggravate air to hazardous level

| | NEW DELHI
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Dust storms aggravate air to hazardous level

Tuesday, 14 May 2019 | Staff Reporter | NEW DELHI

Freaky weather condition prevailing in the national Capital has caused rare summer air pollution as dust storms and heat over northern belt of Indo-Gangetic plains took pollutant levels to hazardous level.  

Delhi, the national Capital of India has already been tagged the world’s most polluted city internationally due to emission of toxic fumes and agricultural smoke and factory waste during winter season, however uncommon in summer months.

According to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), a unit of Ministry of Earth Science (MoES), Moisture incursion from Arabian Sea is ongoing and leading to increase thunder storm activities in North - West region of India. 

On Monday, the air quality index marked “Red” indicating severely polluted air. As per the readings on Air Quality Index (AQI)- level of Particulate Matter  10 was recorded 379 Micro Cubic per gram (µgm-3) whereas PM 2.5 was recorded  at 154 µgm-3

Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) official said, “We are in the season of thunderstorm. High speed winds are raising a lot of dust, there are possibilities of rains in Delhi -National Capital Region  (NCR),” said MeT official in a statement. 

Meanwhile SAFAR in its overall air quality forecast mentioned that overall air quality over Delhi is in “Very Poor” category. “Due to the recurrent western disturbances the region is prone to convective activity in next three -four days.”

The thunder storms with gusty winds can lead to sudden peaking of dust on isolated places for brief period of time in North West India including Delhi,” SAFAR highlighted in graph.

For Delhi, the pollution monitoring agency said that Delhi air quality will slowly improve but will remain in very poor category, “It is predicted to improve to poor category by May16th.”

Indian cities made up 14 of the world’s 15 most polluted cities in a UN survey released in 2018. Air pollution contributes to hundreds of thousands of premature deaths each year in India, according to the United Nations. The Delhi region has been often described as a gas chamber.

 

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