Clear, blue skies Delhi, air quality improves further
New Delhi (PTI): Delhiites woke up to clear, blue skies and abundant sunshine on Saturday, marking a welcome relief from the suffocating haze that persisted for around two weeks.
At 7 am, the capital's air quality index (AQI) stood at 219, which is a marked improvement compared to Thursday's 24-hour average AQI of 437.
The notable improvement is attributable to intermittent rain over the last 30-32 hours and wind speed favourable for the dispersion of pollutants. The city experienced "very poor" to "severe" air quality for two weeks starting October 28.
Neighboring Gurugram (181), Ghaziabad (157), Greater Noida (131), Noida (148) and Faridabad (174) also recorded a significant improvement in air quality.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", 401 and 450 "severe" and above 450 "severe plus".
The IMD had earlier predicted a marginal improvement in the air quality just ahead of Diwali, owing to favourable meteorological conditions, including light rain, under the influence of a western disturbance.
The western disturbance led to rain over most parts of northwest India, including Punjab and Haryana, effectively reducing the contribution of smoke from stubble burning to Delhi's air pollution.
Once the western disturbance passes, the wind speed will increase to around 15 kilometres per hour on November 11 (Saturday) which will help disperse pollutants ahead of Diwali (November 12), an IMD official said earlier.
Last year, a decrease in stubble-burning incidents, delayed spells of rain, favourable meteorological conditions, and an early Diwali prevented the national capital from turning into a gas chamber following the festival of lights.
According to data from the Decision Support System, a numerical model-based framework capable of identifying the sources of particulate matter pollution in Delhi, stubble burning in the neighbouring states, particularly Punjab and Haryana, accounted for 38 per cent of the air pollution in the city on Wednesday. It was 33 per cent on Thursday and 17 per cent on Friday.
VIDEO | Air quality in Delhi-NCR improves further. Visuals from ITO.#DelhiAirQuality pic.twitter.com/LJdzYoMMFn
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 11, 2023
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Shivamogga tense after boy murdered outside school
Shivamogga (PTI): A 16-year-old boy was murdered outside a government school in Sulaebailu here, sparking tension in the area, police said on Tuesday.
Following the incident, a large police force was deployed in the city.
The incident occurred after Sanketh (16), an SSLC student of the Government High School at Uragadooru, attended a special class ahead of examinations.
Superintendent of Police Nikhil B told reporters that Sanketh intervened in an argument involving a group of boys outside his school.
“Some friends who were known to him — they had earlier studied in the same school — were involved. They are also minors. They hit him with their hands. Immediately after being struck, he collapsed. After he fell, by the time he was taken to the hospital, we came to know that he had died,”
"... he was struck near the chest. Due to that blow, he collapsed on the spot,” the SP said.
Two minors have been taken into custody in this connection.
“We are also gathering information about others involved in the incident. Whoever is found to be involved, we will initiate legal action against them as well,” the official added.
On the possible motive, the SP said the exact cause is yet to be ascertained.
“We do not have complete information about that. Once we conduct a detailed inquiry, we will know. Some people are saying it may have been over a trivial matter. However, we cannot confirm that at this stage,” he said.
The incident took on a communal undertone, prompting authorities to deploy heavy police reinforcements across the city to maintain order and prevent escalation.
BJP MLA from Shivamogga, S N Channabasappa, also visited the hospital.
