Delhi bans diesel gen-sets as GRAP kicks in; air quality very poor in several parts
New Delhi: The national capital banned generator sets, barring those being used in essential and emergency services, on Tuesday, as the air quality in several places in the city and adjoining areas slipped to "very poor" level.
The overall Air Quality Index in Dwarka Sector 8, Delhi Technological University, Mundka, Rohini, Anand Vihar, and Bawana was 359, 343, 342, 319, 313, and 307.
The overall AQI stood at 275 at 6.30 pm. The air quality in neighbouring Ghaziabad (316), Greater Noida (308) and Loni Dehat (307) also dipped to "very poor" level.
An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.
The ban on generators is a part of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), a set of stricter anti-pollution measures to be taken according to severity of pollution, that came into force on Tuesday.
This is the first time that the ban on gen-sets has been extended to NCR cities of Gurgaon, Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida, Faridabad, Sonepat, Panipat and Bahadurgarh.
The Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), in a report, said, "Delhi's overall air quality is in the higher end of the 'poor' category. It touched the 'very poor' category for a brief period on Monday night."
"Surface winds are slow and variable and the wind direction at the surface and transport height is south-southwesterly, which is not quite favourable for efficient transport of fire plumes towards Delhi. In this condition, drastic deterioration of air quality is not expected over the next two days," the report said.
The city's air quality index will fluctuate between the higher end of the "poor" category and the lower end of the "very poor" category, it predicted.
The India Metereological Department said the city's air quality is likely to improve due to changing weather conditions.
"A fresh Western Disturbance is likely to impact the Western Himalayan region from October 18. It is likely to enhance the wind speed which will help disperse pollutants," said Kuldeep Srivastava, a senior scientist at IMD.
SAFAR said stubble burning incidents in Haryana, Panjab, and nearby border regions have shown an increasing trend over the last 24 hours.
Data available on SAFAR's website showed the share of stubble burning in the PM 2.5 concentration in Delhi was 5 per pent on Tuesday. It is predicted to increase to 6 percent on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Delhi government wrote a letter to Union Earth Sciences Minister urging him to share SAFAR's technical expertise so that the city administration can take immediate corrective measures to curb air pollution.
In the letter to Harsh Vardhan, Delhi's Environment Minister Kailash Gehlot stressed that stubble burning in Delhi's neighbouring states during November has "always contributed significantly to higher PM2.5 levels in Delhi".
The assertion came a day after the Supreme Court-mandated Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority said that local sources of pollution in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are the primary reasons for poor air quality that plagues the national capital every winter.
The Delhi government also shared NASA satellite images that showed "large scale stubble burning" in adjoining states of Delhi.
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44 peacocks die of H5N1 in Karnataka’s Tumakuru; minister orders precautions
Bengaluru (PTI): After 44 peacocks died of the H5N1 virus in Tumakuru district, Karnataka Minister Eshwar Khandre on Saturday directed officials to implement strict precautionary measures to prevent its spread across forest areas, including zoos and bird sanctuaries.
The directive comes after laboratory reports from the ICAR–National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal recently confirmed H5N1 avian influenza as the cause of the deaths.
According to the state forest minister, the peacocks died between April 16 and 21 in and around Bommanahalli and Kolihalli villages in Urdigere hobli, and Bairasandra and Hullenahalli villages in Gulur hobli of Tumakuru district.
“In this context, instructions have been issued in line with the revised H5N1 Action Plan of the Central Government to prevent the spread of infection across all forest areas, including zoos, bird sanctuaries, Magadi Lake, and the community reserve at Kokkare Bellur,” Khandre said in a note addressed to the principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) and chief wildlife warden.
He also directed that any deaths of birds, whether migratory or local, must be reported immediately, and that samples from carcasses should be collected and sent for testing.
If required, a nodal officer may be appointed to monitor the situation across the state, he added.
Authorities have established an infected zone within a 0–3 km radius and a surveillance zone extending from 3 to 10 km.
According to the Health Department, surveillance for fever, Influenza-Like Illness (ILI), and Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) will be carried out over the next 10 days, covering a population of 20,432 across 38 villages.
In light of the situation, the department has advised the public to follow precautionary measures to minimise the risk of infection by avoiding contact with sick or dead birds and maintaining hand hygiene by washing hands frequently with soap and water.
It has also suggested the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) while handling birds or their droppings, and advised ensuring that poultry and eggs are thoroughly cooked (above 80 degrees celcius) before consumption.
The health department has also recommended avoiding close contact with individuals exhibiting symptoms of respiratory illness.
The department said it is closely monitoring the situation and has put necessary precautionary measures in place.
The public has been advised to remain vigilant and report any unusual bird deaths or symptoms promptly, officials added.
Avian influenza (H5N1) is a subtype of the influenza virus that infects birds and mammals, including humans in rare instances, according to the World Health Organisation. Human cases reported so far have been mostly linked to close contact with infected birds or other animals, or with contaminated environments.
