National
Delhi air may worsen further on Friday, respite likely next week
New Delhi, Nov 9 (IANS) Even as an “emergency” under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) was officially imposed in Delhi-NCR on Thursday and the Delhi government announced the third phase of the odd-even traffic rule from November 13, a change in the wind direction is set to add further ‘poison’ to the national capital’s air on Friday, officials said.
Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gehlot announced the third phase of the odd-even scheme from November 13 to 17.
However, according to the members of the Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution Prevention and Control Authority (EPCA), November 13 is too late as the “emergency or severe-plus” category under GRAP calls for immediate implementation of the odd-even car rationing scheme.
“We had been telling them (Delhi government) to stay ready since last week and even during Tuesday’s EPCA meeting… The Delhi government said it was prepared to roll out the odd-even right away… Now they are saying they can roll it out only on Monday (November 13). This won’t help much,” CPCB Member Secretary and EPCA Member A. Sudhakar told IANS.
The “emergency” or “severe-plus” situation arises after the major pollutants — PM2.5 and PM10, or particles in air with diameter less than 2.5 and 10mm, remain above 300 and 500 units, respectively, for at least 48 hours.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on Thursday informed that both PM2.5 and PM10 had been beyond the “safe limits” for the past 52 hours or since 7 a.m on Tuesday, November 7.
On Thursday (since Wednesday evening), all the 10 monitoring stations of the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (Safar) recorded “beyond severe” or 500-plus units of PM10 and PM2.5. As per SAFAR, the average PM2.5 was 546 units and PM10 was 895.
According to the CPCB, at 5 p.m, the average PM2.5 reading on the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi-NCR across 20 active stations (including Alwar in Rajasthan) was 478 units (on a scale of 0 to 500).
The safe limit for PM2.5 and PM10 as per international standards is 25 and 60 microgrammes per cubic meters, while as per national standards it is 40 and 100 units, respectively.
Meanwhile, forecasting some relief for Delhi-NCR from November 14 onwards, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said rain in parts of Haryana, western Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab would help disperse the effluents, thereby normalising the air quality in Delhi.
“Relief is likely from Sunday, when the wind speed would increase. However, the western disturbance, which is expected to arrive in this region from November 14, would bring major relief as it could rain. This is so far the best hope under the present conditions,” Charan Singh, weather forecast chief at IMD, told IANS.
However, the relief would come only after Delhi has seen its worse, as air quality in the capital, which is already “beyond severe”, is set to deteriorate further since the light winds from Punjab and Haryana started entering Delhi on Thursday.
As the stubble burning continues unabated in Punjab and Haryana, which is also a major cause of the present air quality situation in Delhi, the winds coming from there would further affect the air in Delhi-NCR.
According to the IMD and private weather forecasting agency Skymet, the wind speed is less — five to 10 kmph, but this is enough to bring effluents and not disperse them due to its low speed.
“There would be a slight variation in the air quality tomorrow (Friday). The winds which were for now only westerly have changed into north-westerly coming from Punjab,” Singh added.
–IANS
kd/nir/bg
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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