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Delhi’s air quality improves to “very poor” ahead of Diwali (Lead)
New Delhi, Nov 6 (IANS) Wind directions changed by Tuesday noon, creating an outlet for the toxic air over the Delhi-NCR region and thereby improving the air quality to “very poor,” from “severe” in the morning and “emergency” a day before.
However, threat of air quality reverting to “severe-plus” looms, depending on the weather conditions and how the Delhi-NCR celebrates its Diwali.
Coarser and highly dangerous PM2.5 or particles with diameter less than 2.5 mm continue to dominate the pollution factor in Delhi, and are still at least four times higher than the national standards and nine times the international standards.
PM2.5 levels are expected to spike, bringing the regions’s air quality back to “emergency” for two days — November 8 and 9 — if Delhi bursts even 50 per cent of firecrackers that it did on last year’s Diwali, warns System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).
The Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi at 2 p.m. was 360, while at 12 noon it was 385, considered “very poor”, against 403 or “severe” at 9 a.m. On Monday, air quality across NCR had worsened to “severe-plus” or “emergency” levels due to north-westerly winds that brought stubble smoke from Punjab and Haryana, while the high moisture levels trapped the local and external pollutants in Delhi.
“The lower winds changed to dry and comparatively warm westerly on Tuesday, due to which the pollutants were not trapped tightly and were dispersed easily by noon,” said Mahesh Palawat, Director of private weather forecaster Skymet.
According to India Meteorologcial Department (IMD), morning temperatures are likely to drop by one to two degrees on Wednesday, when Diwali will be celebrated, and a day after, which is likely to be another factor adding to the pollution.
Warning that the Diwali day is expected to be polluted, weather analysts say that while currently the polluting north-westerly winds are blowing higher at 5,000 meters, bringing a temporary relif to the region, the particles will start settling down, adding to pollution on Diwali.
“Delhi’s fate depends on meteorologcial factors and the firecrackers. If temperature drops or lower winds change to north-westerly, it may get polluted,” Shambahvi Shukla, researcher with the Centre for Science and Environment said. She added that currently the ventilation index, which depends on wind speed and mixing height, is higher due to which air quality has improved.
At 2 p.m., the average particle pollutants across 35 regions of Delhi was 215 microgrammes per cubic meters, falling under the “very poor” category, against 257 or “severe” category at 9 a.m.
The PM2.5 levels across 47 areas of NCR were 208 units.
The safe limit for PM2.5 is 60 units by national standards and 25 units by international standards.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.