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Air quality dips despite winds and favourable weather
New Delhi, Nov 16 (IANS) Despite good winds and almost favourable weather, the air quality of the national capital and areas around it deteriorated on Friday to ‘very-poor’ level against ‘moderate’ a day before.
Local pollution sources being the major reason behind the pollutant, smoke from stubble burning in neighbouring Punjab and Haryana is currently contributing to eight to 10 per cent of Delhi’s pollution, monitoring agencies said.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) at 37 areas of Delhi on Friday was 285 against 217 — both considered “poor” — on Thursday, on a scale of 0 to 500. The 11 major regions monitored by Ministry of Earth Science, showed the AQI in “very poor” category with index value of 339.
Despite dry and cold north-westerly winds in Delhi which disperse pollutants, the air quality deteriorated primarily due to high moisture and smoke from stubble burning carried with winds.
According to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the moisture in Delhi’s air trapped the pollution coming from local sources.
Earlier on Thursday, the Air Quality improved to poor and moderate category, against “very-poor” on Wednesday and “severe” on Tuesday. The improvement was attributed to wash-away effect due to rains which settled the particle pollutant PM2.5 and PM10, or particles with diameter less than 2.5 and 10mm respectively.
“Air pollution is on the path of reversal and increased after the impact of rain is over and AQI is entering in very poor range. It is likely to deteriorate further by Saturday,” SAFAR warning said.
It added, “Fire counts from stubble burning increased in past 24 hours”.
The average presence of PM2.5 on Friday was 150 microgrammes per cubic meters, considered “very poor”, against 98 on Thursday, considered moderate.
Within NCR, Faridabad was the most polluted with AQI 304 considered “very-poor” against 266 or “poor” a day before.
The AQI was 289 at Greater Noida, 267 at Noida, 279 at Ghaziabad, 235 at Gurugram, all considered “poor”.
Region-wise, the air quality was recorded as ‘very poor’ in Anand Vihar, Rohini, Dwarka subcity, Chandani Chowk, Lodhi Road, Delhi University, Pitampura, Delhi Airport, Mathura Road, Pusa and Dhirpur.
SAFAR advised people to take precautions as there was an “increasing likelihood of respiratory symptoms in sensitive individuals”.
“Children and elderly at risk. Everyone may begin to experience some level of discomfort,” it said.
–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.