Pakistan is to blame for the ‘very poor’ air quality in NCR cities specially in Noida and Ghaziabad after toxic smoke of farm fires across the border.
Air Pollution: The rising pollution in the Delhi-NCR region, ahead of the winter season, has a Pakistan twist as the Uttar Pradesh government, led by Yogi Adityanath, has blamed the neighbouring country for the ‘very poor’ air quality in NCR cities such as Noida and Ghaziabad. According to the UP government, farm fires are sending toxic smoke across the border, making the air toxic in Noida, Greater Noida, and Ghaziabad. The issue was seized by political leaders in no time as the Samajwadi Party (SP) slammed the BJP, while the saffron party and the AAP are clashing in Delhi over deteriorating air quality.
As the festival of Diwali draws closer, the surge in air pollution levels in the Delhi-NCR area has turned into a cause for major concern. Importantly, it’s the first time this year that cities within the national capital region are grappling with ‘very poor’ air quality all at once, especially when just the previous day, Sunday, October 27, the air quality was reported to be at ‘moderate’ levels.
A senior official of the Greater Noida based pollution monitor blamed Pakistan for the surging air pollution.
“This is the first time this year that all three cities of Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad saw ‘very poor’ air quality on the same day. And our neighbouring country, Pakistan, needs to be blamed for this. Increasing instances of stubble burning have been sending toxic smoke across the border,” Times of India quoted DK Gupta of UP Pollution Control Board as saying.
Northern India and eastern Pakistan are currently under a blanket of thick, damaging smog and it’s feared the situation will only worsen after the Diwali celebrations on October 31. The air quality drastically slips for days after the festival due to the smoke from firecrackers.
Delhi on the other hand witnessed a slight improvement in air quality on Monday but still remains in ‘very poor’ category with AQI 327.
In the Pakistani’s Lahore the air quality crossed a “hazardous” 500 on Monday, CNN reported.
IQAir suggests that this city’s pollution exceeds the World Health Organization’s cleanliness standards by almost 65 times, making it the most polluted city worldwide at that moment. With winter approaching and the winds dying down, the skies are likely to be blanketed in a yellow smog. This is largely due to the burning of farm waste and the additional contribution of vehicle and factory emissions to the dense haze.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday, responding on issue, termed Delhi pollution as an “annual” issue, stating that pollution had started reaching Uttar Pradesh. The BJP and AAP have been locked in a war of words over the pollution situation in Delhi.
The gentle breezes on Sunday put a limit on pollutant spread, driving the air quality in Delhi towards the ‘very poor’ end of the spectrum. Pockets of the city got a taste of ‘severe’ pollution levels as well. As of 4 pm, Delhi’s average air quality index (AQI), recorded over a 24-hour timeline, was pegged at 355. This was up from 255 just a day before, on October 26th, as per the statistics from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).