Dussehra, Stubble Burning Keep Delhi Air Quality In Poor Category
NDTV
On Tuesday, Delhi's average air quality index (AQI) stood at 238 at 10 am, worsening from 220 at 4pm.
As the nation celebrated Dussehra on Tuesday by burning the effigies of Ravana, farmers in Punjab paced up the crop residue burning as 360 farm fires, the maximum in a day this season, were reported, taking the overall count to 2,306.
A few farmers set stubble on fire to register their protest against the government agencies. While farmers are being penalised for setting paddy residue on fire, no action is taken against those burning lakhs of Ravana effigies on Dussehra and crackers during Diwali, they said.
The smoke from the Dussehra celebrations, unfavourable meteorological conditions, and a cocktail of emissions from stubble burning and firecrackers around Delhi, in addition to the local sources of pollution, contributed to the national capital's air quality remaining in the "poor category" for the third straight day today. The air quality is unlikely to see any major improvement over the next few days, monitoring agencies said.
