Delhi Environment Minister urges meeting on polluting buses as air quality remains severe

New Delhi, Nov 4: As the air quality in Delhi continues to remain in the "severe" zone, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai wrote to the Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav on Saturday, expressing his concerns about the operation of BS-III and BS-IV buses on NCR roads that enter Delhi from the UP border, further contributing to pollution.

With the thick toxic haze lingering over the city for the fifth consecutive day, Rai urged Yadav to convene a meeting of the Environment Ministers from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan to address the air emergency.

He also requested the Union Minister to halt the movement of old polluting buses in the NCR and prevent their entry into Delhi.

Rai pointed out that the movement of such buses violated an order by the Commission for Air Quality Management, which specified that from November 1, only electric buses or buses running on CNG, or equipped with BS-VI diesel engines, should operate on the roads.

According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi had an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 415 (out of 500) at 4 PM, while the poorest AQI of 490 was recorded in Greater Noida, followed by Faridabad (438), Noida (408), and Gurugram (404). An AQI above 400 indicates "severe" air pollution.

Data from the Central Pollution Control Board revealed that Delhi's AQI increased by over 200 points between October 27 and November 3, resulting in a transition to the "severe plus" category (above 450) on Friday.

Prevailing meteorological conditions are trapping particulate matter close to the surface, and improvement is expected only after November 7 when a fresh Western Disturbance is likely to affect North India.

As Delhi breathes toxic air, doctors express concern about the increasing respiratory and eye problems among children and the elderly.

The concentration of PM2.5, fine particulate matter capable of penetrating deep into the respiratory system and causing health issues, exceeded the government-prescribed safe limit of 60 micrograms per cubic meter by seven to eight times at multiple locations across Delhi-NCR. It was 80 to 100 times higher than the healthy limit of 5 micrograms per cubic meter set by the WHO.

According to an analysis conducted by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, the capital experiences peak pollution from November 1 to November 15 when the number of stubble-burning incidents in Punjab and Haryana increases.