Delhi air quality turns 'severe' again; EPCA bans trucks from entering NCR for second time this winter

New Delhi: Delhi’s air quality deteriorated again to the ‘severe’ category on Saturday due to unfavourable meteorological conditions after showing a slight improvement on Friday, authorities said. According to data released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) in the city reached 417, which is in the ‘severe’ category. In view of the air quality in Delhi, the Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) had ordered a 24-hour ban on the entry of trucks into the National Capital Region (NCR). [caption id=“attachment_5541711” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] Twenty-six areas in Delhi recorded ‘severe’ air quality, while eight gauged ‘very poor’, it said. In the NCR areas, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gurgaon and Noida recorded ‘severe’ air quality, the CPCB said. Delhi’s air quality had slightly improved on Friday thanks to improved wind speeds but due to unfavourable meteorological conditions, it once again turned severe, officials said. The overall PM2.5 level (fine particulate matter in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres) in Delhi was recorded at 298 while the PM10 level was at 468, the CPCB said. An AQI between 100 and 200 comes under ‘moderate’ category, 201 and 300 is considered ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, while that between 401 and 500 is ‘severe’. Authorities said rainfall predicted for Saturday might improve the air quality but warned that little showers with calm winds would only aggravate the situation rapidly. As per the Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting (SAFAR) model, fog intensity is likely to decline with increased gusty winds. “An active western disturbance is very likely to cause fairly widespread moisture intrusion over the northern region, including Delhi, but only after three days when withdrawal is expected,” it said. The entry of trucks to Delhi would be disallowed “from 11 pm on Friday to 11 pm on Saturday in view of the severe pollution in the city,” the EPCA instructed authorities in a letter to the chief secretaries of Delhi and the neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. EPCA chief Bhure Lal directed them to stop the entry of truck traffic into the national capital (with an exception made for trucks carrying essential commodities) during the period. This is the second time this season that a ban on the entry of trucks has been imposed. The ban was previously imposed in November when a deterioration of air quality was observed.