DNA Explainer: Is Pakistan responsible for deteriorating Delhi-NCR air quality?

Not only on the borders, but it seems Pakistan is proving to be our number 1 enemy even on the environmental front. Well if you don't believe, here's what this news suggests. The dust filled air in Pakistan is resulting in ever increasing air pollution in the national capital.

Even during the summers, the Delhi-NCR Air quality Index (AQI) is in the poor to very poor category. According to environmentalists, to improve the situation rainfall is essential but it does not seem to happen so in the near future. With February nearing to its end, the air quality in Delhi-NCR usually starts improving.

Read | These were the most polluted cities in North India during last winter

What is GRAP?

From March the air quality in the national capital region starts improving. This is the reason why Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) remains applicable from October 15 to March 15.

After this time span (October 15-March 15), the ban on diesel generators is also removed. GRAP is a set of measures to be taken to reduce air pollution depending on the current level of pollution.

It was notified by the Union Environment Ministry in 2017 to fight air pollution, based on the SC directions. But this year, after March the quality of air is not improving even in the month of April. 

Central Pollution Control Board data

If we look at the data of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the air was neither good nor satisfactory for a single day in March. 12 days were recorded in the moderate, 17 days in the poor category, while one day was recorded in the very poor category. Similarly, if you look at the five days of April, the air level has been bad every day.

Read | Delhi's air quality remains in ‘very poor’ category, AQI rises from 90 to 301 in one week

How Pakistan is the culprit?

According to environmentalists and weather scientists, after the end of winter, moisture from the atmosphere ends. The sky clears. The wind also keeps on moving. This removes the pollutants, but since the beginning of March this year, the hot air that is blowing from central Pakistan is coming to Delhi via Rajasthan.

Since the surface soil has become completely dry due to lack of rain, this soil is also blowing with the wind. These dust particles are increasing the level of pollution. It is known that the average rainfall in March is 15.9 mm while in April is 8.8 mm, while not a single drop has fallen so far.

How Mumbai is affected by dust from Pakistan?

Well, that's not all. This year in January the experts blamed the dust coming from the arid regions of the Middle East and Pakistan via Rajasthan was responsible for a thick layer of haze and dust engulfing India's financial capital Mumbai, pushing the city's air quality index to the 'poor' category.

The source of dust has always been the arid regions of the Middle East and Pakistan, experts said. However, such events over the Middle East are generally more frequent during spring and summer season when factors such as high temperature, atmospheric instability, strong northwesterly winds and thunderstorms create ideal conditions for the triggering of dust storms.

Dust storms observed in June and July are not able to impact Mumbai due to the monsoon conditions, they explain.

Experts opinion

According to Mahesh Palawat, Vice President Meteorology and Climate Change, Skymet Weather, the dusty hot air blowing from Central Pakistan is coming to Delhi via Rajasthan for the last one month. Local dust particles are also being added to this. In this situation, some improvement is possible only after it rains, but for the next one week there is no possibility of it.

Dr Dipankar Saha, Member, Expert Committee, Union Ministry of Forests and Environment, said that the soil and dust particles remain buried due to rain, but this time they are blowing with the wind due to being completely dry. This is also the reason that this time the level of pollution remains high.