Delhi continued to reel under smoggy conditions on Monday as a thick haze reduced visibility and air quality remained at “hazardous” levels. The concentration of particulate matter was recorded at over seven-times the norm even as primary schools were set to reopen. The situation has prompted some professionals in Delhi to consider leaving the “gas chamber” and the hashtag #QuitDelhiMovement has been trending on Twitter.
Meanwhile, the AAP government will approach the National Green Tribunal on Monday with a review petition on the Odd-Even vehicle rationing scheme. The Arvind Kejriwal-led government had scrapped its plan to implement the scheme from November 13-17 after the NGT on Saturday said there would be no exemption for women, two-wheelers and government servants.
ANI reported that 69 trains were delayed, 22 rescheduled and 8 cancelled due to the smog. Moreover, light rains predicted are on November 14 and 15, which is likely to clear the smog and bring respite to the people gasping for breath.
Delhi smog LIVE updates:
1.12 pm: “I am planning to move a Right to Clean Air Bill in Lok Sabha in the winter session. This is a bill in which I will be putting together thoughts of all citizens and experts,” says Congress’s Deepender Hooda
12.02 pm: Six people injured in a multiple vehicle pileup, including a Haryana Roadways bus on NH-1 near Ambala due to dense fog
11.50 am: “We can only do this much, and now we will have to wait for rains to clean the atmosphere,” said Prashant Gargava, an official at the Central Pollution Control Board
10.58 am: “Is the government approaching us or was its minister’s statement for press only?” asks NGT bench
10.50 am: NGT raps Delhi government, says no review petition has yet been filed on the Odd-Even policy. Asks government if it was just a media stunt.
10.40 am: The humidity was recorded at 93 per cent at 8.30 am. The visibility dropped to 500 metres at 5.30 am and later to 400 metres at 8.30 am, PTI reports
10. 30 am: The minimum temperature dropped to 12.4 degrees Celsius, a notch below the season’s average, says a MeT department official
9:47 am: Foggy conditions were also reported in states surrounding Delhi. People were seen lighting fire to keep themselves warm in Ludhiana as thick fog blanketed the city
8.55 am: Verisk Maplecroft, a risk consultancy firm, said India had the worst air quality out of a list of 198 countries it measures, and that New Delhi ranked among the world’s top 10 most polluted cities. “At the national level, India tops the index rankings (i.e. the country with the worst air quality), followed by Bangladesh and Thailand,” said Richard Hewston, Verisk Maplecroft’s global head of environment and climate change.
8.50 am: US-based carrier United Airlines resumed flights from Newark, New Jersey to New Delhi after it was halted due to poor air quality
8.19 am: Schools in Delhi reopen after being closed due to severe smog conditions. Students seen wearing masks, teachers say “collective efforts must be made and closing schools is not a solution”
7. 50 am: 69 trains delayed, 22 rescheduled and 8 cancelled due to smog
7.45 am: According to the latest figures, the AQI at Mandir Marg is 523, at Anand Vihar it is 510, Punjabi Bagh at 743 and Shadipur at 420. All fall in the “Hazardous” category of the Air Quality Index.
