Delhi’s air turns poisonous: AQI in very poor zone as CPCB server stalls for 13 hours

New Delhi: The air of the capital, Delhi, has once again become a burden on the breath. The air quality index (AQI) was recorded in the 'very poor' category for the second consecutive day on Monday. A thick layer of smog covered the city, and it became difficult to monitor the situation as the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) website and app remained down for hours. Due to a technical glitch in the CPCB server, hourly AQI data could not be updated for about 13 hours.

When did the problem arise?

According to the information, the AQI remained stuck at 315 (very bad) on the website from 10:43 pm on Sunday night. When updated at 12 noon on Monday, it reached 286. After this, it again increased to 301 by 4 pm. According to records, this was the sixth day when Delhi's air remained in the 'very poor' category. On the other hand, The official of CPCB said that the server was overloaded due to old data, due to which it faced a technical glitch. We had to manually fix the system. He said that the problem was resolved by Monday afternoon.

How many stations are in the 'very bad' category?

The AQI of 26 of the 38 active monitoring stations in the capital was recorded in the 'very poor' category on Monday. Anand Vihar was the most affected, where the AQI reached 389. Hourly data of all eight major pollutants—PM10, PM2.5, NO₂, SO₂, CO, O₃, NH₃ and Pb—was available on the website of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC). This revealed that the problem was only in uploading while data collection was going on. At the same time, according to CPCB standards, an AQI level of 51-100 is considered 'satisfactory,' 101-200 'moderate,' 201-300 'poor,' 301-400 'very poor,' and above 400 'severe.'

What steps did the Delhi government take?

The Delhi government has announced a ban on the entry of non-BS-VI diesel trucks from November 1 to curb pollution. Also, misting is being done by MCD with water tankers in many areas. Chaos was also seen during misting at the Anand Vihar AQI station.

What is the weather forecast?

According to the Centre's Air Quality Early Warning System (EWS), the air quality may improve slightly from Tuesday and the AQI may fall to the 'poor' category. Strong winds and light rain can help spread pollutants. However, experts say this improvement will remain temporary as a permanent solution is still far away. Like every winter, this time too Delhiites are fighting a battle for breath. The question is the same—will the government measures show any effect this time or will the capital once again be trapped in a blanket of smog?