PM10 levels below charts as winds blow dust away in Delhi

New Delhi: PM 10 pollution in Delhi rose to an alarming level on Tuesday as strong winds blew dust across the city leaving a thick blanket of smog over it. Dusty winds gusting up to 50 kmph gusted across the capital between 3 am and 6 am, reducing visibility to just 700 meters at Palam observatory near the Indira Gandhi International Airport at 10 am, the India Meteorological Department said. Compared to 4,000m on Monday at 9am. The overall air quality index had deteriorated to 260 by 3 pm on Tuesday from 162 at 4 pm on Monday.

The PM 10 level in Jahangirpuri rose to 3,826 micrograms per cubic meter and Sri Aurobindo Marg to 2,565 micrograms per cubic metre, data from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee showed. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, PM10 levels up to 100 micrograms per cubic meter (for a period of 24 hours) are considered safe.

DPCC data shows that PM10 levels have risen to 1,542 micrograms per cubic meter in Vivek Vihar; 1,296 micrograms per cubic meter in RK Puram; 1,807 micrograms per cubic meter in Patparganj; 1,663 micrograms per cubic meter in Narela; 1,957 micrograms per cubic meter in Alipore; 1,661 micrograms per cubic meter in Dwarka Sector 8; 1,456 micrograms per cubic meter in Mundka; 1,662 micrograms per cubic meter at Major Dhyanchand Stadium; 1,527 micrograms per cubic meter in Wazirpur; 1,580 micrograms per cubic meter in Ashok Vihar; and 1,881 micrograms per cubic meter in Okhla Phase 2 in the morning.

Satellite images released by the Meteorological Office show a thick layer of dust over large parts of northwest India. Meteorologists have attributed the dusty conditions in northwest India to a combination of intense heat over the past five days, dry soil due to the absence of rainfall, and gusty winds that prevailed since midnight.

Strong dusty winds blew in Delhi in the early hours. The wind speed reduced from 45-50 kmph to 12 kmph by 9 am and came down further during the day, causing dust to settle, said Kuldeep Srivastava, head of IMD’s regional forecasting centre.

“The dust concentration has increased manifold. The concentration of PM 10 increased from 140 µg/m3 at 4 am to 775 µg/m3 at 8 am. This is mainly due to the strong winds prevailing in the region. The dust will settle down soon,” said VK Soni, head of IMD’s Environment Monitoring and Research Centre.

Dust particles, especially fine particulate matter (PM2.5), can penetrate deep into the respiratory tract when inhaled. They can irritate the lungs, trigger respiratory problems and aggravate existing conditions such as asthma, bronchitis and allergies