NEW DELHI: Towns in NCR contribute almost two-third to Delhi’s pollution woes. On Thursday, the city saw its worst AQI of the year at 450, prompting officials to impose level-4 GRAP restrictions. Track the pollution level in your cityAccording to the decision support system (DSS) of Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), local pollution sources contributed between 20-30% of the total PM2.5 volume while the rest came from sources outside Delhi, i.e., NCR cities and beyond. Among local sources, the transport sector, at an average of 14%, was the highest contributor. According to DSS, if the city’s pollution sources like transport, construction (essential projects or violations), industries, and biomass burning (in Punjab and elsewhere) are taken out of the equation, NCR towns and others account for 40-45% of Delhi’s pollution, which according to early warning systems, may cross 50% by Friday. At about 5%, cities like Jhajjar, Rohtak, Sonipat and Panipat were among the top contributors to emissions from outside Delhi. Stubble smoke accounted for 28% of the Capital’s pollution, according to DSS. IITM’s SAFAR estimated the share of stubble burning from Punjab and Haryana to be 38%. But in both cases, 70-75% of pollution in Delhi comes from sources located outside the city. While officials in Delhi have been working to ensure GRAP-III implementation through 500 teams, residents of neighbouring cities like Noida have complained of rampant violation of the construction ban. “Delhi’s agencies and residents are active in controlling emissions. No one knows how well the NCR cities are being monitored. IITM data shows pollution is coming from Tier-2 cities. However, there is poor enforcement and a lack of inspection,” said an official, not wishing to be named. Experts said even on days when the AQI is not ‘very poor’, NCR emissions account for 30-35% of Delhi’s pollution. “There is also 25-30% pollution from places beyond NCR, which we term transboundary pollution. Sometimes, it gets stuck depending on wind speed and height. Upper-level wind brings pollution to Delhi, and if the city doesn’t have wind at that time, pollutants get accumulated,” said Shambhavi Shukla, programme manager, air pollution team, CSE. The maximum pollution, she added, comes from Haryana. “Delhi shares the maximum boundary with the state, which has several industrial belts like Jhajjar, Sonipat and Panipat,” she said. Watch Delhi pollution: No respite for residents, NCR under thick smog cover
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/over-70-of-delhis-pollution-not-its-creation-from-ncr-beyond/articleshow/95286066.cms