OMM Newsroom
Delhi’s pollution exceeded a monitoring threshold equivalent to more than 66 times the World Health Organization’s daily PM2.5 guideline this week, leaving gaps in official data, according to Anadolu Agency.
“The Indian Express” reported on Wednesday that 45 of Delhi’s 59 monitoring stations had missing hourly readings for at least one pollutant after pollution surged during Diwali celebrations on Sunday.
India’s Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) said its automated system excluded hourly particulate matter readings above its calibrated range of 1,000 micrograms per cubic meter. Those hours were omitted from the relevant pollutant’s 24-hour average.
The CPCB said it was reviewing how to process readings beyond the system’s original design range.
PM2.5 concentrations reached 993 micrograms per cubic meter in Delhi’s Punjabi Bagh area early on Monday, local media reported. That was equivalent to 66.2 times the WHO’s recommended 24-hour guideline of 15 micrograms per cubic meter. The comparison is between a short-duration reading and a daily guideline.
“The Indian Express” also reported that separate monitoring data from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee showed particulate concentrations reaching 5,000 micrograms per cubic meter at multiple stations during the same period.
Lahore records hazardous air pollution
Across the border, Lahore in Pakistan also faced hazardous smog. The city topped a global ranking of major cities for air pollution on Monday, with an hourly Air Quality Index reading of 647, Pakistani daily “Dawn” reported.
“Dawn” said satellite data detected 16,714 likely crop-residue fires in Pakistan’s Punjab province between Oct. 1 and Nov. 9, contributing to the region’s pollution crisis.
The worsening smog prompted the Pakistan Cricket Board to move its Nov. 17-21 Test match against Sri Lanka from Lahore to Rawalpindi.
