“The Delhi government’s claim that pollution in the Capital has reduced over the past week is at odds with data of the daily average levels as well as peak values of particulate matter (PM).
As per a report submitted by the government to the High Court on Friday, the peak levels of PM showed a decrease from January 1, when the odd-even experiment began. The report, compiled by the Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA), says that peak pollution recorded during the odd-even experiment has been the lowest compared to those in earlier smog episodes this winter. A smog episode is when pollution levels are “severe” as per the National Air Quality Index (NAQI) for several consecutive days.
However, data obtained from the NAQI portal tells a different story. AQI values for PM2.5 were obtained across eight monitoring stations in Delhi for which adequate data was available. Analysing this data, The Hindu found that there are no declining trends in air pollution. The air quality has been steadily deteriorating from December 25, 2015, with occasional dips, which are no better than pollution in the week before.
According to the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), which carried out an analysis of peak levels for the EPCA report, the odd-even policy has had an impact despite hostile weather conditions.” The Hindu. Read the full article on delhiair.org
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