Delhi updates: Air quality to improve from yesterday, says IMD; NGT to decide fate of odd-even Yesterday

Nearly a week since dense smog began choking the National Capital Region, Delhi is likely to receive some respite yesterday. 

Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday said air quality in the capital should improve from Saturday as wind speed would pick up and help disperse pollutants. 

'We expect wind speed of 19-20 kilometres per hour from Saturday afternoon. The temperature is not expected to be too low either and we expect a marked improvement in air quality starting Saturday,' a senior IMD official said.

The Delhi government has announced the implementation of the Odd-Even plan for five days from November 13 to November 17. 

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) told the government that it should not implement the Odd-Even scheme unless they can satisfy that it was “not counter-productive”.

DELHI LIVE UPDATES FOR SMOG:-

7.25 am: According to IMD and the Central Pollution Control Board data, a combination of low temperature and slow winds made November 8 one of the most polluted days in the city in several Weeks. 

7.30 am: According to the SAFAR forecast, The PM 2.5 concentration in the city is expected to be 286 micrograms per cubic metre on Saturday, which still puts the air in the ‘severe’ category. 

7.40 am: 64 trains delayed, 14 rescheduled and two cancelled because of low visibility due to fog and smog, reports ANI.

7.50 am: todays air conditioning reports:-

Anand Vihar:- 430
Shadipur:- 331
Dwarka:- 327

Mandir Marg:- 326

8.20 am: “This is truly a health emergency,” Anumita Roychowdhury, the executive director of research and advocacy at New Delhi’s Centre for Science and Environment told The Associated Press. She said doctors in recent days have been dealing with a 20 per cent spike in emergency hospital admissions from people suffering heart and lung problems

8:45 am: The NGT will have a special sitting on Saturday to allow the Delhi government to convince it of the merits of the scheme and asked it to be ready with answers.

9:20 pm: “Odd-Even formula cannot be imposed like this. By this scheme, you are only encouraging people to buy more vehicles and allowing more inter-state traffic. We will not allow odd even vehicle rationalisation scheme until you prove that it’s not counterproductive,”The NGT said.