Delhi Fire department sprinkles water at 13 pollution hotspots

The Delhi Fire Services (DFS) has started sprinkling water at 13 hotspots to curb rising air pollution in the city, officials said on Monday. The identified pollution hotspots are Narela, Bawana, Mundka, Wazirpur, Rohini, RK Puram, Okhla, Jahangirpuri, Anand Vihar, Punjabi Bagh, Mayapuri, and Dwarka, DFS Director Atul Garg said.

These hotspots were identified based on the annual average concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 in these areas, Garg said. “Sprinkling water in these 13 locations will help settle down dust,” he said, adding that a total of 12 fire tenders were pressed into service for the purpose, which already started spraying water from Sunday.

The 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI), recorded at 4 pm every day by the Central Pollution Control Board, worsened from 415 on Saturday to 454 on Sunday, prompting the Centre to implement all emergency measures mandated under the final Stage IV of its air pollution control plan called the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

The AQI on Monday was recorded at 423 (‘severe’) in the national capital at 4 pm.
Under the Centre’s air pollution control plan, all emergency measures, including a ban on polluting trucks, commercial four-wheelers, and all types of construction, are mandated to be initiated and enforced in the National Capital Region if the AQI crosses the 450-mark.