Cricket players contend with the “severe plus” air in Delhi before today’s high-level match

Delhi’s air quality has now reached the final index level, “severe plus,” making its residents susceptible to serious health issues. The national capital’s air quality index (AQI) was 454 on Sunday, prompting the federal government to take all necessary steps to prevent air pollution from hitting any new heights.

Real-time data indicates that the average AQI is currently 470, about 20 times higher than the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended threshold.

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Premature burning of paddy straw in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Punjab prior to the rabi crop season is thought to be one of the main causes of Delhi’s terrible air quality. Gopal Rai, the environment minister in Delhi, claims that stubble burning has affected the AQI only in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and not in Punjab.

• The absence of rainfall in the city is predicted by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), which could lower air pollution and raise the AQI.
• Today is planned as a high-level meeting to assess the state of the declining AQI and the execution of stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
• According to the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in New Delhi, there have been 4,160 farm fires reported as of Sunday—the most so far this season. The biggest number of stubble burning incidences for this season in a single state has been reported—3,230—in Punjab alone.
• Rai said that compared to the previous year, there has been less stubble burning in Punjab, a state ruled by the AAP. According to him, smoke from UP and Haryan has a greater effect on the AQI than farm fires in the state.
• The cricket players from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are struggling to complete several practice sessions before the next World Cup match. Bangladeshi cricket players who suffer from asthma stayed indoors, while Sri Lankan players donned masks.
• As one of the health risks, air pollution has been linked to coronary artery disorders such as heart attacks, strokes, and arthritis in Delhi residents, according to Dr. Piyush Ranjan, an extra professor in the AIIMS department of medicine.