Weather and Environment
Weather and environmental work
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Respite for India: Cyclonic storm ‘Midhili’ to cross B’desh coast tonight: IMD
New Delhi, Nov 17 : The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the cyclonic storm “Midhili”, currently over the Northwest &…
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No relief, Delhi’s AQI drops into ‘severe’ category
New Delhi, Nov 16 : The overall Air Quality Index of Delhi was at 404, in the “severe” category on…
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Deep Depression to intensify into ‘Cyclonic Storm’ in next 24 hours : Met
Bhubaneswar, Nov 16 : The Deep Depression over Westcentral Bay of Bengal moved north-northeastwards with a speed of 17 kmph…
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Low pressure area concentrates into depression : IMD
Bhubaneswar, Nov 15 : The low pressure area formed over southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining Andaman and Nicobar islands…
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Delhi’s air quality dips to ‘severe’ yet again
New Delhi, Nov 15 : Air quality across Delhi yet again dipped to ‘severe’ category with the AQI hitting alarming…
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Low pressure area forms over Southeast BoB; to intensify into ‘depression’ on Nov 15 : Met
Amaravati, Nov 14 : Under the influence of the upper air cyclonic circulation over Andaman-Nicobar Islands and adjoining areas of…
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BJP provoked bursting crackers, Gopal Rai shreds BJP, Delhi air pollution worsen
New Delhi, Nov 13 : Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Monday accused Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of provoking people…
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Fiji issues storm alert as tropical cyclone nears
Suva, Nov 13 : Fiji on Monday issued a storm alert as a tropical cyclone is likely to have an…
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On Diwali day, Delhi’s overall AQI in ‘poor’ category
New Delhi, Nov 12 : The overall AQI of the national capital on Diwali evening on Sunday remained in the…
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As Patna’s AQI reaches ‘severe’ zone, doctors caution people with morbiditiesPatna, Nov 11 (IANS) With the temperature dipping in Bihar, people in the major cities are dealing with the challenges of rising air pollution. The Air Quality Index (AQI) of cities like Patna went into the severe zone as the Bihar State Pollution Control Board registered 301 AQI US on Friday morning. Alarmingly, the PM 2.5 is 167 but PM 10 has reached 392 per cubic meter. Officials claimed that construction of the Patna metro, flyovers, buildings, and transportation of sand and clay are responsible for increasing PM 2.5 and PM 10 in the city and these are contributing to the deterioration of AQI in the city. Patna has several places like Saguna Mor, Patna bypass, Freser Road, Ashok Rajpath and other places where metro projects are underway. Besides, construction of high rise apartments is also taking place on the outskirts of the city. The transportation of sand on the streets and heavy traffic of petrol and diesel vehicles is generating toxic gases in the air in Patna. An official of the Patna Municipal Corporation said that the department has directed the construction companies and agencies to sprinkle water on the roads in a bid to minimize fine particles mixing with the air. We have also arranged vehicles for sprinkling water on the road, still, there is a surge of fine particles mixing 5 times more in the air, the official added. “Keeping in view the increasing AQI index, we are using anti smog guns and water sprinkling guns in the cities. The Patna Municipal Corporation has 12 mobile anti smog guns and 13 water sprinkling guns operating here. We have directed the operators to use these machines for at least 4 hours in two shifts in every circle of the state capital,” said Animesh Parashar, commissioner of the Patna Municipal Corporation. “As the wind speed also increased in the city, it allowed dust to mix in the air. We are sprinkling water on the roads as well as on trees and pedestrian paths to check this,” Parashar said. The situation in Muzaffarpur, Saharsa and Bhagalpur is also miserable. The AQI US in Muzaffarpur is 212 which is considered unhealthy. Besides PM2.5 and PM 10 are 128 and 244 cubic meter. In Saharsa, the AQI US is 204 and PM 2.5 and PM 10 respectively are 151 and 262. These are unhealthy conditions for people especially those having heart related ailments and asthmatic patients. “With the AQI index having breached the 300 mark, it is extremely dangerous for heart, bronchitis and asthmatic patients. The asthmatic patients need to take more precautions every time they step out of the house. People need to wear masks and regularly drink water,” said Dr Sanjay Vashistha, a Patna based ENT specialist. Garima Choudhary, a resident of Kankar Bagh in Patna said: “With the AQI deteriorating in Patna, the role of the traffic police has become more crucial here. The drivers of three-wheelers used to block roads at every intersection. This led to traffic snarls. It generates more toxic gases in the air which deteriorate the AQI. The traffic department needs to take stringent action against the violators. This would help to reduce the AQI.” “We are seeing hectic construction of roads, buildings and the metro in the city. They are breaching the basic norms of not sprinkling water on the roads or covering the under construction areas. As a result, dust amalgamates with drops of dew and forms smog, said Rajesh Tiwari, a Patna based environmentalist. “The roads of Patna and other districts are not wider as compared to the metro cities. Hence, the traffic movement is slow here which generates more toxic gases. We are witnessing a mixture of toxic gases, dust and dew in the atmosphere. It is also the session of Diwali when bursting crackers will worsen the situation. If the law enforcement agencies do not take action against the violators, the AQI may reach the 450 mark,” Tiwari said. AQI from 0 to 50 is considered good, from 51 to 100 as moderate, from 101 to 150 as unhealthy for sensitive groups, from 151 to 200 as unhealthy for all groups, from 201 to 300 very unhealthy, from 301 to 400 severe and from 401 to 500 as hazardous for human health.
Patna, Nov 11 : With the temperature dipping in Bihar, people in the major cities are dealing with the challenges…
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