Dust storm likely for next 5 days, but it won't bring mercury down
Gurgaon: Swirls of dust rolled in with brisk winds overnight, bringing down visibility to a few hundred metres and sharply affecting the city's air quality, which plummeted to 'very poor' within 24 hours on Thursday.
The city's air quality index (AQI), which was 'moderate' (121) on Wednesday, deteriorated to 'very poor' with an average reading of 316 on Thursday, data from the
Central Pollution Control Board
(CPCB) showed.
Met department officials said winds from the desert state of Rajasthan gusting at speeds up to 30-40kmph raked up dust over the region. Most parts of the city, including Golf Course Road, Sushant Lok and residential sectors, were cloaked in haze.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), which takes a call on enforcing restrictions under Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to curb air pollution in Delhi-NCR, on Thursday took note of the dust storm but decided to "closely watch the situation" for another day before announcing any measures.
CAQM said in a statement that forecasts indicate this hike pollution was "episodic" and AQI is expected to fall back to "moderate" category.
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The panel will "again review the situation" on Friday, it said.
Dust storms typically have a cooling effect, but there was little change in temperatures. The city's minimum temperature dropped slightly, from 24.4 degrees Celsius the day before to 23 degrees Celsius on Thursday. But the maximum rose to 40.6 degrees Celsius, from 39.9 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.
"Since no western disturbance was seen in north India in the last few days, hot weather conditions are continuing.
Delhi-NCR is warmer because of very large concrete zones and added heat is released from air conditioners. On Thursday, the minimum temperature dropped slightly but the maximum temperature rose because the impact of the dust storm didn't last the entire day," an official of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
Residents complained of breathing difficulties, and irritation to their eyes and throat. "I feel like I am suffocating.
The air becomes so thick with dust that it is hard to breathe, and my asthma flares up. I could not sleep last night. My daughter didn't go for jogging either because of the weather," said Seema Gupta, who lives in Sector 28.
"Driving during a dust storm is terrifying. The visibility drops to almost zero, and you cannot see what is ahead. It is like being in a fog of dirt. I went to drop my brother at IGI airport around 4am and it felt like we were in some other part of the world," said Rajan Seth, a resident of Sector 48.
According to IMD's forecast, there are still chances of dust storms over the next five days. The Met department has issued 'yellow' alert from May 18 to May 20, urging people to remain cautious and prepared for possible disruptions due to thunderstorm, duststorms, lightning and gusty winds.
Experts on Thursday appealed to people to wear masks and limit outdoor activities during dust storms.
"During dust storms, coarse particles ranging from 2.5-10 microns can be breathed in deep into the lungs. This may cause irritation in the eyes, nose and throat, coughing, or wheezing. These can also cause or exacerbate respiratory ailments such as COPD, bronchitis and asthma. Follow precautions like keeping doors and windows closed, remaining indoors as much as possible, stopping strenuous physical activities, and using air conditioners and air purifiers," said Dr Shiba Kalyan Biswal, clinical director of pulmonology at Marengo Asia Hospitals, Gurgaon.
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