Lucknow: As the national capital and its surrounding areas gasped for clean air on Friday with pollution levels crossing the severe category, the Uttar Pradesh government has called a meeting later in the evening to discuss the issue.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will take part in the meeting to be held at 8pm at the Lok Bhawan in Lucknow along with the chief secretary and other senior officials.
Meanwhile, Ghaziabad district, which falls in Uttar Pradesh, was declared the most-polluted city in the country with the levels of PM2.5 — tiny particulate matter less than 2.5 microns that can enter deep into the lungs — reaching as high as 493.
Besides Ghaziabad, other neighbouring districts of Delhi that fall in the National Capital Region (NCR) and continued to breathe extremely polluted air are Greater Noida (480), Noida (477) and Faridabad (432).
Earlier in the day, a Supreme Court-mandated panel declared a public health emergency in Delhi-NCR and banned construction activities till November 5 as the air quality dipped to “severe-plus” levels. The Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority has banned bursting of crackers during the winter season.
Reports suggested traffic movement on Yamuna Expressway was affected due to low visibility, while tourists in Agra were also disappointed as they were unable to get a clear view of the Taj Mahal because of heavy smog in the vicinity.
In a letter to the chief secretaries of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi, EPCA chairperson Bhure Lal said the air quality in Delhi-NCR deteriorated further on Thursday night.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has issued orders to keep schools shut in view of the worsening situation. While the South MCD has asked schools to remain closed on Monday, North MCD announced the same for Monday and Tuesday and East MCD schools will be shut on Saturday and Monday.
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