Delhi Pollution: AQI recorded at 236, CPCB slaps Rs 1 crore fine on oil companies

Delhiites woke up to a ‘poor’ air quality on Saturday. The major pollutants PM 2.5 were recorded at 236 and PM 10 at 137 (poor category) in the Sukhdev Vihar area. In the Anand Vihar area, the Air Quality Index (AQI) PM 2.5 was at 191 and PM 10 at 128, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR). At the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium area, PM 2.5 was at 194 and PM 10 at 128. AQI at Punjabi Bagh Delhi was recorded poor, PM 2.5 was at 183 while the PM 10 was at 117. 

On Friday, the Central Pollution Control Board slapped a fine of Rs 1 crore each on three oil companies for their failure to install anti-pollution "vapour recovery" systems at fuel stations. The fine was slapped on public sector oil firms Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited and Indian Oil Corporation Limited.

Vapour recovery device is an instrument to capture displaced vapours that emerge from inside a vehicle's fuel tank while filling petrol or diesel in it.

In separate notices issued to the oil companies dated December 12, CPCB Chairperson S P S Parihar had said the pollution regulator's teams found during inspection that the vapour recovery systems were either not installed or were not functioning at the fuel stations and sought an explanation for the same.

Delhi is reeling under the menace of air pollution for the past couple of years. The region faced a major air quality crisis last year when severe pollution level forced the shutdown of schools and colleges. In 2016, the government tried to explore the possibility of cloud seeding for artificial rain but the plan never worked out. 

AQI categories:

1. An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good’
2. AQI between 51 and 100 is ‘satisfactory’
3. AQI between 101 and 200 is ‘moderate’
4. AQI between 201 and 300 is ‘poor’
5. AQI between 301 and 400 is ‘very poor’