Commuters ride past an anti-smog gun spraying water to curb air pollution amid heavy smog conditions in New Delhi on Nov 4, 2022. (MONEY SHARMA / AFP)
NEW DELHI – Indian capital Delhi, which was deemed the country's most polluted city in 2022, witnessed the third worst cold spell in January in the past 23 years, according to government reports.
The Indian govt aims to reduce pollution by 20-30 percent by 2024 as compared to 2017 levels
The report based on an analysis of Central Pollution Control Board data, which states that Delhi was India's most polluted city in 2022, was prepared by the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) Tracker, a joint project of Climate Trends and Respirer Living Sciences designed to track India's progress in achieving clean air targets.
"Based on an analysis of air quality monitoring data, the national capital of Delhi ranked the most polluted in 2022, with an annual average PM 2.5 concentration of 99.71 micrograms per cubic meter. However, Delhi's PM 2.5 levels improved by over 7 percent compared to 2019," India's Clean Air Tracker said.
However, it still remains way below the desired level.
The government's flagship NCAP targets to reduce pollution by 20-30 percent by 2024 as compared to 2017 levels.
The program for better air quality in 122 cities was launched in 2019.
Workers rest under the sun at the lawns of Kartavya Path, formerly known as Rajpath, near India Gate during the cold afternoon in New Delhi on Jan 11, 2023. (SAJJAD HUSSAIN / AFP)
Delhi experienced a cold wave from the night of Jan 3 till the morning of Jan 9. During these five days, the average temperature hovered around 2-4 Degrees Celsius.
RK Jenamani,
India head of the Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre
"Most cities in the top 10 most polluted list of 2022 are from the Indo-Gangetic Plain, demonstrating that real and long-term solutions lie in an airshed approach to addressing the need for better Air Pollution management in the region beyond Delhi," the tracker said.
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The analysis was released on Tuesday to mark four years of the launch of the NCAP.
Meanwhile, RK Jenamani, who is also the India head of the Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre, warned of a second cold spell in the Indian capital city beginning on Jan 14.
"Delhi experienced a cold wave from the night of Jan 3 till the morning of Jan 9. During these five days, the average temperature hovered around 2-4 Degrees Celsius. This was the third coldest spell in the Indian capital in the past 23 years," Jenamani told Xinhua.
"Earlier, in 2006 we had the lowest temperature of 1.9 Degrees Celsius for four days, and then in 2013 we had a similar cold wave for seven days."
Delhi has been witnessing intense cold conditions for over two weeks as the temperature dipped to as low as below 1 degree Celsius in some areas around the capital city, according to local media reports.
READ MORE: Indian capital puts curbs on vehicles amid severe air pollution
People can be seen shivering in the cold outdoors and sitting around bonfires to protect themselves from the cold. Over 50 cold-related deaths have been reported in Kanpur city in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.