As Delhi air quality is set to reach maximum levels of toxicity in the days to come, the government has released an advisory for citizens. The advisory released by the Pollution Board says that after Diwali residents should minimise exposure and not run or jog during the first 10 days of November, the Central Pollution Control Board-led task force said on Friday while announcing a slew of recommendations for the bad air days ahead for the entire national capital region.

The recommendations, made to the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA), include a ban on construction activities for these 10 days in Delhi-NCR, shutting down of coal and biomass-based industries from November 4-10 and advisories to people to limit travel on private, especially diesel, vehicles. Air quality is expected to fall sharply around Diwali time.

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Indoors may be your only hope

As air gets from bad to worse, every minute outside could spell trouble

Experts said, due to unfavourable wind direction, pollutants from farm fires in Punjab and Haryana are likely to spread into Delhi-NCR around Diwali. These pollutants are not likely to dissipate quickly due to lower morning temperature.

Increased traffic due to the festival rush and firecrackers, on which there is no blanket ban this year, are also likely to contribute to another polluted Diwali.

“We are requesting people not only to minimise their exposure (to the polluted air), but also not to travel and commute using private vehicles, especially diesel ones. During November 1 to 10, when pollution will be up, people’s exposure to the bad air will minimise if they don’t commute much,” Prashant Gargava, member secretary, CPCB, said.

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Gargava said the task force reviewed the air quality status and inputs from IMD on meteorology. Considering the experiences of past two years, the task force decided to recommend these “proactive” measures to EPCA, which is the authority to take decisions.

Dr T K Joshi, a member of the task force on air pollution, said such are the levels of pollution that people should walk only at 5km/hour. “Any physical exertion, jogging and running should be avoided on the main roads and polluted areas. People should also do wet sweeping inside their homes. Incense sticks should also be avoided as these cause massive harm,” Joshi, who is also (projects) director at Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, said.

Delhi’s air quality is at present at “very poor” levels and is getting worse every day. If pollution increases as predicted, the capital’s air quality may soon enter the “severe” zone, the worst level of 401 to 500 on the AQI scale. In China, such a situation is called “red alert”.

On such bad air days, government agencies like CPCB and SAFAR ask people to avoid all outdoor physical activity. People with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children should remain indoors and keep activity levels low when air quality turns severe, experts say.

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According to an EPCA member, the panel is yet to receive the CPCB-led task force’s recommendations. “EPCA will take a call once the recommendations reach the chairman’s office,” the member said.

Earlier, on Thursday, EPCA told the NCR to be extra careful as air quality is likely to worsen from November 1. On October 15, the Graded Response Action Plan came into force in Delhi-NCR, for the second consecutive year. The measures were said to have reduced pollution by around 15-20% last winter, officials said. At present, only curbs for “moderate to poor” air quality have come into force. These include a ban on diesel generator sets and shutting down of the Badarpur thermal power plant.