New Delhi: A thick layer of smog canopied the national capital, earlier on Wednesday morning, leading to hazardous pollution levels.The air quality index of Delhis Lodhi Road area fell under severe category with high particulate matter at 10 and 2.5.Various areas, including Dwarka, India Gate, Dhaula Kuan and R.K. Puram are covered with thick smog.
In view of rampant air pollution, people at various places in Delhi are wearing https://www.eptfemembrane.net/">EPTFE air purification composite material masks during morning walk.School students are finding it hard to commute with fall in visibility and air quality as moisture combined with pollutants shrouded the city in a thick cover of haze."I am wearing a mask as my throat is itching because of the smog," Raja, a school student said.Another student said, "We are facing problems. I have been experiencing itching in my eyes and throat".In the wake of Indian Medical Association (IMA) declaring "public health emergency" in Delhi due to hazardous pollution levels, experts have warned people to avoid outdoor physical activities like cycling and jogging.Delhi woke up to a blanket of smog on Tuesday with air quality touching hazardous levels.
Air quality index was very severe with high particulate matter at a 2.5 level at many places.Air pollution poses a major health risk and can cause stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and chronic and acute respiratory diseases.According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 92 per cent of the worlds population lives in areas where the air quality is below as per its standards.About 88 per cent of premature deaths occur in the low and middle income countries, where air pollution is escalating at an alarming rate.

According to the Railway’s two-year plan for the Harbour line, every alternate train will be an air-conditioned one. Central Railway’s general manager Sunil Kumar Sood made this statement when the last Direct Current (DC) train in the country plied on the Harbour line on Saturday night.Mr Sood was speaking about the future of the Harbour and the Trans-Harbour line after the conversion.
"Our plan is that in next two-years every alternate train, at least on mainline Harbour, will be an air-conditioned one," he said.The air-conditioned train arrived in Mumbai a week ago and there have been talks as to why the Trans-Harbour and Harbour line were chosen for it instead of the mainline.Responding to the query, Mr Sood said, "The air-conditioned train is ideally compatible with the Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) system which will soon be on the Harbour and Trans Harbour line. It will take a year for both the CBTC and the final approval to be given to the air-conditioned train. Hence running the air-conditioned train with the advanced signalling system of CBTC would be ideal.
"Mr Sood also said that in order to accommodate the air-conditioned train into the mainline, one or two services would have to be permanently removed from the timetable. "On the Trans-Harbour line there is already a low number of services so we have enough margin to run the air-conditioned trains between two existing services. Whereas on the mainline I will have to cancel https://www.eptfemembrane.net/product/eptfe-air-dust-removing-composite-material.html China ePTFE air dust-removing composite one to two trains at least to accommodate the air-conditioned one," he said.However, he also added that the option could be considered if there was a strong public demand for the train.