New Delhi (NVI): Two days after the air quality in the National Capital improved a notch from “poor” to “unhealthy’’ category, it again plunged into the “Hazardous category” today.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) air quality index, which measures the concentration of poisonous particulate matter, reported it in the “Hazardous” category, with Anand Vihar area recording a high of 674.
The index had exceeded 600 in many parts of the Delhi-NCR, which is classified as hazardous level on the government scale, which means these tiny poisonous particulate matter can be carried deep into the lungs, causing deadly diseases including respiratory illnesses, cancer and cardiac problems.
According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the stubble fire counts as per SAFAR-integrated fire products recorded a count of 1846 on November 10.
The SAFAR said in a statement that Western Disturbance is located as a cyclonic circulation over Jammu & Kashmir and adjoining north Pakistan. Under its influence, no rainfall is expected in the Delhi region but the sky will remain partly cloudy during the next two days. This is likely to lead to reduced boundary layer evolution and accumulation of pollutants close to the surface.
SAFAR further said that AQI is likely to deteriorate to the lower end of the severe category by tomorrow and further deterioration is expected by November 13. Meanwhile, by November 14, the condition may improve slightly.
It may be noted that the pollution levels in Delhi were in the very poor category after a relaxation in odd-even scheme on Sunday.
On Sunday, the air quality index (AQI) in Delhi was recorded at 324 while the AQI in adjoining areas of Noida, Greater Noida, Faridabad and Gurgaon was registered at 302, 297, 251 and 253 respectively.
“The overall Delhi AQI is in the ‘very poor’ category. The boundary layer winds are from the north and forecasted to be coming from the northwest for the next three days. The stubble fire contribution was very low during the last couple of days,” SAFAR said in its bulletin.
In the Lodhi Road area of Delhi, major pollutants PM2.5 were at 230 while PM10 stood at 218, according to AQI data. The AQI index near the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium was recorded at 345 at 9 am on Sunday, which falls under the ‘Hazardous’ category.
The AQI near Chandni Chowk, one of the busiest areas of Delhi, was at the ‘very poor’ mark on Sunday with PM10 at 352, and PM 2.5 at 359, according to SAFAR.
-sb
