New Delhi (NVI): After a brief respite lasting a few hours, the air quality in the Delhi-national capital region plummeted to a new low to ‘severe’ category today even as the share of stubble burning in the air pollution was likely to increase to 25% during the day from 18% Monday.
Data of government air quality monitoring service SAFAR shows the AQI at SiriFort, Lodhi Road, ITO were 401, 456 and 436 respectively. The average AQI on Monday was 360.
According to experts, the likely reasons behind Delhi’s deteriorating air quality are a change in wind direction, lower temperatures and local wind speed besides the stubble burning in in Punjab and Haryana.
“The SAFAR said AQI is likely to deteriorate to ‘severe’ category for the next two days. Improvement towards ‘very poor’ is predicted only by November 14”.
As per the data available on Central Pollution Control Board, PM 2.5 is the major pollutant in Lodhi Road and the average AQI is 392 which is in the “very poor” category. In ITO, the AQI was recorded in the “severe” category with PM 2.5 as the major pollutant.
-nad
