New Delhi (NVI): Delhi’s air quality continues to remain in the ‘very poor’ category, due to a very high number of farm fires, negating the effect of better ventilation.
However, the air quality is expected to improve by Monday.
As per the forecast, PM10 pollutants in Delhi will reduce to the figure of 267 on Monday, which falls in the ‘poor’ category while PM2.5 pollutants are expected to fall down to 165, which also falls under the ‘very poor’ category.
The city recorded an air quality index (AQI) of 366 at 8:30 am. Furthermore, the 24-hour average AQI was 367 on Saturday, 374 on Friday, 395 on Thursday, 297 on Wednesday, 312 on Tuesday, and 353 on Monday.
An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered ”good”, 51 and 100 ”satisfactory”, 101 and 200 ”moderate”, 201 and 300 ”poor”, 301 and 400 ”very poor”, and 401 and 500 ”severe”.
The share of stubble burning in Delhi’s PM2.5 pollution was 32 per cent on Saturday, the second highest this season so far, according to the Ministry of Earth Sciences’ air quality monitoring agency, SAFAR.
However, it was 19 per cent on Friday and 36 per cent on Thursday — the maximum so far this season.
SAFAR said Delhi’s AQI did not improve much despite better ventilation, mainly because of highly favourable north-north westerly boundary level wind direction and perfect wind speed for intrusion of pollutants from farm fires.
-CHK
