Delhi's air quality plunges to 'severe' category
A layer of smog shrouded Delhi-NCR on Saturday as the air quality in Delhi dipped to 'severe' category today. On Friday, the air quality in the national capital was 'very poor'. The System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) under the Ministry of Earth Science reported that the air quality is in the 'severe' category in Delhi with an air quality index (AQI) of 499.
According to the government agencies, an AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 moderate, 201-300 poor, 301-400 very poor and 401-500 are marked as severe/hazardous.
In Delhi's Lodhi Road area AQI was reported at 476, at IIT Delhi area AQI was at 479 and in the Delhi university's north campus area AQI was at 578 today.
A Delhi resident, Naresh Kumar Khanna said, "We have difficulty in walking due to fog, and it is going to increase gradually."
He said people should exercise at home and avoid going out in smog so that they do not face breathing problems. "Smog causes breathing problems in those who are not fit and healthy," said Khanna.
Rajeev Chauhan, another Delhi resident said, "I would suggest old age people exercise at home and avoid going out due to increased pollution."
On Thursday, the air quality had plunged into the 'severe category' by reporting an AQI of 404 in the city.
SAFAR in its daily bulletin had said, "The AQI today is in the middle range of 'very poor' category. Winds at the transport level (925 mb) have reduced today but have no change in wind direction. So, the air quality remained in the same category of 'very poor'. It is likely to be in the 'upper end of very poor' to 'severe' category for the next two days. The effective fire count reduced to 3914 today. Today's share of crop residue burning is about 26 per cent in PM2.5."
Meanwhile, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on Monday suggested measures to tackle air pollution in Delhi-NCR through the implementation of a Graded Response Action Plan for the city.
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