Delhi schools repoen as pollution levels drop
Schools in the national capital reopned on Wednesday as the air quality in Delhi showed slight improvement on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the air quality in Delhi continues to be in the 'very poor' category. Looking at the severe levels of pollution in the national capital, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had ordered the closure of all schools till November 5. Students were seen going to schools wearing anti-pollution masks on Wednesday.
The air quality index was recorded at 324 on Tuesday morning while last night it was at 309.
However, the air quality had improved on Tuesday from the previous days giving some respite to people suffering from pollution.
An AQI between 0-50 is considered 'good', 51-100 'satisfactory', 101-200 'moderate’, 201-300 'poor', 301-400 ‘very poor’ and 401-500 ‘severe’. An AQI above 500 falls in the severe plus category.
The Meteorological Department forecast a partly cloudy sky with possibility of very light rain, only thundershowers towards the evening today.
The maximum temperature is expected to be 31 degrees while the minimum will be 18 degrees celsius, the MET said.
Meanwhile, Punjab on Tuesday reported the season's highest farm fire count at 6,668 as farmers continued to defy a ban imposed on stubble burning, triggering fears of upending the gradual improvement in air quality registered over the past two days.
The Supreme Court on Monday ordered an immediate and complete stop to stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh blamed for 46 per cent of the pollution in Delhi-National Capital Region(NCR).
According to satellite data collected by Punjab Remote-Sensing Centre, Sangrur and Bathinda were the worst-affected districts with the highest number of farm fire incidents of 1,007 and 945 on a single day, respectively.
Between September 23 and November 5, Punjab reported 37,935 farm fires, which was almost 40 per cent higher than stubble burning incidents in the corresponding period last year.
The Delhi government has repeatedly blamed stubble burning for the episodes of apocalyptic smog in Delhi every year.
Also Read | NASA image shows stubble burning as Delhi continues to fight air pollution
