Delhi and its adjoining areas remained engulfed under a thick blanket of smog as people continues bursting crackers despite a ban on its use and sale in the national capital region.
Delhi’s air quality index entered the severe zone around 8 pm as low temperature and wind speed allowed the accumulation of pollutants. From “severe” last night, the air quality in the national capital has slipped into the ”hazardous” category this morning,
At several locations in Delhi, firecrackers were burst on Diwali in complete disregard to the government’s ban on it coinciding with a sharp increase in fumes from farm fires. The share of farm fires in Delhi’s pollution increased to the season’s highest at 25 per cent, PTI reported.
The particulate matter (PM) 2.5 concentration was recorded at 655.07 in Janpath on Friday morning, according to news agency ANI. As per government standards, PM 2.5 concentrations over 380 are marked as “severe.”
As per the Ministry Earth Sciences’ SAFAR-India application, the Air Quality Index (AQI) of Noida slipped to the ‘severe’ category. The concentration of Pollution Meter (PM) 10 stood at 448.Meanwhile, the concentration of PM 10 stood at 430 in Mathura Road today morning. As a thick layer of smog shrouds Delhi, several people here complained of itchy throat and watery eyes, according to ANI. Noida’s air quality recorded the concentration of PM 10 stood at AQI of 448. Gurugram recorded AQI of (389) ‘very poor’.
As per the Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the air quality would not improve until Sunday evening (November 7). The improvement would, however, just fluctuate in the ‘Very Poor’ category.
Several people in the national capital complained of itchy throat and watery eyes. According to health experts, an AQI of such an extent may cause respiratory impact even on healthy people, and serious health impacts on people with lung or heart disease. The health impact may be experienced even during light physical activity.
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“The overall air quality of Delhi is plunged into the upper end of very poor category…It will continue to fall now and may enter at the edge of the “very poor” to “severe” category by tonight…,” SAFAR informed.
