Delhi air alert: Grab your masks, time to relive the terrible smog

Once again, it's time for Delhiites to grab their masks and brace for severe air pollution in the next few days.

 

Last month Delhi NCR gagged under dense layers of pollution post Diwali celebrations, and once more it finds itself trapped under dense fog, with weathermen spelling doom for the national capital.

 

Air quality steadily worsened on Thursday as pollution levels rose to the dangerous mark. This had led to shutting down of schools and offices, closing down of industries and power plants and rationing of vehicles on the roads.

 

Thick fog covered Delhi and North India on Thursday, affecting several flights and trains as the temperature in the capital at around 8 am was 11 degrees Celsius. Visibility was around 100 metres at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport .tal. At least six International and seven domestic flights operating from the airport were delayed and one domestic flight cancelled.

 

Reason behind fog and air pollution

 

According to System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), cold winds from the Indo-Gangetic plains are bringing in pollution to the Delhi region.

 

Status of pollution levels

 

A report in Hindustan Times says, 'Although the overall Air Quality Index read 379, which is “very poor”, Pusa Road had the AQI at 404, Dhirpur 441, Delhi University 458, IGI Airport 438 and Pitampura 431. These are all in the severe category. The monitoring station at Lodhi Road recorded a maximum AQI of 500'.

 

While levels of harmful particulate matter have remained very high for days now, there were spikes in PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations levels during, respectively, according to System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) data, reading 346 and 174 microgram per cubic metre respectively.

 

What should you do?

 

System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) has advised people with heart or lung diseases (such as asthma, congestive heart disease, or ischemic heart disease), senior citizens, and children should remain indoors and avoid outdoor physical activity.

 

Weathercasters reveals that air-quality will get worse in the coming days.