Air pollution slightly less in Delhi, but concerns persist

The past 24 hours have brought some relief to the people residing in the national capital and its adjoining areas such as Gurugram, Noida, Faridabad and Ghaziabad as the air quality index (AQI) on Tuesday slightly improved from 'severe' to 'very poor' category in Delhi-NCR, stated the Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).

At 9 in the morning today, the overall AQI of Delhi docked at 381, which falls in the 'very poor' category. The AQI between the range of 51 to 100 is considered as satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate, 201-300 falls under the category of poor. While 300-400 is considered as 'very poor', levels between 401-500 fall under the 'hazardous category'.

At Dhirpur, the AQI was 271 in the morning, while in Mathura Road area it dipped to 'poor' category at 236. Furthermore, AQI near Chandni Chowk, Airport, Terminal 3 and Delhi University stood at 375, 234and 256 respectively.

Locals especially the middle-aged people complained of breathless and fatigue urged the Delhi government to take requisite measures to combat the menace.

"The pollution is increasing in Delhi. The government must do something. My children are also getting affected," said Pramod Sharma, a local while speaking to ANI.

"The government must roll out a policy so that the vehicles can be reduced on roads. I do cycling every day but now in this pollution, it is getting difficult for me. Things will become worse in the future if some actions are not taken," said Javed Ahmad, another local.

Due to a thick blanket of smog, the visibility in the city also dropped affecting the road traffic at major junctions such as Signature Bridge and Akshardham Temple road.

To curb air pollution, the Arvind Kejriwal-led government in Delhi has announced the implementation of the Odd-Even scheme from November 4 to till November 15, 2019.