Delhi air quality remains 'poor' for 5th consecutive day

Air quality in Delhi remained poor for the fifth consecutive day on Monday with the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) docking at 280 which is towards the upper end of 'poor' category.

According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the stubble burning activity in Haryana, Panjab, and nearby border regions are moderate, but the cyclonic circulation developed over northwest Uttar Pradesh and neighbourhood is going to impact the transport pathways and marginally improve Delhi's Air quality to middle-end of poor category by tomorrow.

"The predominant wind direction is predicted to change to southeasterly for the next three days and positively influence Delhi's AQI but within poor to the higher end of the moderate category," it added.

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 is marked as severe/hazardous.

The AQI was 178 in Anand Vihar at 1:00 am while it dipped to 'very poor' category at 217 in Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium area. The AQI near Pusa, Vasundhra and Punjabi Bagh are at 164, 171 and 170 respectively.

The locals are advised to take more breaks and do less intense activities. The asthmatics have been advised to keep medicines ready if symptoms of coughing or shortness of breath occur.

Starting October 15, strict measures to combat the menace of air pollution will come into force in the national capital and its adjoining areas such as Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad and Faridabad as part of the Graded Response Action Plan, which was first implemented in Delhi-NCR in 2017.