Delhi continues to choke; air quality worsens

The national capital continues to chock as the air quality worsens constantly. As Delhi is engulfed by the thick layer of smog and dust, the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) remained in 'very poor' category at 358 on Wednesday, shows the latest data compiled by the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).

In Delhi, the major pollutant PM (Particulate Matter) 2.5 is at 195 (very poor category) and PM 10 at 326 (poor category) at 10.00 in the morning.

While airport (Terminal 3) area's air quality marked 'very poor' with PM 2.5 at 315, Dhirpur's air quality deteriorated to severe with PM 2.5 reaching above 454 (severe). At Lodhi Road, the AQI was 368 with PM 2.5 at 10:18 am.

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 or hazardous.

"Air quality is very poor and is expected to remain within the same category for next 2-3 days. At present, winds are unfavourable for dispersion but it may increase slightly to favour dispersion. Humidity is still high which is unfavourable. Fire counts from stubble burning declined and will have a marginal impact," added SAFAR.

SAFAR also advised the sensitive groups who have respiratory diseases to avoid prolonged or heavy exertion as well as all to abstain from all outdoor physical activities.

Even though the state government proposes to reduce the dust by cloud seeding, with each passing day the residents of the national capital continue to bear the brunt of air pollution.