Delhi gasps for breath as air quality dips further

The air quality of Delhi nosedived on Tuesday just a few days after scores of effigies were burned across the region on the occasion of Dussehra.

According to the latest System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) data, the air quality in capital's Lodhi Road area showed levels of prominent pollutants PM (particulate matter) 10 and PM 2.5 at 237 and 214, respectively.

The AQI between the range of 51 to 100 is considered as satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate, 201-300 falls under the poor category, whereas 401-500 range is severe.

The organisation has adviced the people residing in Delhi to avoid all outdoor physical activities. It has warned all asthmatics to keep relief medicines handy. "Stop any activity level if you experience any usual coughing, chest discomfort, wheezing, breathing difficulty, or fatigue," it added.

On a related note, SAFAR has also conducted a scientific study which revealed that 41 per cent of the pollution in the national capital is caused by the transport sector. It also said that "after transport, wind-blown dust is the second major contributor with 21.5 per cent followed by industries at 18.6 per cent. The other minor contributors are power and residential sectors contributing about 4.9 and 3 per cent, respectively. Others contribute about 11 per cent. Residential sector includes slum, crop residue, cow dung, a street vendor, household, DG Set, wood burning, etc while other sectors include MSW Plants, MSW open burning, crematory, aviation, incense sticks, brick kilns".

On the contrary, air quality has shown slight improvement in Mumbai with PM 1o at 137. Though it is not as severe as Delhi but is quite high considering the fact that Mumbai is along the sea. Tomorrow, air quality is expected to be around 141, SAFAR said.

According to a May 2018 report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Delhi featured in the list of the 20 most polluted cities in the world.