Air quality in Delhi remains 'very poor'

Delhi's average air quality on Sunday remained in the very poor category with a reading of 322 against Saturday's 306.

"Under calm surface winds, cool temperature, and high humidity, the air quality should have further deteriorated but the air quality remaining within the very poor quality, with not much change, is suggestive of some reduction in local emissions in Delhi," said System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) in its daily pollution analysis.

The agency also said that Delhi's moisture and humidity levels were both high, "an unfavourable condition for the pollutants to disperse".

It also said there is an insignificant intrusion from outside of the national capital which could be considered as an "ideal situation to gauge the impact of local emissions on Delhi".

"There will be an incremental increase towards the upper level of very poor air quality in the next two days as there is a moderate probability of formation of radiation fog under calm winds and high humidity," SAFAR said.

Data according to CPCB, meanwhile, showed Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) improving to 'poor' or 294 at 4 p.m. Faridabad was also in the poor category with AQI at 290. Ghaziabad and Greater Noida at 4 p.m were in the very poor category but Gurugram showed the most improvement with 'moderate' air quality at 177.

The average PM 2.5 readings at 6 p.m. were recorded at 168 micrograms per cubic metre, the average PM10 readings at the same time were 343 micrograms per cubic metre. The safe standard for both these ultra-fine particulates is 60 and 100 micrograms per cubic metres respectively.

--IANS

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