Delhi's Air Quality Index dips to 408 mark

Air pollution in Delhi continued to choke its residents on Monday with the air quality index (AQI) touching the dangerous 408 mark.

The drop prompted environment experts to urge the government to issue health advisories.

The AQI of Delhi was second only to Lucknow, whose figure stood at 421, making it the city with the most poor air quality on Monday.

"The situation is really very bad and the quality of air in the coming days is going to be the same following the smog and stagnancy in the air," Vivek Chattopadhyaya of green think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) told IANS.

He urged the government to issue health advisories, as several people will suffer from breathing issues if the air quality remains the same.

The AQI of Delhi's adjoining areas also remained severe at the 405 mark.

Residents complained of breathing problems due to the poor air quality.

Priyanka Rai, a student of Delhi University who has to travel from west Delhi's Punjabi Bagh to Delhi University in the north, said: "I have never had breathing problems, but now I feel pain in my chest every time I step out of my house."

Anjali Mirchandani of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation said: "I, being an asthma patient, have been using a mask every day while travelling to my office. My visits to doctors have increased."