Air quality nosedives as moisture traps pollutants

Despite scattered showers, there was no let up in the amount of suspended particulate matter in the capital's air, with several areas recording "very poor" quality on a day the pollution is expected to reach its "peak".

SAFAR stations in densely populated urban areas such as Delhi University, Pitampura, and IGI airport as well as those in relatively isolated zones such as Dhirpur showed extremely high level of pollutants.

Permissible levels of PM (particulate matter) 2.5 and PM 10 are 60 and 100 respectively. Consistent exposure to anything beyond that can harm respiratory system.

Although, by afternoon, the quantity of both the fine particles, that can penetrate deep into the lungs, had reached alarming levels. Areas in and around DU had PM 2.5 and PM 10 levels at 357 and 301.

Around the same time, Northwest Delhi's Pitampura had PM 2.5 at 302 microgram per cubic metre and PM 10 at 271. The readings at Dhirpur, in the same order, were 325 and 340 respectively.

A senior IMD official said that the showers were not enough to disperse the particles in the air and the advantage gained in the next few days due to favourable conditions may be lost due to the possible spike in pollutants during Diwali.

Chief Project Scientist of System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) Gurfan Beig had yesterday forecast PM 2.5 levels at 252 and PM 10 at 413, classified as "severe".

However, the organisation also noted there will be some relief thereafter and the pollution level will see a marginal decline till November 7.

The figures by SAFAR is a round up of figures from 10 stations across the capital.

The Delhi government has written to Union Environment Ministry and requested it to issue directions to Haryana and Punjab governments to stop crop burning in their states, one of the major factors leading to smog in the capital.