Delhi's Air Quality in Red Zone 1st Time Ahead of Diwali; Major Pollution Due to 'Local Sources'

Air quality in the national capital entered the “very poor” category for the first time this season on Tuesday due to unfavourable conditions for dispersion of pollutants, authorities said. Stubble burning accounted for six per cent of PM2.5 pollution in Delhi. The rest of the pollution is due to local sources, said Gufran Beig, the founder project director of SAFAR, a government framework for air quality forecasts.

It was earlier reported that air quality in Delhi may dip to the “very poor” category a day after Diwali, according to the Indian Meteorological Department’s (IMD) forecast.

The AQI is a number used by government agencies to assess and communicate air pollution levels to the public. A higher AQI indicates unfavourable health effects for a huge proportion of the population. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the capital recorded a 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) of 303. It was 281 on Monday, 289 on Sunday and 268 on Saturday. The neighbouring cities of Faridabad (306), Ghaziabad (334), and Noida (303) also recorded very poor air quality.

Delhi did not record even a single day of “very poor” or “severe air quality” in October as an extended monsoon season and western disturbances led to record-breaking rainfall in the month.

Meanwhile, the mercury rose by a few notches in the national capital on Tuesday, as the minimum temperature settled at 15.6 degrees Celsius, with a slight chill in the air. The relative humidity in the morning was recorded at 94 per cent, according to the India Meteorological Department.

The minimum temperature on Monday had settled at 13.6 degrees Celsius, while the maximum was recorded at 31.3 degrees Celsius. On Tuesday, the minimum temperature stood at 15.6 degrees Celsius, an IMD official said.

The weather department on Monday had said that the sky will be partly cloudy on Tuesday and the maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to settle around 30 degrees Celsius and 15 degrees Celsius respectively.

With inputs from PTI.

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