Air pollution: Another day of 'very poor' air quality in Delhi and NCR

Delhi woke up to another day of bad air quality as the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 308 by the System of Air Quality Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), which falls in the "very poor" category.

To make matters worse, four fire-related incidents were reported in the capital in the last 24 hours including a fire at Bhalswa landfill site.

The PM2.5 (presence of particles in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres) was recorded at 130. The PM10 level (presence of particles in the air with a diameter of less than 10 micrometres) in Delhi stood at 250, according to the data from SAFAR.

An AQI between 0 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".

The permissible range or PM2.5 is 60 as per national standards and 25 by international standards.

The PM2.5, also called fine particulates, can be a matter of more serious health concern than PM10. 

PLACE	PM2.5	PM10
R K Puram	157	118
Anand Vihar	189	156
Dwarka	184	285
Gurgaon	309	218
Noida	302	218

(Source: CPCB, SAFAR and aqicn.org)
 

The slump in air quality is largely attributed to stubble-burning in neighbouring Punjab and Haryana and meteorological reasons such as low winds.

Delhi's air quality improved to 'poor' on Monday. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recorded the overall AQI of Delhi at 272 in the evening. However, SAFAR reported an AQI in the 'very poor' category.

An official on Sunday said the air quality of Delhi might deteriorate to "severe" category in the coming days as the air becomes heavier and results in the formation of smog.

The Supreme Court-appointed Environment Protection Control Authority (EPCA) on Friday had held a meeting with officials of the Punjab, Haryana and the Delhi governments to discuss the pollution situation in the national capital.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Friday had warned that Delhi would become a "gas chamber soon" as the Centre, the Punjab and the Haryana governments were doing "absolutely nothing" for farmers involved in stubble burning.