Haze engulfs Delhi and nearby areas as air quality deteriorates further

In NCR, Ghaziabad, Greater Noida, Gurgaon, Faridabad and Noida recorded 'very poor' air quality

In no deviation from the usual these days, Delhiites woke up under a pall of thick haze on Wednesday with the air quality remaining in the 'very poor' category in the national capital on the second consecutive day after it showed signs of improvement.

The overall air quality index (AQI) of Delhi was recorded at 360, which falls in the 'very poor' category, according to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting (SAFAR).

The level of PM2.5 -- particles in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres -- was recorded at 198 and the PM10 level was recorded at 340, SAFAR said.

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 CPCB said Ashok Vihar, Mundaka, Narela and Wazirpur recorded 'severe' air quality, while 22 areas of Delhi recorded 'very poor' air quality.

In the National Capital Region (NCR), Ghaziabad, Greater Noida, Gurgaon, Faridabad and Noida recorded 'very poor' air quality, the CPCB data said.

According to the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, a haze has engulfed the national capital and the wind speed and ventilation index are "extremely unfavourable" for dispersion of pollutants.

Ventilation index determines how fast pollutants can get dispersed.

The ventilation index of around 6,000 sqm/second gets rid of pollutants, but it came down to 1,500 sqm/second on Tuesday in the city.

"The air quality is very poor and as expected, gradual increasing trend is noticed," SAFAR said.

"It is likely to remain very poor with a gradually increasing trend till Wednesday without any major episode and then likely to decline but continue to remain in very poor," it said.

"The surface wind speed further declined as compared to yesterday. All other meteorological factors are unfavourable and likely to remain so at least until tomorrow. The contribution from stubble biomass has almost seized," the SAFAR said. 

Meanwhile, in order to combat air pollution, the Delhi government on Tuesday released the draft of Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy 2018 for public comments.

"About 30 per cent of particulate pollution in winter is caused by vehicles. A rapid adoption of zero-emission electric vehicles is therefore of great importance to Delhi. Recognising the need for a new approach to kick-start electric vehicle adoption, we have drafted a comprehensive Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy with an aim to make Delhi a leader in the adoption of electric vehicles. We believe that going electric and breathing better are two sides of the same coin," Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said in a statement.