Delhi: The air quality in the national capital was also recorded in ‘very poor’ category on Monday. The city remained in the grip of dense fog since morning, due to which visibility was significantly reduced and traffic was also affected. According to Central Pollution Control Board data, Delhi’s average air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 301 at 4 pm on Monday, which falls in the “very poor” category.
According to CPCB’s Sameer App, till 6 pm, 22 out of 38 monitoring stations in Delhi recorded the air quality in ‘very poor’ category. Anand Vihar was the most polluted area with an AQI of 395, while in Wazirpur the figure reached 385. However, it is a matter of relief that no center crossed the ‘serious’ category level.
According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the maximum temperature of Delhi on Monday was 29.5 degrees Celsius and the minimum was 17.3 degrees Celsius. Both the temperatures were recorded slightly above normal. The humidity level remained between 94 to 58 percent throughout the day, which further reduced the possibility of spread of pollutants.
According to the air quality management system of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), the contribution of transport to Delhi’s pollution was about 13.7 percent. Apart from this, Ghaziabad contributed 10.6 percent, Meerut contributed 4.8 percent and Delhi’s local emissions contributed 3.6 percent. The remaining 20 percent pollution came from other sources.
Satellite data received on October 26 revealed that incidents of stubble burning were recorded at 122 places in Punjab, 8 in Haryana and 186 places in Uttar Pradesh, due to which the pollution level increased further.
IMD has predicted slight change in the weather on Tuesday. The department says that fog and mist may persist on Tuesday morning, while the day will be partly cloudy and light rain or drizzle may occur in some areas. The maximum temperature is expected to be around 29 and minimum 18 degrees Celsius.
Health experts have advised citizens to avoid going out during morning and evening hours, when pollution levels are highest. Dr. Hinal Shah, consultant biochemist of Agillus Diagnostics, said that in winter the air becomes heavy, due to which the pollutants get stuck below. It can increase asthma, allergies and respiratory diseases. He advised wearing N95 masks and using air purifiers with HEPA filters.
