Delhi Air Pollution: Capital wakes up to hazy morning as AQI remains 'poor'

Delhi woke up to hazy morning as the air quality remained “very poor” on Tuesday due to slow wind speed and high humidity. According to the Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting (SAFAR), the overall air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 349 which comes under the “very poor” category. On Tuesday, the PM2.5 particles in the air was recorded at 184, while the PM10 level was recorded at 309, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data said. The air quality in Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Noida and Greater Noida was “poor” while Gurugram recorded “moderate” air quality, it 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”.

Delhi: Latest visuals from Rajpath. pic.twitter.com/wVzI6WpCl2

— ANI (@ANI) November 20, 2018

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The air quality is very poor and is expected to increase gradually in next two to three days, but be well within the ‘very poor’ limit, the SAFAR said in a report.

“At present, winds are unfavourable for dispersion but it may slow down any time with fall in temperature which is expected. Humidity is still high which is unfavourable. Fire counts from stubble burning declined and will have marginal impact,” it said.

A study pointed out that during the past two decades, Delhi's air quality was the "most deadly" in 2016 as it reduced the life expectancy of a resident by over 10 years. Even as the study asserted that the national capital was the second among 50 most polluted areas of the country, the Supreme Court-empowered Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) Chairman Bhure Lal said enforcing agencies were “completely dormant” and bodies like the DDA and the MCD were indulging in a blame game.

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Speaking at an event, Lal stressed the need to strengthen public transport, especially the bus fleet, while asserting that there was a “laxity of administration” in adopting measures for combating pollution.

North Delhi Mayor Adesh Gupta, however, rejected the allegation saying, the civic body “follows all instructions” as directed by the apex court-appointed monitoring committee while DDA Vice-Chairman Tarun Kapoor said the urban body discharged all its duty diligently.