Delhi air quality improves but pollution level remains ‘severe’

Delhi’s pollution level continued to remain in the ‘severe’ category for the sixth straight day on Sunday even as the air quality improved rapidly, monitoring agencies said.

Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research Institute (SAFAR) said that the pollution level in Delhi that dropped down to ‘severe plus’ category came to ‘severe’ state following rapid dispersion of pollutants after local winds picked up speed.

As per the new data released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the PM10 level was recorded at 424 in Delhi-NCR and 420 in Delhi on Sunday.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) of the city remained severe at 402. An AQI between 0-50 is considered ‘good’, 51-100 ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 ‘moderate’, 201-300 ‘poor’, 301-400 ‘very poor’, and 401-500 ‘severe’.

The PM2.5 level that deteriorated from “very poor” to “severe” has now come to “poor” category. It was 110 in Delhi-NCR and 107 in Delhi today, the CPCB data said.

(With inputs from PTI)