Delhi air quality hits alarming level, may worsen today

The Air Quality Index (AQI) in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) deteriorated on Saturday with drop in wind speed, and the authorities predicted further fall in the air quality index of the national capital in the coming days. The authorities have predicted further deterioration of air quality in the coming days. The PM2.5 level was forecast to reach very poor level by Sunday.

According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi on Saturday morning 699, which is considered way above hazardous.

However, at 4 pm, the AQI stood at 300, which still falls in the poor category and is just one point from being 'very poor'. On Friday, the AQI of the national capital stood at 154.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'.

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Besides Delhi, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gurugram and Noida recorded 'very poor' air quality levels, the data by the Central Pollution Control Board showed.

The CPCB said it is taking a slew of measures to fight pollution during the upcoming winter season.Recent images released by the NASA showed that the farmers in Punjab and Haryana have started burning crop residue earlier this month.

According to the NASA, burning crop residue in Punjab and Haryana has increased significantly over the past 10 days in and near Amritsar, Ambala, Karnal, Sirsa and Hisar.

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“Burning stubble is our last resort. We know it harms our families first since we reside near our farms. It destroys micronutrients , and we have to put up with all sorts of threats from the state government that files police cases and imposes hefty fines,” said Chamkaur Singh Nainewal, a farmer leader, during a rally in Punjab’s Barnala on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Mumbai's pollution plight has also got worse with the climate change as haze continued to cover the millennium city's skyline for the second day on Saturday. Here, the AQI was recorded at 175, which is quite high by Mumbai's standards. It is likely to go up in the coming days, according to reports.

(With PTI inputs)