According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), a layer of smog dominated the city skies as people gasped for fresh air.
Vehicles (representative image)
Delhi’s air quality slipped into “severe” category on Wednesday with the average AQI reading of 426 as the city residents continued to brace themselves against impure air.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), a layer of smog dominated the city skies as people gasped for fresh air. It said the city’s air is filled with pollutants, primarily PM 2.5 and PM 10. Particulate matter PM 2.5, which is considered bad for health, is above the safe limit.
Notably, a marginal dip was witnessed in the severity of air on Tuesday, with the AQI (air quality index) reading below 400 mark, falling under ‘very poor’ category.
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Areas with the highest AQI in Delhi on Wednesday were Punjabi bagh- 465, Nehru Nagar- 459, Rohini and Bawana- 456, Jahangirpuri- 455, Anand Vihar- 449, and Mundka- 446.
The heart of the city, Connaught Place and surrounding areas, too recorded AQI levels above 400 and Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium clocking an AQI of 425, according to Mandir Marg air monitoring station readings.
Markets in the city also wore a dull look with shopkeepers blaming pollution for hurting their business. They rue that few people are stepping out even during festive times.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) suggested unfavourable conditions, with relative humidity pegging at 91 per cent, while the minimum temperature was recorded at 15.1 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.
Delhi’s adjoining cities of Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida, Faridabad and Gurugram too recorded toxic air with its quality varying from ‘severe’ to ‘very poor’.
Faridabad on Wednesday recorded an AQI of 425, Noida- 405, Greater Noida- 478, Gurugram- 385 and Rohtak- 362.
Meanwhile, the Delhi government also announced rescheduling of winter vacations in schools amid the spike in pollution levels. The schools will remain shut from November 9 to November 18, it said.
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