On Sunday, all the pollution measuring stations in Delhi-NCR showed a severe pollution level but on a very higher side.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Air quality in Delhi-NCR deteriorated even after light rains on Saturday evening & Sunday morning
- Overall AQI recorded in Delhi early on Sunday morning was 447, it was 402 on Saturday evening
- Air quality in most Delhi areas still in severe category, worst pollution level in ITO area at 486
On Sunday, all the pollution measuring stations in Delhi-NCR showed a severe pollution level but on a very higher side.
Two days after the Delhi-NCR recorded its worst air quality forcing authorities to shut schools, ban construction activities and declare a public health emergency, the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) was at 447 at 5:30 am. The overall AQI in Delhi was 402 at 8 pm on Saturday.
Even after dampening rain, Delhi’s air pollution is so thick you can’t see the city. Air quality index (AQI) is at a putrid 723+. The international threshold for health-threatening pollution is 30.
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 air quality above 500 falls in the ‘severe plus’ category.
The share of stubble burning in Delhi’s pollution reduced from 44 per cent on Friday, the season’s highest, to 17 per cent on Saturday, government air quality monitor SAFAR said.
A Supreme Court mandated panel on Friday declared a public health emergency in Delhi-NCR in view of alarming levels of air pollution and imposed a ban on all construction activities till November 5.
Earlier, the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority had banned construction activities only for the period between 6 pm and 10 am till November 2. Now, no construction can take place even in day time.
Delhi receives mild showers, visuals from INA flyover.
While Skymet had predicted that parts of Delhi-NCR would receive light showers on Saturday evening, experts said air pollution would remain as bad as it has been for the past few days and people would have to wait for five more days for a good amount of rain.
While the drizzles cannot dilute the pollutants, it has been expected that the NCR could witness a good amount of rain along with good wind speed facilitating respite from bad air on November 7 and 8.
Prasanta Patnaik