Delhi's air quality turns 'severe' again

Delhi's air quality turns 'severe' again

Delhi's air quality remained in the 'severe' category on Thursday, according to Central Pollution Control Board data.

Delhi's air quality index, or AQI, is 426 as a result of farm fires and vehicle emissions in neighboring states. Unfavorable weather conditions have also contributed to pollution in the national capital.

According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, the worst air quality in the city was in Jahangirpuri and Anand Vihar. The monitoring stations recorded a 24-hour average AQI of 460.

The areas that recorded Severe AQI are Alipur (439), Ashok Vihar (444), Bawana (456), Burari (443), Mathura Road (412), DTU (436), Dwarka (408), ITO (435), Mundka (438), Narela (447), Nehru Nagar (433), Patparganj (441), Rohini (453), Sonia Vihar (444), Vivek Vihar (444) and Wazirpur (444).

Ghaziabad (391), Noida (388), Greater Noida (390), Gurugram (391), and Faridabad (347) were consistently in the poorest category with AQI, CPCB data said.

An AQI between 401 and 500 is classified as severe, the worst band on the index. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", and 301 and 400 "very poor".

Experts say air quality in Delhi is worst from November 1 to November 15 as grass burning is at its peak during this period.

Fire counts indicating paddy residue burning saw a spike in Punjab on Wednesday, with 3634 fire incidents reported in a single day. 166 fires were reported in Haryana, 25 in Uttar Pradesh, and 63 in Rajasthan.

As Delhi is forced to breathe toxic air, many residents have reported breathing difficulties, with the elderly and school children being worst affected.

Medical experts say that prolonged exposure to toxic air, especially in the morning, can lead to serious health problems.

A private school, Shree Ram School, has suspended physical classes for students in view of deteriorating air quality at its branches in Delhi and Haryana. The school will conduct online classes from tomorrow.

Smoke from farm fires contributed up to 32 percent of the tiny PM 2.5 lung-damaging pollutants in the city's air, the highest in the past two years between mid-October and early November.

PM 2.5 is fine particles with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less that travel deep into the respiratory tract, reach the lungs, and enter the bloodstream.