NEW DELHI: The air quality in the Capital on Monday slipped to ‘severe’, as heavy and stagnant air prevented dispersion of pollutants, the authorities said. Air quality dropped alarmingly in as many as 19 areas of the national capital on Monday.
According to data released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the city’s air quality index (AQI) on Monday was at 403. The pollution watchdog further said that the count of particulate matter PM 2.5 (with diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres) was at 257 and PM10 level was at 445. An AQI between 201 and 300 is considered ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’ and 401 and 500 ‘severe’.
The air quality in the National Capital Region (NCR), especially Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Noida, also dropped to the ‘severe’ category. In Noida, the AQI was at 452. The government-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting (SAFAR) put out a grim forecast for the city, saying that the air quality will deteriorate further over the next couple of days. However, it said that the air quality might improve on Wednesday if the city gets enough rain to hasten the dispersion of pollutants.“The expected fall in temperature and moderate fog is likely to increase pollution over the next two days is expected to the upper level of very poor,” SAFAR said.