Sunlight and wind on Monday helped lift the smog cover over Delhi slightly during the day, though average pollution levels remained severe.
After days of consistently hazardous levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), concentration levels across the city dipped considerably during the afternoon.
As per data from the Central Pollution Control Board for R.K. Puram, Anand Vihar, Mandir Marg and Punjabi Bagh monitoring stations, the average PM2.5 level at 5 p.m. was 131 micrograms per cubic metre, or twice the standard of 60. In comparison, the average for the same stations at 5 p.m. on Sunday was 552 micrograms per cubic metre, a whopping nine times the safe limit. At Anand Vihar, which has seen PM2.5 levels of over 800 micrograms per cubic metre over the past few days, the hourly concentration dipped to 142 at 5 p.m., as per the Delhi Pollution Control Committee.
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As per SAFAR index, PM levels are expected to decrease after Wednesday.