The air quality of the city continued to be in the “severe” category for the fifth consecutive day on Saturday and is likely to stay in the upper end of “very poor” to “severe” levels for the next two days, as per authorities.
“The AQI today indicates upper end of ‘very poor’ air quality. For the next two days [December 26 and 27], winds are likely to be low reducing ventilation of pollutants. Light rainfall due to western disturbance is likely tomorrow afternoon. AQI is expected to be in ‘upper end of very poor’ or ‘lower end of severe’ for the next two days,” Government-run monitoring agency SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research) said.
The main reason for the high pollution is a decrease in the mixing depth, which is the height up to which pollutants can be dispersed in the atmosphere.
The mixing depth generally decreases during winters compared to summers.
The AQI was 431 on Saturday, up from 415 on Friday, as per CPCB’s 4 p.m. bulletin, which is the average of the past 24 hours.
An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”.
