Air quality in Delhi improved and was logged between moderate and poor levels. Fine respirable pollutants was reported to have dispersed “considerably” across the Capital on the second day of the enforcement of the odd-even vehicle rationing scheme.
This even as the Delhi government claimed initial trends pointed at restrictions imposed on the plying of vehicles as per the provisions of the scheme showed it was expected to have a “positive impact” on Delhi's air quality but said that a “concrete assessment” would be made after assessing the data related to four-five working days.
The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) released ambient air quality data from 74 locations in and around Delhi on Friday which was collected by mobile teams collecting air quality data to check the levels of PM2.5 and PM10 to ascertain air pollution levels.
As per data released by the Delhi government, PM2.5 levels found within permissible limit (below 60) at 40 out of 74 locations while PM10 levels at a majority of locations were recorded below the level of 200.
Meanwhile, the eight-hour average of Ozone, a gaseous pollutant, also dipped below 40 parts per billion (ppb) which was a sharp drop from Friday and the day before. Its eight hour notified average safe limit is 100 micrograms per cubic metre.
The eight monitoring stations of the Centre’s SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research) put air quality between moderate and poor with the forecast being the same.
On Friday, air quality had dipped owing to pollutants- laden wind blowing from the north-west direction. SAFAR’s data showed that 24-hour-average of PM2.5 was at 106 micrograms per cubic metre (ug/m3) at 6 PM today. The same was over 120 ug/m3 on April 15 around the same time.
The safe levels of PM2.5 and PM10 are 60 and 100 ug/m3 respectively, anything beyond which are considered hazardous for the respiratory system.
The eight-hour average of Ozone, a gaseous pollutant, also dipped below 40 parts per billion (ppb) which was a sharp drop from Friday and the day before
