The air quality in the Capital reached the upper end of ‘very poor’ category on Thursday and it may enter ‘severe’ category on Saturday, said government-run monitoring agency System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).
On Wednesday, the average level of PM2.5 — deadly respirable particles, which is a chief pollutant — was 245.9 ug/m3, more than four times the safe limit of 60ug/m3, as per Indian standards, in Delhi and NCR at 9 p.m., according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) on Thursday was 382, up from Wednesday’s 296, according to the 4 p.m. bulletin by the CPCB, which is the average of the past 24 hours. An AQI between 0-50 is considered ‘good’ and 51-100 ‘satisfactory’.
The contribution of stubble burning in neighbouring States to Delhi’s pollution was 9% on Thursday and is likely to be 3% on Friday, which is very less compared to the high of 44% earlier this season, as per SAFAR.
People are advised to avoid all outdoor physical activity and keep medicine handy if they suffer from asthma. “Stop outdoor activity in early morning and after sunset. Avoid prolonged or heavy exertion. Go for a short walk instead of a jog and take more breaks. Stop any activity level if you experience any unusual coughing, chest discomfort, wheezing, breathing difficulty, or fatigue,” an advisory issued by SAFAR read.
“AQI is forecasted to deteriorate to the higher-end of the very poor category by tonight. Further deterioration is forecasted for tomorrow [Friday] and AQI is forecasted to stay at the border of very poor to the ‘severe’ category until December 7,” SAFAR said.
