Delhi Air Quality Deteriorates to 'Very Poor' Category Day After Diwali Celebrations, North India Finds Difficult to Breathe
The worst air quality was recorded in Lodhi Nagar area, where the PM2.5 pollutants had crossed 500-mark in the early hours of the day, categorising the air quality in the locality as 'severe'. At all other weather stations in the national capital, the air quality was found hovering between 330 to 380 -- which is categorised as 'very poor'.
New Delhi, October 28: Residents of the national capital woke up to toxic breathe as the air quality index deteriorated to alarming levels a day after Diwali. The dip in temperature in the wee hours led to the further concentration of PM2.5 pollutants. According to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the overall air of Delhi remained in "very poor" category on Monday morning. Delhi Air Pollution: AQI Remains 'Poor' in Lodhi Road Due to Stubble Burning, Decrease in Wind Speed.
The worst air quality was recorded in Lodhi Nagar area, where the PM2.5 pollutants had crossed 500-mark in the early hours of the day, categorising the air quality in the locality as "severe". At all other weather stations in the national capital, the air quality was found hovering between 330 to 380 -- which is categorised as "very poor".
Breathing remained difficult across North India a day after Diwali, with Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad recording an air quality of 680 in the early hours of the day. In Lucknow, the AQI was 316, whereas, in Patna - the capital of Bihar - the air quality was recorded as 306 -- categorized as "poor".
The AQI remained poor across Punjab and Rajasthan as well, with the AQI measuring stations in Amritsar and Jaipur recording an air quality of 287 and 267, respectively. Jharkhand was an exception in the North, with the air quality found to be moderate (108) at the state's sole AQI measuring station in Jorapokhar.
Compared to the North, the air post-Diwali was at its cleanest level in Mumbai in the last five years. The AQI was found to be as "good" as 38 in Colaba, and 50 near Haji Ali. The relatively worst air quality was recorded in Navi Mumbai's Nerul, where a PM2.5 pollutant concentration of 144 was recorded.
The air quality after Diwali usually deteriorates in all parts of the nation as the bursting of firecrackers leads to an increase in the PM2.5 particles in the air. With the onset of Autumn -- when wind movement is stagnant -- the air quality takes nearly 48-72 hours to improve after the festival.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 28, 2019 08:51 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).