Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recorded the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi at 313.
The capital choked on 'very poor' air for the first time on Wednesday as the air quality deteriorated to an AQI of 313. According to authorities, several areas in the national capital are inching towards severe levels of pollution.
Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recorded the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi at 313.
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 that between 401 and 500 is categorised as 'severe'.
Several places in the national capital were only a few points away from plunging to the 'severe' category on Wednesday. Anand Vihar remained the most polluted part of Delhi with an AQI of 380, Dwarka Sector 8 registered an AQI of 376, ITO recorded an AQI of 295, Jahangirpuri recorded an AQI of 349 and Rohini had an AQI of 353, according to the CPCB.
The PM10 level (presence of particles with diameter less than 10 micrometres) in Delhi stood at 287 and the PM2.5 level was recorded at 131, according to the data.
This is the first time this season that the air quality has deteriorated to 'very poor' category. Experts have warned that the air quality will further deteriorate in the coming days with PM10 expected to reach 330 and PM2.5 151.
An official with the CPCB said a number of factors are responsible for deteriorating air quality, including vehicular pollution, construction activities and meteorological factors.
Meteorological factors also play a role, like a drop in and change of wind speed, which is now flowing from the stubble burning areas, another official said.
The deterioration of air quality comes days after the implementation of an emergency plan to combat air pollution. The GRAP, notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in 2012, has brought into force a set of measures to curb air pollution based on the CPCB's daily AQI.
The emergency plan was to be enforced in case of 'very poor' or 'severe' air pollution levels recorded for 48 hours. But given the extent of winter pollution witnessed by the national capital, the plan has been implemented with air quality slipping to the 'poor' category, the official said.
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