The overall Air Quality Index for the city on Tuesday settled at 254 at 4:30 pm according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Even as Delhi's air quality improved marginally up from the 'very poor' zone over the weekend to 'poor' category on Tuesday, experts have warned that it will deteriorate in the coming days due to meteorological changes with toxic air coming out of a fire at Bhalswa landfill site acting as a catalyst. The overall Air Quality Index for the city on Tuesday settled at 254 at 4:30 pm according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
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'.
On Sunday, as wind speed increased, the AQI came down to 292- poor marker on the CPCB data scale, from Saturday's 'very poor'AQI as an aftermath of Dusshera festivity on Friday. The AQI on Saturday was 326. The air further improved on Monday due to fast winds, blowing at the speed of 20 kilometre per hour, pollutants got dispersed, thus bettering the air. According to IMD officials, the wind, however, will change its direction to easterly. "It will also calm down, hence slowing down the rate of dispersion of pollutants. The pollution level will increase in coming days," the official said.
Meanwhile, the fire was at Bhalswa was extinguished Monday by a team of firefighters even as the area's civic body said it was keeping a watch on it, while Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain directed the municipal corporation to work on preventing landfill site fires. Anumita Roychowdhury of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Monday said, as winter approaches, toxic air emanating out of such landfill fires is likely to affect the air quality."If the wind speed is lower and the temperature dips, the polluted air coming out of landfill fires will get trapped, which would severely affect the air quality," she said.The Supreme Court-appointed Environment Protection Control Authority (EPCA) had last week held a meeting with officials of Punjab, Haryana and the Delhi governments to discuss the pollution situation in the national capital.
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