Worst crisis: Air remains in severe' category for fourth consecutive day

NEW DELHI: Delhi’s air quality remained in the “severe” category for the fourth consecutive day on Tuesday as meteorological conditions continued to be unfavourable for dispersion of pollutants, authorities said.

The city is facing its worst pollution crisis since Diwali. While the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed the overall air quality index (AQI) at “severe” level of 416, the Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting (SAFAR) recorded an AQI of 423.

Twenty-five areas recorded severe pollution levels, while nine recorded very poor air quality, the CPCB data showed. In the NCR, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Noida recorded severe pollution while Gurgaon recorded “very poor” quality air.

The overall PM2.5 level (fine particulate matter in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometre) was recorded at 271 and the PM10 level at 422 here, the CPCB said. Delhi’s air quality had turned “severe” on Saturday.

The national capital recorded its second highest pollution level of the year on Sunday.

According to the SAFAR, the overall air quality in Delhi is expected to remain in the “severe” range till Tuesday.

“Recovery got delayed mainly due to slowing of wind speed, leading to persistence of fog which rapidly multiplied finer particles, leading to rapid increase in PM2.5 and even PM1 (fine particulate matter in the air with a diameter of less than 1 micrometre),” it said.

“Improvement is expected from late Tuesday evening only when radiation fog get dissipated with sufficient sunshine,” it added. According to the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), air quality will remain in the upper end of the “very poor” or in the “severe” category.

“The wind speed and ventilation index are highly unfavourable for dispersion of pollutants,” it said.