Cold winter conditions persisted in Delhi on Thursday with a thick smog filming the city, which left the quality of the air in the poor category at most monitoring stations. Statistical reports published by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) demonstrated that the total Air Quality Index (AQI) in the capital amounted to 277, which indicates the long-term pollution rates in low temperatures and poor weather conditions.
Some of the city areas also experienced another decline in air quality, falling to the very poor category. Anand Vihar registered 324 AQI whereas Chandni Chowk was 320. Jahangirpuri recorded AQI of 327, Jawaharlal Nehru stadium was on 306 and Nehru Nagar, the worst among the major locations, was 343. There was more smog concentration in these areas, which may have been caused by the source of local emissions with limited dispersal because of still winds.
Conversely, there were other areas which exhibited a comparatively positive air quality, albeit belonging to the category of poor. The highest AQI was 296 that Ashok Nagar registered, whereas IGI Airport registered 207, ITO 270, and Burari 231. Irrespective of these insignificant changes, the pollution levels in the city were far beyond safe levels.
CPCB standards define an AQI of 0 to 50 as good, 51 to 100 as satisfactory, 101 to 200 as moderate, 201 to 300 as poor, 301 to 400 as very poor and 401 to 500 as severe. Excessive exposure to the poor and very poor air may lead to breathing difficulties especially to the children, the elderly and the respiratory sick.
The ever-present smog was accompanied by the first cold day of the season happening in Delhi on January 6, with the temperature dropping drastically. Those in charge of weather observed that cold temperatures, large humidity and low wind speed during winter mostly cause pollutants to be near the surface and this aggravates the quality of air.
Experts have recommended that people should not do outdoor activities at the time of the day that there is the highest pollutant and should take all the precautions since cold and contaminated weather is likely to persist.
Join our whatsapp group for Latest updates
Click Here for Chhattisgarh News
Click Here for Entertainment News