Air quality in the national capital remained in the “poor” category on Wednesday as well with smog covering skies. The Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 235 as per the data shared by Central Pollution Control Board till 7 am on Wednesday.
The air quality in the National Capital Region also remained between ‘moderate’ and ‘poor’ categories with AQIs at 158 in Gurugram, 248 in Greater Noida, 170 in Noida, and 179 in Faridabad.
AQIs in other cities of the country where the air quality was recorded in ‘moderate’ category include Ahmedabad (141), Chennai (126), Lucknow (150), Mumbai (163), Patna (142), Pune (126), and Jaipur (134), according to the CPCB data.
An AQI between zero 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'.
With constantly deteriorating air quality, residents in Delhi expressed their concerns. Suyog Salukhe, a cyclist near India Gate said, "The winters have not even begun but the pollution level is already going up."
ALSO READ: ‘Banned Crackers, Public Needs To Cooperate’: Delhi Minister Says GRAP-II Likely Ahead Of Diwali
"As cyclists, when we step put of our house at 5 am, we expect the air to be pure but that is not the case these days. It takes a toll on our health," Salukhe told news agency ANI.
"Pollution is high. I am from Guwahati and I came here only yesterday," said Bishnu Kumar Pal who was on a morning walk around Red Fort area. "The pollution is not this high there...I have been carrying the mask, everyone should have this. I am aged, I can face breathing problems due to pollution so I need to stay safe," he added.
The air quality in the national capital remained in the ‘poor’ category on Tuesday as well. The 24-hour average AQI stood at 220, improving from 263 at 4 pm on Monday.
For the first time since May, Delhi’s air quality turned ‘very poor’ on Sunday mainly due to drop in temperature and wind speed which allowed pollutants to accumulate. A few incidents of burning firecrackers were also reported on Tuesday on account of Dussehra.
ALSO READ: Delhi Air Remains 'Very Poor', AQI Breaches 300-Mark In Many Places Across City
On Monday, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said that eight more pollution hotspots have been identified by the government in addition to the existing 13 in the national capital and special teams will be deployed there to check pollution sources.
The government has also decided to use suppressant powder to prevent dust pollution in the city, he added.
The minister also said that the government was moving towards the implementation of the second phase of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) ahead of the festival of Diwali.