City air quality dips again after a brief breather
After breathing easy for the last few days, the Delhiites once again experienced poor air quality levels on Friday.
The air quality was in the moderate category for few days but turned ‘ poor’ with the levels of PM 2.5 climbing twice the prescribed standards.
As per the Central Pollution Control Board ( CPCB), the value of the air quality index ( AQI) was recorded at 266 — in the ‘ poor’ category — at 7 pm on Friday.
As per Safar, the average concentration of PM 2.5 was 124 microgram per cubic metre ( μg/ m ³ ) , in the ‘ very poor’ category, while particulate matter ( PM) 10 was at 232 μg/ m ³ .
PM 2.5 and PM 10 are ultrafine particulates, which remain suspended in the air, and are capable of making inroads into the human lungs and blood tissues, increasing the risk of heart and lung diseases.
The real time figures at individual monitoring stations across the city were also high and places like Anand Vihar and North Campus ranged in the ‘ very poor’ category.
Experts attributed this to calm wind conditions prevailing in the city since Thursday.
“Till Thursday, the pollution levels were in the moderate category, but they suddenly turned ‘ poor’ on Friday. Delhi was seeing strong wind conditions during the last few days. However, it is calm now. That could be the reason why the pollutants have not dispersed and are trapped in the city’s air,” said Dr Gufran Beig, the project director of Safar.