City’s air quality worsens, likely to deteriorate

AIR QUALITY INDEX WAS BELOW 200 TILL FRIDAY WHEN THE FIFA U17 WORLD CUP BEGAN BUT, OFFICIALS SAID IT SHOT UP TO 252 ON TUESDAY

The air quality in Delhi has worsened over the past four days with levels of particulate matter – pollutants that most commonly affect our health – shooting up drastically. The air likely to deteriorate further in the next two days, according to agencies that monitor air pollution.

“PM10 and PM2.5 are the primary pollutants,” said D Saha who heads the air quality laboratory of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

The Air Quality Index (AQI) maintained by the CBCB was below 200 till Friday when the FIFA U-17 World Cup began but, it shot up to 252 on Tuesday. An AQI score between 200-300 is classified as “Poor” as per CPCB standards, and it may cause “breathing discomfort to people on prolonged exposure, and discomfort to people with heart disease.”

The System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) predicted on Tuesday that the air quality will likely deteriorate in the next two days.

According to SAFAR’s website, levels of PM2.5 shot up from 74 on Friday to 109 on Tuesday and it is likely to increase to 112 over the next 48 hours. The level of PM10 was 142 on Friday but increased to 188 on Tuesday, and is likely to rise further.

Experts said that crop burning in Punjab and Haryana is the primary reason behind increasing air pollution in Delhi. Moreover, both meteorological conditions and wind pattern are unfavourable for Delhi.

“The wind speed is very low. The pollutants are not getting dispersed,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, a scientist with the regional weather forecasting centre (RWFC).