New Delhi: There is some respite for the Delhiites, as the air quality has shown a slight improvement, but things are still dicey. The air quality on Saturday morning recorded 237 in the city; it was 283 yesterday. In spite of a minor dip, several areas, such as ITI Jahangirpuri, have been experiencing high pollution levels, where AQI has touched 265. Officials warn that pollution levels are likely to deteriorate during the time of Diwali, which is not far away.
The AQI of Anand Vihar recorded 367 on Saturday at 8 am, it was 218 on Friday. The weather in Delhi has been fluctuating. As per the IMD forecast, the temperature of the national capital is expected to drop on October 30-31. Recent cyclonic storm Dana is likely to hit Delhi’s weather over the weekend.
The shifting of weather and increasing pollution levels have created several health challenges for the people of the city. The polluted air is replete with harmful particles, resulting in increasing respiratory issues. More people are turning to hospitals suffering from pollution-related diseases.
Stage two of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) has already been implemented. This has provided some relief, as air quality has to some extent improved in several areas of Delhi. However, the Air Quality Early Warning System (EWS) for Delhi has predicted that air quality is expected to remain in the’very poor’ category to’severe’ range on Sunday.
Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai said that the government has been monitoring the hotspots across the city through drones, adding that his government is working round the clock to mitigate the air pollution.
