The air quality in the national capital Delhi took a little dip on Wednesday as the wind changed its direction. According to authorities, the wind is now blowing from the Indo-Gangetic plains, bringing a higher level of pollution with it.
The air quality slipped from satisfactory to moderate category due to reversal of wind direction which has now started flowing from the polluted Indo-Gangetic plains, said Gufran Beig, Project Director at the central government-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).
An overall air quality index (AQI) of 140 was recorded at 4 pm on Wednesday which in the moderate category. On Tuesday the air quality in the national capital was in the satisfactory category.
"This happens every year when the wind direction changes," Beig said, adding that polluted wind combined with internal polluting factors in Delhi lead to a drop in air quality.
An AQI between 0-50 is considered Good, 51-100 Satisfactory, 101-200 Moderate, 201-300 Poor, 301-400 Very Poor, and 401-500 Severe.
The PM10 level (presence of particles with diameter less than 10mm) was at 179 in Delhi-NCR and 178 in Delhi on Wednesday, according to data by the Central Pollution Control Board. The PM2.5 level in Delhi-NCR was 64 and in Delhi was 59.
Every winter from past few years, national capital suffers toxic gas conditions as thick smog covers the city region, making life conditions hazardous. Since last year, the Supreme Court has ordered a slew of measures, including ban on burning crop waste in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and heavy traffic deviation from Delhi through peripheral expressways, to ensure a lower level of pollution during the sason. But how effective these measures will turn out to be remains to be seen.
(With inputs from PTI)
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