Delhi's air quality may worsen due to western dust storms

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The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, here on Tuesday, said the air quality of the national capital could to deteriorate due to approaching dust storms from western India."Long-range dust transport from the dry arid western region is expected by April 15 to further deteriorate AQI (air quality index) towards the lower-end poor category," the Ministry said.

This has come a day after the city saw 'moderate' AQI at 126, the highest so far during the lockdown. The air quality was largely in the 'satisfactory' range throughout this period.

The air quality deterioration could be attributed to external dust and had nothing to do with the local emissions, the Ministry said.

Kuldeep Srivastava, head of the regional meteorological centre at the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), told IANS tiny particles known as PM10 would be the main pollutant due to lifting of dust.

"Due to western winds, low humidity, rise in temperature and no rainfall, dust is lifting and blowing towards Delhi from Rajasthan. This will deteriorate the air quality of the region," he said.

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