Here we go again: Delhi air quality dips, to remain 'very poor' for 48 hours

Air quality in the capital is set to remain 'very poor' for the next 48 hours. In neighbouring Noida, it fell from 'moderate' to 'poor' in the last 24 hours.

IndiaToday.in  | Edited by Ganesh Kumar Radha Udayakumar
New Delhi, October 14, 2017 | UPDATED 22:31 IST
An auto-rickshaw driver wears a mask to protect himself from the pollution in Delhi in November last year. (File photo: Reuters)An auto-rickshaw driver wears a mask to protect himself from the pollution in Delhi in November last year. (File photo: Reuters)

North-westerly winds carrying pollutants from Punjab and Haryana have exacerbated Delhi's poor air quality, weather analysts say.

Air quality in the capital is set to remain 'very poor' for the next 48 hours. In neighbouring Noida, it fell from 'moderate' to 'poor' in the last 24 hours.

Satellite images show stubble-burning in parts of the capital, Haryana, Punjab and western Uttar Pradesh.

On Monday, the Supreme Court upheld a ban on sale of firecrackers in New Delhi and the NCR. It later refused to change its decision, and said it would determine after Diwali whether pollution levels have changed.

Here's your 5-point cheat sheet on the current quality of air in Delhi and its environs, and what we can expect in the days to come.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
  1. The average PM 2.5 (particles with a diameter less than 2.5 mm) level in Delhi was 122 units till 8 pm today. That's considered 'very poor.' It crossed that mark in several parts of the city, including Indira Gandhi International Airport.
  2. The System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), which provided this data, says the avarage PM 2.5 level will be as high as 127 units tomorrow, and 125 on Monday. Central Pollution Control Board data shows that it was a staggering 209 units at Anand Vihar and 143.31 at RK Puram in the last 24 hours.
  3. SAFAR officials have asked people, especially children, senior citizens and those with heart and lung diseases, to avoid prolonged or heavy extertion.
  4. High ozone levels were also recorded in some places, including Delhi University's North Campus. Ozone aggravates respiratory problems, especially chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). State of Global Air 2017 said that India now accounts for the maximum number of premature deaths from ozone air pollution in the world.
  5. Major city hospitals have seen a spike in the number of patients complaining of respiratory issues. Medical experts say most of them are being diagnosed with bronchitis and advanced asthma. But they also think the volume of patients will be smaller than in 2016, thanks to the ban on cracker sales and efforts to control stubble burning in neighbouring states.

Inputs from agencies