New Delhi: This morning Delhiites woke up to a hazy sky even after air pollution levels in the national capital has seen a significant improvement on Wednesday with several parts of the city reporting Air Quality Index (AQI) in the ‘poor’ category, while some even reported AQI in the ‘moderate’ category.
As per data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 234 in Rohini, 231 in Ashok Vihar, 225 in RK Puram, 222 in Dwarka, 213 in Anand Vihar, 212 in ITO, 210 in Patparganj and 181 in Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, with most of them in the ‘poor’ category.
As a layer of haze lingered in the sky of Delhi, a local resident said ANI, “There used to be dense smog, we used to feel irritation in eyes but it is better after the rain. Today it is hazy again. A permanent solution is needed.”
This is a significant improvement from the air pollution levels of the last few days, which soared due to the use of firecrackers in Diwali. However, according to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), this drastic improvement in the air quality will be a short-lived one as the AQI might further deteriorate to the higher end of poor to lower end of very poor category on November 19 and 20.
An AQI between 0-50 is marked good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101- 200 is moderate, 201- 300 is poor, 301-400 is very poor and 401-500 is considered severe.
Meanwhile, the Delhi government on Monday launched the second phase of the ‘Red Light On, Gaadi Off’ campaign to curb air pollution in the National Capital.