The people of Delhi woke up to a smog-filled morning on Sunday. Smog has shrouded parts of the national capital, leading to a decreased visibility, according to reports.
Delhi: Smog shrouds parts of the national capital leading to decreased visibility; visuals from Geeta Colony, Laxmi Nagar and ITO areas. pic.twitter.com/wRUXzmKWCJ
— ANI (@ANI) December 13, 2020
According to the latest System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) data, the air quality in Delhi remained in the 'very poor' category in the morning.
Most of the areas in the national capital recorded air quality in the 'very poor' category on Sunday, with the AQI hovering between 336 and 368, said the SAFAR.
#WATCH I Delhi: Smog envelopes parts of the national capital; visuals from Ring Road near Burari pic.twitter.com/8b0eZfEQHb
— ANI (@ANI) December 13, 2020
The air quality in the National Capital Region (NCR), too, remained in the 'very poor' category. Both Noida and Gurugram recorded air quality in the 'very poor' category with an AQI of 379 and 342 respectively.
#WATCH | Fog engulfed parts of national capital region; visuals from CISF camp in Indirapuram, Ghaziabad. (12.12) pic.twitter.com/QABacbl7A7
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) December 12, 2020
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'. Calm winds and low temperatures trap pollutants close to the ground, while favourable wind speed helps in their dispersion. Mixing depth is the vertical height at which pollutants are suspended in the air. It reduces on cold days with calm wind speed.
Improvement in air quality soon?
As the PM2.5 (µgm-3) levels for the next 1-3 days will be around 172 (very poor), with the PM10 (µgm-3) around 295 (poor), according to the SAFAR, people have been advised to "stop outdoor activities, or if at all, wear mask in public places".
People have also been warned of associated symptoms like unusual coughing, chest discomfort, wheezing, breathing difficulty, or fatigue. Everybody needs to stay alert as studies suggest that "poor air quality can worsen the coronavirus situation in the country.
Meanwhile, officials said that stronger winds and rainfall could lead to an improvement in the air quality.
Accompanied by thunderstorms, light to moderate-intensity rainfall amounting to 1.6 mm occurred over East Delhi, Central Delhi, Northeast Delhi, South Delhi, New Delhi, Lodhi Road, Dwarka, Narela and Indira Gandhi International Airport on Saturday.
While issuing an 'Orange' alert for Delhi-NCR on Saturday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had said "Delhi will witness dense to very dense fog in the mornings for the next two days". Light to moderate rainfall brought the maximum temperature down in the national capital on Saturday.