Delhi air in very poor category for third consecutive day

The air quality of the national capital remains 'very poor' for the third consecutive day on Friday and was likely to further deteriorate to the 'severe' category in some parts of the city on Saturday. The Center-run SAFAR has advised people residing in the national capital to reduce prolonged or heavy exertion.

New Delhi:The air quality of the national capital remained very poor for the third consecutive day with the overall Air Quality Index docking at 388 with PM2.5 at 235 and PM10 360.

According to SAFAR, the rise in air pollution is because of the prevalence of calm surface winds and a decrease in ventilation coefficient which creates a conducive environment for pollutant accumulation.

An AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 moderate, 201-300 poor, 301-400 very poor and 401-500 is marked as severe/hazardous.

The AQI was 379 in Dhirpur at 9 am and it dipped to 'severe' category at 425 in Mathura Road area.

The AQI near Pusa, Airport Terminal 3 and Delhi University stood at 352, 403 and 380 respectively.

In Pune, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad, the air quality remained in the moderate category with the AQI at 123, 149 and 109 respectively.

Today, the minimum and maximum temperature of Delhi will hover around 8 degrees Celsius and 24 degrees Celsius with the humidity at 46 per cent. A shallow fog will envelop the region throughout the day.

The Center-run SAFAR has advised people residing in the national capital to reduce prolonged or heavy exertion.

"Take more breaks and do less intense activities. Asthmatics, keep medicine ready if symptoms of coughing or shortness of breath occur. Heart patients, see a doctor if you get palpitations, shortness of breath, or unusual fatigue," it said.