Mercury dips in Delhi, 'very poor' air quality makes life uneasy

North India is in the grip of severe cold wave these days. Temperature in the national capital dipped to 5.4 degrees Celsius on Monday morning. To make the thing worse, air quality in Delhi deteriorated further making life uneasy.

New Delhi: Further intensifying the ongoing winter chill, the temperature in the national capital plummeted to 5.4 degrees Celsius on Monday morning, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).The residents continue to breathe polluted air, as the Air Quality Index (AQI) was 222 for PM10 and 183 for PM2.5.

As the PM10 exceeded 100, the IMD has issued a "moderate" health advisory which means that sensitive people should consider reducing prolonged or heavy exertion and heavy outdoor work.

The PM2.5 level was also under the 'very poor' category. Usually, the air quality is categorised as 'good' when the AQI is between 0 to 50; 'satisfactory' between 51-100; 'moderate' between 101-200; 'poor' between 201-300; 'very poor' between 301-400; 'severe' between 401-500; and 'hazardous' at over 500.

The weather agency has predicted maximum temperature likely to hover around 19 degrees Celsius and the minimum may further drop to 3 degrees. In the past 24 hours, the maximum temperature was recorded at 19.2 degrees Celsius, three notches below the normal, and the minimum was 3.2 degrees.

Delhi, generally, has good to satisfactory air quality. However, the pollution levels during October to February due to various factors including road dust, vehicle pollution, stubble burning, and cold weather lead to a deterioration in the AQI.

IANS