Delhi air improves to ‘poor’ category, students back in schools

As per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) 7 am bulletin, the air quality index (AQI) was 241 in the ‘poor’ category. On Tuesday, AQI was 324 in the ‘very poor’ zone.

Delhi’s air quality improved further on Wednesday morning, moving from ‘very poor’ to ‘poor’ category as schools reopened in the city and NCR region after Diwali break had to be extended owing to the toxic air quality.

Delhi’s air quality improved further on Wednesday morning (HT Photo/Arvind Yadav)

As per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) 7 am bulletin, the air quality index (AQI) was 241 in the ‘poor’ category. On Tuesday, AQI was 324 in the ‘very poor’ zone.

This is a major improvement from Sunday when the city had recorded the worst air day since 2016, with an AQI reading of 494.

As air quality improved, schools reopened on Wednesday with a large number of students seen using anti-pollution masks to protect them from health hazard.

However, pollution monitoring agencies had forecast that air quality could deteriorate briefly on Wednesday for reduced wind speed and cloud formation.

“A Western Disturbance is approaching Delhi. The wind direction will change to southwesterly, which may bring moisture leading to a dip in air quality, however, it won’t reach to ‘severe plus’ levels like Sunday,” said a senior scientist at the IMD.

On Tuesday the wind speed was around 20-25 kmph, which flushed the pollutants trapped in the air. This may reduce to 8-10 kmph on Wednesday.