Delhi breathing foul air as major pollutants in ‘poor’ category

Delhi’s overall AQI on Sunday was 305, which was in ‘very poor’ category.

Delhi woke up to a ‘poor’ category of air on Monday morning. According to the Air Quality Index (AQI) data, cited by news agency ANI, major pollutants PM 2.5 and PM 10 are at 206 and 214 respectively. On Sunday, PM 2.5 and PM 10 docked at 203 and 214 respectively, both in ‘poor’ category, in Lodhi Road area.

Delhi has been witnessing poor air quality since Sunday. (File Photo/AP)

Delhi’s overall AQI on Sunday was 305, which was in ‘very poor’ category.

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

According to government-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), “Everyone should reduce heavy exertion. People with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children should avoid longer or heavy exertion.”

Meanwhile, cold conditions continue to persist in the Delhi-NCR region with the minimum temperature touching seven degrees Celsius at Safdarjung observatory on Sunday while the maximum stood at 22, said the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

One extreme weather event happened in India almost every month between 2018 and 2019, according to a report released by the Centre for Environment and Science (CSE) on Sunday,

The findings claim that the continuity and intensity of extreme weather events in India in the 2018-19 period has taken even climate scientists and meteorologists by complete surprise.

“The world witnessed 286 and 228 extreme weather events in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Of these, India recorded 23 in 2018 and nine in 2019”, the report said.

India also witnessed the highest number of cyclones in a single year since 1976, said the report.