The quality of air in Delhi improved on Thursday but continued to remain in the lower end of the ‘very poor’ category. Overall AQI recorded in the city this morning was 303, according to SAFAR data.
People in Noida (UP) and Gurugram (Haryana) breathed better on Thursday as the air pollution dipped to the ‘moderate’ zone, with an AQI of 237 and 239 respectively.
However, air quality remained ‘very poor’ in Ghaziabad as the AQI stood at 347, while Faridabad (Haryana) recorded AQI of 332 on 8 AM on Thursday morning.
Gusting winds at night, sporadic rains in adjoining states and a considerable drop in emissions from stubble burning has led to amelioration in the air pollution levels in Delhi-NCR in recent days.
Favourable wind speed — 10 to 18 kmph — is predicted to bring a considerable improvement in the air quality from November 11.
The Commission for Air Quality Management may also convene a meeting on Thursday to review the situation and revoke the curbs in Delhi-NCR under stage 3 (very poor air quality) of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
Farm fires in Punjab increased from 605 on Tuesday to 1,778 on Wednesday. However, their share in Delhi’s PM2.5 pollution dipped from 9 per cent on Tuesday to 5 per cent on Wednesday, according to data from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute and SAFAR.
BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers will continue to stay off roads in Delhi under stage 3 of GRAP.
Violation of the ban could invite a fine of Rs 20,000. Vehicles deployed for emergency services, and government and election-related work are exempted.
Ban on construction work in public projects such as highways, flyovers, power transmission, and pipelines will also remain in force.