The effect of air pollution has started showing in Delhi-NCR. The air quality in Delhi has deteriorated over the past few days due to stubble burning in neighboring states. The air quality in Delhi fell in the 'very poor' category on Sunday. According to the Air Quality Monitor System of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, the AQI of the city stood at 304 at 6:30 am.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted and told how incidents of stubble burning have increased. Also, he writes that pollution has gone into the bad category.
According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the contribution of stubble burning to Delhi's air has suddenly increased to 14%. According to the Centre-run pollution monitoring system, the concentration of 10 and 2.5-micron diameter particulate matter (PM) was recorded at 253 (poor category) and 125 (very poor category) respectively at 6:30 am on Sunday.
The concentration of PM 2.5 particles was recorded at 306 in the Delhi University area. In the Mathura Road area, it was recorded at 329, both of which fall in the 'very poor' zone. Meanwhile, Aya Nagar, IIT Delhi, and Lodhi Road recorded 'poor' air quality, with PM 2.5 concentrations at 259, 256, and 293 respectively. Similarly, in Uttar Pradesh's Noida, the air quality remained in the 'very poor' category, with PM 10 and PM 2.5 concentrations at 314 and 313, respectively. Haryana's Gurugram also recorded 'very poor' air quality.
SAFAR said in the health advisory that vulnerable people should avoid all physical activity outside and stay indoors. Asthma patients have been urged to keep medicines handy. In general, people should discontinue any activity if they experience any unusual cough, difficulty breathing, chest discomfort, or fatigue.