Delhi Wakes Up To Toxic Haze, Air Quality Drops To 'Severe' Level Again

Delhi woke up to a thick haze on Tuesday as the air quality once again dropped to 'severe' category.

According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the overall air quality of the national capital docked at 376 at 8:30 AM today.

At Dhirpur, the AQI was 388 while at Delhi University it was 382. At Lodhi Road and IIT Delhi, the AQI was 360 and 369 respectively.

Today, the minimum and maximum temperature of Delhi will hover around 14 degrees Celsius and 27 degrees Celsius with the humidity at 46 per cent. The shallow fog will engulf the region throughout the day.

The Center-run SAFAR has advised people to reduce prolonged or heavy exertion. "Take more breaks and do less intense activities.

Asthmatics, keep medicine ready if symptoms of coughing or shortness of breath occur. Heart patients, see doctor, if get palpitations, shortness of breath, or unusual fatigue," it said in an advisory.

During winter season each year, most of northern India suffers from a spike in toxicity in the air due to the change in weather patterns and crop residue burning in states of Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.

The national capital and the neighbouring states reeled under a thick haze, with air quality breaching the hazardous level last week. The air quality improved after winds and sporadic drizzle.

Even though Delhi is currently following the odd-even scheme, the air quality continues to remain toxic.

Earlier this month, the Delhi government had directed the closure of schools till November 5 and banned construction activities after the Supreme Court-mandated Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority declared a public health emergency as air quality plummeted.

The Delhi government has been blaming Punjab and Haryana for stubble-burning that adds to toxic air quality in Delhi-NCR.

(With Agency Inputs)