Delhi's air quality dipped alarmingly to the 'very poor' category on Tuesday due to highly unfavourable meteorological conditions, according to the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM).
The 24-hour air quality index of the city soared to 302 by 4 pm, prompting the CAQM, a statutory body responsible for planning and implementing air pollution reduction strategies in the Delhi-NCR, to call an emergency meeting.
It said representatives of the India Meteorological Department and the Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology attributed the dip in the air quality to "highly unfavourable meteorological conditions".
The particulate matter load over the region increased due to rapid changes in wind direction and speeds due to high convection rate and absolute dry conditions leading to continued suspension of dust and this may not be attributed to any specific local sector, it added.
The CAQM asked all the agencies concerned to intensify action to control dust pollution arising from construction and demolition activities, linear projects, roads and open areas.
