Delhi’s ‘very poor’ air quality may slip into ‘severe’ zone today

New Delhi: The air quality in Delhi continued to deteriorate, settling into the ‘very poor’ category on Thursday and is likely to become ‘severe’ by Friday, reported Hindustan Times.

Scientists at the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the wind speed was slow throughout Thursday and is expected to remain so by Friday afternoon which will push the air quality into the ‘severe’ zone.

Kuldeep Srivastava, head of IMD’s regional weather forecasting centre said: “The wind speed will remain low till Friday afternoon, after which it will start picking up.” He said pollution levels would start going down from Saturday.

System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the ministry of earth science’s weather and air quality monitoring centre, forecast said on Thursday that the share of crop stubble burning in the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana was 5 per cent. This is likely to reach 4 per cent on Friday.

Earlier this month, the Directorate General of Health Services had issued a public health advisory asking people to remain indoors, consult doctors in case of breathlessness or chest discomfort, use masks and public transport, among other things.

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