Air quality is expected to improve on Thursday; people told to avoid outdoor physical activities

The air quality of Delhi worsened to “severe” category on Tuesday, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 413 at 8.30 a.m., according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The air quality is expected to improve to “very poor” category on Thursday.

‘Severe’ air quality can cause respiratory problems to healthy people and serious health impact on people with lung or heart diseases, according to authorities.

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The level of PM 2.5 — deadly respirable particles, which is a chief pollutant — was 4.7 times (283.9 ug/m3) the safe limit (60ug/m3) as per Indian standards in Delhi and NCR at 8 a.m., according to the CPCB. But the level of PM 2.5 is more than 11 times the safe limit (25 ug/m3) set by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

People are advised to avoid all outdoor physical activities, skip morning walks and close room windows. “Stop any activity if you experience any unusual coughing, chest discomfort, wheezing, breathing difficulty or fatigue and consult a doctor,” an advisory by government-run monitoring agency System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) said.

The air quality has deteriorated because of low wind speed, cloudy conditions and an increase in contribution of stubble burning in neighbouring States, according to SAFAR.

Delhi’s AQI on Monday was 360 (very poor), slightly up from 321 (very poor) on Sunday, according to the 4 p.m. bulletin by the CPCB, which is the average of the past 24 hours. An AQI between 0-50 is considered “good” and 51-100 “satisfactory”.