The air quality in the national capital remained in ‘poor’ category even on Sunday morning. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the air quality index (AQI) around ITO was recorded at 284.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), an air quality index between 0-50 is categorized as “good”, 51-100 as “satisfactory”, 101-200 as “moderate”, 201-300 as “poor”, 301-400 as “very poor” and 401-500 as “severe”.
According to IMD, the sky is likely to remain clear on Sunday and the temperature will be around 33 degrees Celsius (maximum) and 19 degrees Celsius.
Local resident Aryan Gupta said that cyclists like him have trouble breathing due to air pollution.
He told ANI, “Like every year, pollution persists in Delhi. It is causing breathing problems, especially for cyclists like me. I have cycled for 20 kilometers from Rohini. I have sinus, so it is difficult for me to breathe properly. There is also a burning sensation in the eyes. Closing schools and colleges is a temporary solution.”
He said that although bursting of firecrackers increases pollution, it is not the main reason. Factors like burning of crops, smoke from vehicles increasing pollution in Punjab, and now crackers around Diwali will lead to deterioration in air quality in the capital.
He further said, “Delhi is a landlocked area, so pollution comes here from neighboring states like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab. Therefore, we can deal with it by installing smoke towers and artificial rainfall. The main contributor to this is not firecrackers, but vehicular emissions and burning of crops.”