Delhi: Worst air quality of season recorded today, citizens suffer
The residents of the Delhi/NCR woke up to a thick smog on Monday as air quality dipped drastically and remained severe. At Anand Vihar station, the Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 484, the worst reading of this season. At Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium area, AQI stood at 449. ITO was no better as the AQI there stood at 472. Here's more.
Akshardham Temple nearly invisible, smog engulfs Delhi's heart
Such was the severity of pollution on Monday that the iconic Akshardham Temple remained almost invisible even from a short distance. Right in the heart of the National Capital, where the Parliament, President's House, and other top government offices are, visibility remained dangerously low. As per News18, average AQI was registered at 459. Delhi's air quality has remained severe for quite some days now.
Here are the visuals from Akshardham Temple
AQI was better last morning, deteriorated thereafter
For the fourth consecutive day, the air quality remained "severe" on Sunday, with AQI being registered at 416. Yesterday, the pollution level was comparatively better in the morning but AQI slipped as the day progressed. It was recorded at 394 in the morning, but turned "severe" in the afternoon. The wind speed of 3 kmph ensured the pollutants don't disperse.
Stubble burning played its part as well
Further, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), stubble burning led to an increase in pollutants on Sunday. A day earlier, 3,780 farm fires were recorded, swelling the share in Delhi's PM2.5 level to 29%. "The wind direction was northwesterly, allowing pollutants from Punjab and Haryana to accumulate in Delhi," said IMD's Kuldeep Srivastava.
Air pollution is worsening the coronavirus crisis: Experts
Evidently, the hazardous level of air pollution in Delhi has led to a surge in coronavirus cases. For every day since November 3, the National Capital has reported over 6,000 fresh cases. 13% of them could be linked to air pollution, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) said on Saturday. The Body has asked citizens, especially high-risk individuals, to not venture outside.
Even healthy ones would face breathing issues: IMA
"Patients who are sensitive to respiratory diseases may find it difficult to breathe if air quality levels (AQI) is between 50 and 100. An AQI of 300 makes it difficult even those who are otherwise healthy," said IMA President Dr. Rajan Sharma
Highest-ever: 7,745 new coronavirus cases recorded on Sunday
Meanwhile, on Sunday, Delhi touched another grim milestone as 7,745 fresh coronavirus cases were recorded for the first time since the onset of the pandemic. 79 deaths were reported in the 24-hour period. As per reports, the total number of cases stands at 4,38,529. What's more worrying is that Delhi's coronavirus daily positivity rate is 15.3%, when the national average is 3.8%.
