Delhi’s air pollution levels are rising every passing day with the average Air Quality Index (AQI) climbing to 364 on Wednesday, registering an increase of 37 points compared to the previous day.
The air quality worsened to the ‘severe’ category across three areas in the city — Anand Vihar, Jahangirpuri, and Vivek Vihar — where AQI levels stood above 401 points. This is enough to affect healthy people, and seriously impact those with pre-existing health conditions.
Amidst worsening air quality, residents woke up to a smoggy morning, with average AQI levels well above the 300-mark, sufficient to cause discomfort, especially for those with chronic breathing disorders.
The national capital’s air quality is currently categorised as ‘very poor’ and may deteriorate into the ‘severe’ category in the coming days due to unfavorable weather conditions, including lower wind speeds, a forecast by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) said on Wednesday.
According to the IITM’s Air Quality and Weather Bulletin for Delhi, “The outlook for the next 6 days indicates that the air quality is likely to remain in the ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ category. Meteorological conditions are unfavourable for the effective dispersion of pollutants, as calm winds prevail at night.
This time of year has been infamous for health issues related to elevated pollutant levels over the past few years.
Speaking to The Statesman, a private company employee, who wore a mask on his way to the office in the morning, said that it has become his new normal, especially from November to January, as the city’s air quality deteriorates during this period.