Pollution levels in Delhi NCR have spiked to ‘poor’ and ‘hazardous’ levels from fairly low numbers the previous week. The change is evident in major areas in and surrounding the national capital. The air pollution numbers (PM2.5) for Delhi have increased from an average of 49 on 1 October, to 169 on 10 October. PM 10 levels went up from 62 on 1st to 136 on 10 October.
For 10:00 AM on 11 October, the air quality index across Delhi NCR reads:
Anand Vihar — 220
RK Puram — 148
Noida Sector 125 — 155
Vasundhara, Ghaziabad — 357
New Delhi US Embassy — 189
JNU Stadium — 195
Punjabi Bagh — 199
The numbers in Vasundhara have crossed over to the hazardous levels in less than a week.
While it has been reported that Delhi saw the cleanest day following Dussehra in five years, the deteriorating air has raised alarms, especially with Diwali celebrations anticipated around the end of month. The fall in temperature, coupled with farm fires from the neighboring states are likely to worsen the quality of air in the coming weeks.
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