The festival of lights is around the corner and so is the pollution that it brings. The air quality in Delhi has already plunged to its “lowest” violating the hazardous “red zone” for the first time in the season.
The city’s air quality index (AQI) has reached 318. An AQI of more than 300 is considered very poor. This reading is based on the findings of the CPCB and SAFAR.
The contributors to this low air quality coupled with smog are pre-Diwali traffic, smoke from crop fires and changing weather conditions. The onset of the winters is likely to aggravate the pollution of the city and with Diwali in sight, there seems no immediate respite.
Dussehra celebrations have also contributed to the pollution levels of the city.
Surprisingly, the US Embassy which is located in the slightly less polluted area in Chanakyapuri also showed “unhealthy” air quality levels with an index of 177 as per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB),
(With inputs from The Times of India)
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