Despite the marginal improvement, air today remained toxic in Delhi and the wider National Capital Region on Wednesday morning. Without any rain in the forecast over the next week, experts foresee little immediate respite from the deteriorating air quality.
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AQI remains in ‘severe’ category
Delhi's overall AQI stood at 373, firmly in the severe category at 7 am, data from aqi.in showed. Although there were earlier concerns about Ethiopian volcanic ash passing over India en route to China, the IMD clarified that the plume was confined to the upper troposphere and would not influence India's weather or air quality.
The IMD’s forecast of “mainly clear sky” with shallow to moderate morning fog did little to raise hopes. No rain in sight means that the pollutants suspended in the air are unlikely to settle or disperse.
Particulate matter levels dip, but remain far above safe limits
According to aqi. in, the PM2.5 concentration recorded a considerable fall from 289 at 7 AM on Tuesday to 214 on Wednesday. However, the concentration remains much above the WHO's recommended 24-hour limit of 15 μg/m³.
PM10 levels - the principal pollutant in Delhi’s air, also fell but remained far above the WHO’s 24-hour limit of 45 μg/m³. The high readings of PM2.5 and PM10, coupled with other pollutants, continue to make the air unsafe to breathe. Aqi in rated breathing in Delhi's air on Wednesday as being equivalent to smoking almost 10 cigarettes a day, the Indian Express reported.
NCR sees mixed trends, but the air still hazardous
Other NCR cities also saw a dip in pollution levels, though the indices remained in the very poor to severe category. At 7 AM:
Noida: 413
Greater Noida: 443
Gurugram: 346 (down from 418)
Faridabad: 391 (down from 433)
