Delhi's Air Quality Shows Slight Improvement, Now Falls in 'Very Poor' Category

Smoke and haze continued to cover the Delhi sky on Tuesday amid the slight improvement in air quality.

(Photo: PTI/Altered by The Quint)

Delhi's air quality on Tuesday, 9 November, improved to 'very poor' from 'severe' category with Air Quality Index (AQI) standing at 372, data by System of Air Quality & Weather Forecasting & Research (SAFAR) said, according to news agency ANI.

Smoke and haze continued to cover the Delhi sky on Tuesday amid the slight improvement in air quality.

On Monday, air quality in the national capital was in the 'severe' category for the third consecutive day, with SAFAR recording the AQI at 432.

Meanwhile, overall air quality in Haryana's Gurugram was found to be in the 'very poor' category on Tuesday, according to SAFAR-India, which placed the AQI at 390.

In Noida, the air quality continued to be in the 'critical' category on Tuesday, with the AQI at 512.

The national capital had awoken to a thick blanket of smog the day after Diwali, which witnessed the bursting of crackers despite government guidelines. The air pollution levels in Delhi had been climbing steadily even before the crackers were lit on Thursday evening.

Delhi’s environment minister Gopal Rai has pinned the blame on farm fires and firecrackers, and has hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for allegedly making people burst firecrackers on Diwali.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has suggests measures like increased frequency of mechanised cleaning of roads ad sprinkling of water on roads, ensuring all brick kilns remain closed and maximising generation of power from existing natural gas-based plants to tackle air pollution in Delhi-NCR, reported ANI.

(With inputs from ANI.)