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Delhi air quality improves to 'poor'

Centre to hold high-level meeting with officials from northern states today

New Delhi: Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) on Sunday came to "poor" quality, days after the national Capital was submerged in thick smog. The average quality of the city stood at 215.

Areas such as Anand Vihar (212), Ashok Vihar (230), Bawana (261), DTU (239), Dwarka Sector – 8 (258), Mundka (257) stayed in "very poor" category, while areas like ITO (198) and Alipur (191) were in "moderate" category.

Environment ministry based satellite agency, System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) said that a change in the direction of the wind has contributed to the better condition of the city.

"The strong surface and boundary layer winds have contributed to the quick recovery. The high surface winds are forecasted to continue for the next 24 hours and thereafter likely to decrease slowly," SAFAR said in its report.

Stubble burning, which the Delhi government, says has been the major source of pollution in Delhi, also witnessed a decrease in the practice according to SAFAR.

In a series of Tweet Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote on the decreasing trend and said, "Air quality improved as North India saw a significant improvement today after stubble burning in the states of Punjab and Haryana came to an end."

"A very strong correlation can be seen between stubble burning and the spike in air pollution in North India. As soon as stubble burning began in the first week of Oct, the AQI started rising. Now that burning is coming to an end, air quality is also improving," he tweeted.

However, SAFAR has predicted the air may go down to a "very poor" category in the coming days.

The Union Environment Ministry will hold a high-level meeting on Monday over the alarming pollution levels in Delhi and nearby areas with top officials of the states in the region. Environment Secretary CK Mishra will chair the meeting, which will be attended by chief secretaries of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

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