Delhi's air quality 'very poor', likely to improve from today
Our correspondent
New Delhi: Delhi's air quality remained in the "very poor" category on Saturday as the Air Quality Index (AQI) in the city was recorded at 374, according to the Central Pollution Control Board.
Authorities said the AQI is likely to improve significantly from Sunday owing to relatively strong winds.
The AQI in the national capital was recorded at 377 on Saturday morning. It was slightly better on Friday at 370, according to the CPCB.
The AQI in neighbouring Ghaziabad (346), Gurgaon (348), Noida (357), Greater Noida (320) and Faridabad (347) was also recorded in the "very poor" category.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe".
To combat pollution, the Delhi government had on Wednesday issued 10 directions, including a ban on the entry of trucks carrying non-essential items in the city and closure of schools and colleges till further orders.
Meanwhile, the city recorded a minimum temperature of 14.5 degrees Celsius, two notches above the season's average, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
The maximum temperature in Delhi is likely to settle at 26 degrees Celsius on Saturday. The relative humidity recorded at 8.30 am was 85 per cent. The weather department has predicted a generally cloudy sky for the day with the possibility of very light rain.
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Friday allowed standing passengers in Metro trains and buses to augment the carrying capacity of the public transport systems to let more people use them instead of private vehicles in view of the prevailing air pollution. In an order, the DDMA said 30 standing passengers will be allowed in each Metro train coach. In Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and Cluster buses, the maximum number of passengers allowed to travel in standing position will be 50 per cent of the seating capacity.
So far, Metro trains and buses in Delhi were allowed to run only with full seating capacity to reduce crowding to check the spread of COVID-19.
