In the National Capital Region (NCR), Noida (720) and Gurugram (833), also breathed extremely polluted air.
Even
as India's capital city scrambles to tackle its epic air
pollution problems, there seems to be no end to the woes of
people residing in Delhi and its adjoining areas. On Monday morning,
Delhi air quality was in 'severe-plus emergency' category. SAFAR, the
government-run monitoring agency, said Delhi’s air quality index
(AQI) was 708 at 6:30 am. Gurgaon, Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad too
recorded severe-plus emergency overall air quality.
An
AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 satisfactory, 101-200
moderate, 201-300 poor, 301-400 very poor, and 401-500 severe. Above
500 is severe-plus emergency category.
The
odd-even
scheme and road space rationing scheme kickstarted today, with
only even-numbered non-transport vehicles allowed on Delhi roads on
the first day of the exercise. The impact of the scheme is yet to be
seen.
In
the National Capital Region (NCR), Noida (720) and Gurugram (833),
also breathed extremely polluted air.
The
Ministry of Earth Sciences' air quality monitor, SAFAR, said the
city's overall AQI reached as high as 708 around 5 pm, which is 14
times the safe level of 0-50.
On
Sunday, low visibility due to heavy smog disrupted flight operations
at the Delhi airport, with 37 flights diverted to other airports and
more than 250 departures and 300 arrivals delayed, officials said.
NASA
satellite imagery showed vast swathes of the northern plains,
covering Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, blanketed under a
smoky haze.
Weather
experts said any significant improvement in the situation is highly
unlikely unless there is rainfall, which may occur on November 7 and
8 under the influence of Cyclone Maha and a western disturbance.
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