Odd-Even rule and winds to the rescue: Delhi air quality drops to 'poor' from 'severe'

Delhi: Air quality in Delhi and nearby areas on Wednesday fell in the 'poor category' due to the positive influence of high-speed winds.

Air quality saw significant improvement with the AQI level on Wednesday morning recorded as 276 falling into the 'poor' category according to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).

According to the scale, 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'. Anything above 500 falls into the 'severe plus' category.

On Wednesday, major pollutants were recorded at PM 2.5 at 279 and PM 10 at 250, both falling into the 'poor' category in the Lodhi Road area.

A layer of smog continues to cover the sky in Delhi. Visibility in areas like India Gate is still impacted by pollution, creating problems for the joggers and the commuters.

Children have also returned to schools as the extended Diwali break has ended. Schools across NCR had been closed till November 5 owing to the deepening air quality crisis.

Delhi's air quality has been improving since Monday. However, a senior Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) official said the apex anti-pollution body has been keeping a close watch on the farm fires in Punjab which peaked to the season's high of 6,668 on Tuesday.

The India Meteorological Department said winds gusting up to 25 kmph are flushing out pollutants faster.

Kuldeep Srivastava, head of IMD's regional weather forecasting centre of said "There are good chances of rains in northwest India on Wednesday night and Thursday due to a western disturbance. The precipitation will cover Delhi-NCR, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and western Uttar Pradesh."

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia claimed that Delhi citizens were religiously following the odd-even rule even as the number of challans issued for violating the road rationing scheme increased on the second day. Many were excused with a warning on the first day of the rule.

Speaking to the press, Sisodia said: "Delhi is religiously following the odd-even scheme. Many people were only warned yesterday to follow the odd-even rule and they were not challaned. Thheday two of the odd-even rule was very successful and the air quality has improved, he said. He added, "The smog crisis is reducing gradually. We are monitoring the situation and weather condition, and hope that no fresh smoke from stubble burning will enter Delhi. People are very happy with traffic on the roads because they can now reach their destinations easily due to less congestion. This has further helped reduce pollution since commuting time of on-road vehicles has reduced significantly."