Smog engulfs parts of Delhi as air quality continues to deteriorate

Delhi was engulfed in a thin layer of smog on Thursday as the air quality continued to deteriorate to 'the very poor' category.

An Indian Gate visitor said, "The pollution has increased in October. The Air Quality Index is hovering around 400. So it is not possible to do cycling without a mask and do any kind of workout." " Paddy stubble burning is one among several causes of the air pollution."

Another visitor said that pollution increases in the Delhi NCR with the onset of winter.

"During the monsoon, pollution is slightly reduced. As cyclists, we have to encounter the issue of low visibility in the morning. Then the number of vehicles is increasing."

He appealed to the government to promote cycling as much as possible as one of the steps to tackle air pollution. "For an office-goer, a bicycle can become a good medium for a distance of 10-15 km as it will not have any impact on the environment."

As per the data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on Thursday at 7:00 am, the AQI at Anand Vihar was recorded at (392), Ashok Vihar (350), IGI airport T3 (334), ITO Delhi (324), RK Puram (359), Okhla Phase-2 (322), Ashok Vihar (350), and Dwaraka-Sector 8 (348), all falling in the very poor category.

An AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate, 201-300 is poor, 301-400 is very poor, and 401-500 is severe.

As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the day forecast indicates a maximum and minimum temperature of 33 degrees Celsius and 19 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Earlier, on Wednesday Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai wrote to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, urging him to convene a meeting with all stakeholders regarding the rising air pollution in the national capital. In his third letter to the Union Environment Minister, Rai followed up on his earlier requests for a meeting to discuss cloud seeding as a potential solution to curb the worsening pollution. He highlighted that the Delhi Government had already implemented the Winter Action Plan on September 25 this year and is exploring alternative solutions for immediate relief.

Meanwhile, toxic foam was seen floating in the Yamuna River in Kalindi Kunj as pollution levels in the river continued to remain high.

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