New Delhi, Dec 6 (PTI) Delhi’s air quality improved to ‘poor’ today, even as a toxic haze continued to envelope parts of the national capital with the atmosphere being laden with nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and other pollutants.
The city’s average Air Quality Index (AQI) was 282 on a scale of 500, classified as ‘poor’, marking a significant improvement from yesterday’s 378, which fell under the ‘very poor’ category.
Since November 23, the air quality in Delhi had remained ‘very poor’, with toxic smog in the city disrupting normal life and even an international cricket match.
The smog in Delhi had cast a shadow on the India-Sri Lanka Test match at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, with captain Dinesh Chandimal and his team wearing N95 anti- pollution masks to combat pollution on Day 2.
The match ended in a draw today with Chandimal admitting that it was tough playing under pollution. Some of the Sri Lankan players had fallen sick.
The concentration of NO2 breached the 24-hour safe limit of 80 micrograms per cubic metre (ug/m3) in areas such as R K Puram (91.03)
and Anand Vihar (86.53) while in Dilshad Garden region it hovered close to 80 unit mark in the evening, according to the Central Control Room for Air Quality Management of the CPCB.
Dipankar Saha, Air Lab Chief of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), said, “Our air quality is improving every hour and we hope it will continue to improve.”
