The thick haze enveloping the national capital and its adjoining areas is likely to persist till Friday, officials said on Wednesday, even as the concentration of dust particles doubled from the levels seen the evening before. Such levels of pollution have not been seen in Delhi since November, when farm fires in adjoining states pushed the air quality into ‘severe’ category.
The current problem is blamed on strong winds, packing a speed of 40-50 km per hour, that are bringing in dust from West Asian deserts. An anti-cyclonic flow over northwest India is channelling these winds towards Delhi.
‘Such strong winds are expected to continue till Friday night after which they are likely to weaken. There are chances of rain on June 17,’ said RK Jenamani, head of the aviation meteorology services of Delhi region and IGI Airport.
The Supreme Court-appointed panel Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control Authority) sent an advisory to chief secretaries of all NCR states, including Delhi, to begin sprinkling water on streets in an effort to tamp down some of the dust.
Poison in Delhi air The city was covered in haze mainly caused by dust for the third consecutive day
