Delhi’s air quality plunged sharply in 2016

2016 was particularly bad for the national capital in terms of air quality with the volume of ultrafine particulates PM 2.5 and PM 10 violating the annual safe standards by over five times in certain areas. As per pollution data, shared by Union Environment Minister Anil Dave in reply to a question in Lok Sabha, concentration of PM 2.5 and PM 10 steadily rose in Delhi since 2014, where 2016 stands out for a rapid build up compared to the previous years. The annual prescribed standards of PM 2.5 and PM 10 are 40 and 60 micrograms per cubic metre (ug/m3) in India. The corresponding 24-hour standards are 60 and 100 respectively.