The noxious haze returned to Delhi and its suburbs with raging stubble fires in neighbouring states, fall in the temperature and wind speed pushing the city’s air quality in the “severe” zone.
The government’s air quality monitor, System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), said pollution levels in Delhi-NCR are expected to enter the “severe plus” or “emergency” category on Wednesday.
Meteorologists said the national capital recorded on Tuesday morning a minimum temperature of 11.7 degrees Celsius, the season’s lowest so far. It is two notches below normal for this time of the year.
A dip in wind speed and temperature makes the air cold and denser, leading to accumulation of pollutants, said Kuldeep Srivastava, head of the India Meteorological Department’s regional weather forecasting centre.
According to the Central Pollution Control Bureau (CPCB), Delhi’s overall air quality index (AQI) read 425 at 4 pm and 437 at 9 pm on Tuesday. It was 360 at 4 pm on Monday.
Here we bring you what you should Do and what you should not in this highly polluted city.
Do
- Wear good mask (Masks N95 or Masks N99) before going out of home
- Bring in more indoor plants
- Avoid exercising outdoors when pollution levels are high.
- Avoid going out for a walk on the roads when the temperature is low.
- Avoid exercising near highly polluted areas, for example, areas with heavy traffic.
- Keep the energy levels in your home as minimum as possible. Limit the usage of appliances.
- Children should avoid playing on grounds when the air is cool. Their exposure to school bus emissions should also be reduced.
- It’s better to walk, cycle or carpool instead of using one vehicle per person for travelling.
Don’t
- Don’t burn wood or trash.
- Don’t be in the area where wood, trash anything is burnt.
- Don’t play outdoor games and or go out for walks before sunrise and after sunset
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