Delhi air quality in "poor" category ahead of Diwali, AQI hits 284

New Delhi [India], October 19 (ANI): Air Quality in the national capital continued to be in the 'Poor' category on Sunday morning. As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Air Quality Index (AQI) around ITO was recorded at 284.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) an AQI of 0-50 is classified "good", 51-100 as "satisfactory", 101-200 as "moderate", 201-300 as "poor", 301-400 as "very poor" and 401-500 as "severe".
A clear sky is expected on Sunday, with temperatures hovering around 33 degrees C (max) and 19 degrees C as per IMD.
Aryan Gupta, a local said that cyclists like him face breathing problems due to the air pollution.
"Just like every year, pollution in Delhi persists...It causes difficulty in breathing, especially to cyclists like me...I have cycled for 20km from Rohini...I have sinus, so it makes it more difficult for me to breathe properly...there's also irritation in eyes...closing of schools and colleges are temporary solutions," he told ANI.
Stating that although the bursting of firecrackers does add to the pollution, it is not the main cause. The pollution is exacerbated by factors such as crop burning in Punjab, vehicle emissions, and, now, around Diwali, the fireworks will contribute to the declining air quality in the capital city.
"Delhi is a landlocked area, so it collects pollution from neighbouring states like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab. So, we can install smoke towers and create artificial rain to tackle this...the major contributors are not firecrackers, but the vehicle emissions and crop burning..." he added. (ANI)