New Delhi (The Hawk): According to data from the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the national capital's air quality crossed the 400 threshold on Tuesday and will do so again on Wednesday, moving it into the "severe" category.
On Tuesday night, the Narela region's PM 2.5 level was 448. The city's declining air quality is causing an increase in carbon monoxide (CO) levels in some places, endangering children and the elderly.
When the level of air quality is extreme, the general public has to be warned about potential emergency situations and possibly serious respiratory impacts.
The AQI is classified as "good" between 0 and 50, "acceptable" between 101 and 200, "moderate" between 201 and 300, "poor" between 301 and 400, and "severe" between 401 and 500.
In Pusa, the PM 10 reading was reported at 341 under the "extremely poor" category while the AQI was recorded at 426 under the "severe" category.
The PM 2.5 concentration at Lodhi Road was 376 and the PM 10 concentration was 305, both falling into the "extremely bad" category of the Air Quality Index. The PM 2.5 and PM 10 levels at Ayanagar were both in the "severe" category at 406 and 404, respectively.
The PM 2.5 concentration at Mathura Road in the city was 416, and the PM 10 concentration at 421 were both in the "severe" category of the Air Quality Index.
SAFAR predicts that the city's air quality will continue to deteriorate under the "severe" category on Wednesday, with PM 2.5 concentrations hitting 412 and PM 10 concentrations reaching 426 as well.
While Gurugram's AQI was reported at 393 under the "very poor" category and the PM 10 concentration at 287 under the "poor" category, Noida's AQI was reported at 467 under the "severe" category and the PM 10 concentration at 342 under the "very poor" category.
(Inputs from Agencies)