‘LEAVE Delhi For 6-8 Weeks’: Delhi breathes easier today but air quality still in…

Delhi’s average AQI dropped to 268 on Friday, improving from Thursday’s 373 but still in the ‘poor’ category. CRRI Mathura Road (198), Lodhi Road (199), and Chandni Chowk (194) reported cleaner, ‘moderate’ air. As per experts, rising pollution is causing more respiratory illnesses.

Delhi Air Pollution: On Friday, the national capital of India and its adjoining places woke up to marginally cleaner air, though the air quality still remained in the ‘poor’ category. The average Air Quality Index (AQI) was reported at 268 at around 8 am, which is better than Thursday’s overall AQI at the ‘very poor’ level of 373. The AQI monitoring stations in Delhi showed a slight improvement in the air quality. Anand Vihar, which is among the most polluted places in Delhi, recorded an AQI of 282. Other places like Aya Nagar recorded an AQI of 237, Burari Crossing 249, DTU 206, Dwarka Sector-8 288, IGI Airport 211, IHBAS Dilshad Garden 284, ITO 280, JLN Stadium 255, Nehru Nagar 270, Okhla Phase 2 255, Punjabi Bagh 293, and Patparganj 256. All the above places fall in the ‘poor’ category.

Which Areas in Delhi Reported Cleaner Air?

Few areas reported comparatively cleaner air. Areas such as AQI in CRRI Mathura Road stood at 198, Chandni Chowk reported 194, and AQI in Lodhi Road stood at 199. Air quality in these areas was in ‘moderate’ category (8 am).

Meanwhile, AQI in Noida stood was 372 on October 30, while Haryana’s Rohtak was the most polluted city across NCR with AQI 426 with ‘severe’ mark.

The average air quality index (AQI) reading in Delhi was on the higher side of the Very Poor (301-400) category on Thursday (October 30), making it among the most polluted days of the year so far.

What Did The Expert Say?

Amid the deteriorating pollution levels in Delhi-NCR, complaints of respiratory issues have been increasing in hospitals.

According to senior pulmonologist Dr Gopi Chand Khilnani, chairman of PSRI Institute of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, the deteriorating air pollution can cause severe forms of viral or bacterial pneumonia. That too with high mortality rates.

Advising people who are suffering from chronic conditions, he stated that if possible, people with chronic condition should go away from Delhi until the middle or end of December.

What Does Years Of Exposure To Air Pollution Do To The Lungs Of A Person?

It is to be noted that air pollution can affect an individual’s lungs both short term and long term. In children, air pollution can cause diminished growth of lungs, AIIMS study said.

In adults aged between 30-40, 10 years ago, approx 90 percent of the cases linked to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) caused due to smoking or tobacco. But now, 50 percent of COPD cases are due to indoor and outdoor air pollution.