Delhi air in 'very poor' category for third consecutive day, AQI crosses 380 mark

New Delhi: The air quality of the national capital remained very poor for the third consecutive way with the overall Air Quality Index docking at 388 with PM2.5 at 235 and PM10 360.

According to SAFAR, the rise in air pollution was because of the prevalence of calm surface winds and a decrease in ventilation coefficient which creates a conducive environment for pollutant accumulation.

An AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 moderate, 201-300 poor, 301-400 very poor and 401-500 is marked as severe/hazardous.

The AQI was 379 in Dhirpur at 9 am and it dipped to 'severe' category at 425 in Mathura Road area. The AQI near Pusa, Airport Terminal 3 and Delhi University stood at 352, 403 and 380 respectively.

In Pune, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad, the air quality remained in the moderate category with the AQI at 123, 149 and 109 respectively.

On Saturday, the minimum and maximum temperature of Delhi would hover around 8 degrees Celsius and 24 degrees Celsius with the humidity at 46 per cent. A shallow fog would envelop the region throughout the day.

The Centre-run SAFAR has advised people residing in the national capital to reduce prolonged or heavy exertion.

"Take more breaks and do less intense activities. Asthmatics, keep medicine ready if symptoms of coughing or shortness of breath occur. Heart patients, see a doctor if you get palpitations, shortness of breath, or unusual fatigue," it said in an advisory.