PTI, NEW DELHI: Delhi’s air quality remained in the ‘severe’ category on Friday despite a slow but “significant” improvement in pollution levels with the AAP government restricting the entry of heavy and medium goods vehicles into the national capital as an emergency measure.
Government-run agency SAFAR said that the city’s air quality would remain in the severe category till Saturday, as the already toxic situation caused by smoke from fireworks is likely to aggravate further due to intensified stubble burning in neighbouring states.
Despite severe pollution, stray incidents of firecracker burning were reported from various localities in the national capital on Thursday night.
Over 400 heavy and medium goods vehicles were returned from Delhi’s borders after the city government’s transport department banned their entry from 11 pm on Thursday night to 11 pm on November 11 in the wake of the worsening air quality.
Delhi’s air quality on Thursday went off the charts to the “severe plus emergency” category. The city recorded the overall air quality index (AQI) of 642, according to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).
It said the city’s air quality has “improved significantly” since Thursday, but the recovery was slow due to low surface wind speed.
The AQI was recorded in the severe category at 453 on Friday, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
