Schools reopen in Delhi even as air quality remains 'very poor'

Schools in Delhi reopened on Wednesday even as the air quality remained in the 'very poor' category. The air quality index (AQI) was at 339.

The AQI is at 371 in Noida (Uttar Pradesh) in the 'very Poor' category, 338 in Gurugram (Haryana) in the 'very Poor' category and 433 near Dhirpur in the 'Severe' category.

Delhi's sky lingers in a layer of smog as the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) remains under the 'Very Poor' category, at 339

(Visuals from Kartavya Path and Raja Garden) pic.twitter.com/CQ7Z8uPHF1

— ANI (@ANI) November 9, 2022

The national capital's air quality improved marginally owing to favourable wind speed overnight. The overall air quality index stood at 323 at 8 am. However, calmer winds during the day may allow pollutants to build up. A Met official said winds gusting up to 30 kmph barrelled through parts of Delhi for a brief period on Tuesday night. The improvement in air quality was evident from better visibility levels with 1,400 metres at the Palam airport and 1,500 at the Safdarjung airport.

Favourable wind speed -- 15 to 20 kmph -- is predicted to bring a considerable improvement in the air quality from November 11. 

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered good, 51 and 100 satisfactory, 101 and 200 moderate, 201 and 300 poor, 301 and 400 very poor, and 401 and 500 severe.

Farm fires in Punjab dropped from 2,487 on Monday to 605 on Tuesday. Their share in Delhi's PM2.5 pollution dipped from 14 per cent on Monday to nine per cent on Tuesday, according to data from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute and SAFAR, a forecasting agency under the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences.

According to an analysis conducted by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee last year, people in the national capital breathe the worst air between November 1 and November 15 when stubble burning peaks and winters set in.