Air quality slipped to ‘severe’ category in the national Capital on Sunday due to unfavourable meteorological conditions as authorities warned that any trigger in form of fire crackers on the eve of New Year or rise in vehicular emission would further increase the pollution level in the national capital.

In view of the ‘severe’ pollution level plaguing the national capital, the CPCB-led task force has directed implementing agencies of Delhi NCR to take actions with “zero tolerance” to waste burning and construction activities and reiterated its call to strictly implement the Supreme Court order on bursting of fire crackers.

The Central Pollution Control Board data showed the overall air quality index (AQI) at the ‘severe’ level of 414.

The Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting (SAFAR) has said the air quality would improve slightly “provided no additional local emissions are added on new year’s eve”.

“The deterioration in moisture laden wind speed from west may becoming fatal at this stage and any new trigger in terms of local emission, particularly from open fire, firecrackers and fossil fuel (vehicular pollution)will fast deteriorate the air quality and keep it in severe category,” the SAFAR said. The air quality slipped into severe category on Sunday morning for this fourth time in 10 days.

Delhi’s air quality has been oscillating between very poor and severe category for the past ten days.

According to CPCB data, 27 areas recorded severe pollution, while eight areas witnessed ‘very poor’ air quality.    

In NCR, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, Faridabad and Noida recorded ‘severe’ air quality, the CPCB data said. The overall PM2.5 level - fine particulate matter in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometer - was recorded at 318 and the PM10 level at 479 in Delhi, the CPCB said.