Air quality in Delhi recorded poor on National Ambient Air Quality Index (NAAQI) with overall air Quality Index (AQI) 309 on Saturday. The significant improvement in Delhi air was due to favourable wind speed.
The air quality improved from very poor (Friday) to poor. The Central Pollution Control Board's daily bulletin registered the air quality index (AQI) at 283 at 4 pm, down from Friday's 330. Most of the 37 air quality monitoring stations in Delhi recorded air quality in the poor category.
Faridabad (270), Greater Noida (278), Gurgaon (290), Ghaziabad (307) and Noida (302) also recorded a dip in the pollution levels.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court-mandated authority — Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) said dirty fuel-based industries in Delhi-NCR will remain shut till November 11. The authority also extended the ban on hot - mix plants and stone-crushers in Delhi- NCR till Nov 11. The Supreme Court had on November 4 banned construction and demolition activities in the region till further orders.
In a letter to the chief secretaries of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan, EPCA chief Bhure Lal said all coal and other fuel-based industries, which have not shifted to natural gas or agro-residue, will remain shut in Faridabad, Gurugram, Ghaziabad, Noida, Bahadurgarh, Bhiwadi, Greater Noida, Sonepat, Panipat till the morning of November 11.
"The Central Pollution Control Board-led task force has reviewed the weather conditions that are likely to prevail over the region and it's their assessment that air quality will not improve in the next 48 hours and we may even see a possible decline," Bhure Lal said.