The increasing pollution levels in the national Capital due to calm conditions, marked by low wind speed and moisture disrupted the third Test between Sri lanka and India on Sunday for around 26 minutes post lunch.
The embattled lankan cricket team — seen playing wearing mask at Firoz Shah Kotla Stadium — held up play after thick haze brought the visibility down after the lunch interval, complaining of poor air quality that forced the hosts to declare their innings, arguably for the first time an international game.
The game was stopped after lanka pace bowler lahiru Gamage doubled up in discomfort after sending down a delivery. Post lunch hours, five Sri lankan players were seen wearing mask in playground.
Reacting on unfavourable conditions in playground, Sri lanka’s interim coach Nic Pothas said, “Not normal for players to suffer like this.”
According to the National Ambient Air Quality Index (NAAQI), values of primary particles were recorded three times higher than their prescribed standards. At ITO, the nearest place to the stadium, values of PM 10 and 2.5 were recorded 185 and 178 in microgramme per cubic metres. While on SAFAR, a unit of Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), meters values were recorded at 330 and 189 (µgm-3). All the national ambient air meters have marked air quality “Red” and tagged the status “unhealthy” and “very poor”.
Weather experts said, “Pollution level is very high and this is normal in this season.” They attributed such hazy conditions to low wind speed and drop in temperature.
The PM10 level was around 3.8 times and PM2.5 3.7 times above what is considered safe.
As per the weather and pollution forecast, air quality will remain poor for next two days and Delhi can witness light shower on Tuesday night.
Earlier, due to poor light and smog, Test matches have been halted, whereas, this was the first time when pollution seem to have hit an international game for the first time.
In 2016, two Ranji matches were called off last year due to acute smog and smoke.
“We are getting mists in the morning and a partly cloudy sky. Very light rain is expected to hit Delhi-NCR on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning,” said IMD scientist with the Regional Weather Forecasting Centre (RWFC).
Experts in CPCB said high levels of moisture and low wind speed were trapping pollutants in air.