Toxic air leaves Delhiites gasping for breath

Delhi and its adjoining regions-Gurugram, Noida, Faridabad and Ghaziabad on Tuesday were engulfed by a dense, noxious smog that reduced visibility, and brought the air quality to 'very poor' level.

According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the overall air quality of the national capital docked at 376 at 8:30 AM today.

At Dhirpur, the AQI was 388 while at Delhi University it was 382. At Lodhi Road and IIT Delhi, the AQI was 360 and 369 respectively.

Today, the minimum and maximum temperature of Delhi will hover around 14 degrees Celsius and 27 degrees Celsius with the humidity at 46 per cent. The shallow fog will envelope the region throughout the day.

The Center-run SAFAR has advised people to reduce prolonged or heavy exertion. "Take more breaks and do less intense activities.

Asthmatics, keep medicine ready if symptoms of coughing or shortness of breath occur. Heart patients, see doctor, if get palpitations, shortness of breath, or unusual fatigue," it said in an advisory.

During winter season each year, most of northern India suffers from a spike in toxicity in the air due to the change in weather patterns and crop residue burning in states of Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.

Not only that, a dip in temperature along with low wind speed also tends to trap air pollutants closer to the ground.

-ANI

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