Rains ease pollution levels in Delhi, Mumbai; check AQI levels here

At RK Puram, the concentration of PM 2.5 plunged to 12 micrograms per cubic metre at 8 am from Thursday’s peak of 506 12 micrograms per cubic metre at 8pm. At Mundka, it dropped to 46 micrograms per cubic metre from 448 12 micrograms per cubic metre.

The AQI had stood in the ‘severe’ category for the last seven days.

However, the weather department has forecast that next six days are likely to remain dry.

Meanwhile, in Mumbai, where the AQI index stood in the moderate category over the last week, clear skies were visible Thursday following the rains. On Friday, the air quality improved significantly with AQI standing at 85 . Of the 24 recording stations, all stations barring four have registered AQI between 50 – 100, which falls in moderate category. The worst AQI has been recorded in Chembur where it touched 150. Meanwhile, the best air quality has been recorded in BKC (50), followed by Malad’s Mindspace (55) and Navy Nagar in Colaba (57). Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir received season’s first snowfall.

On the other hand, many towns in Haryana reported very poor and severe air quality Thursday amid increase in vehicular movement ahead of Diwali. It should also be noted that the state reported 27 incidents of stubble burning. The towns whose Air Quality Index (AQI) fell under ‘severe’ category are: Gurgaon, Faridabad, Sonipat, Hisar, Jind, Kaithal and Fatehabad while the air quality in Karnal, Kurukshetra, Manesar, Panipat, Rohtak, Sirsa, Bahadurgarh, Ballabgarh, Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri and Dharuhera stood in the category of ‘very poor’. Ambala, Narnaul and Palwal recorded ‘poor’ air quality while Panchkula and Mewat (Mandikhera), witnessed deterioration of air quality, with AQI falling in ‘moderate’ category.

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