(ET)
Air quality in the Capital slipped into the ‘severe’ category on Monday because of Diwali crackers, but relatively restrained use of fireworks and favourable winds made the morning after the festival the least polluted in three years, said weather scientists.
Air quality is forecast to improve to ‘very poor’ with wind speeds likely to pick up, but the raging farm fires in Punjab and Haryana could have an adverse impact in the next couple of days as toxic fumes from these blazes reach the National Capital Region (NCR), said official forecasters.With particulate matter (PM) 2.5 levels higher in residential areas than in industrial zones, firecrackers are seen as the main cause for the spike in pollution this year. Experts monitoring air quality at IIT-Delhi noted a steep rise in metal content in the air on Sunday night — attributable to both firecrackers and stubble burning.
