Pollution worse, farm fire share rises to 34%

Jahangirpuri Most Polluted At 480; AQI Likely To Stay ‘Severe’ Till Saturday

- Mayank Makhija Kushagra Dixit & Priyangi Agarwal

New Delhi: The air quality worsened sharply to the “severe” level on Thursday again as the wind speed and direction from Wednesday evening became favourable for carrying smoke of farm fires of Punjab and Haryana, thereby gripping the entire city under a thick cover of smog.

The average air quality index (AQI) at 4pm was 450, just a point below the “severeplus” level and the worst this year. AQI, however, worsened to 455 by 7pm, leaving several residents with itchy eyes and mild headache. According to the pollution board’s advisories, an AQI of this level even affects healthy people and severely impacts those with existing diseases.