Delhi gasps for breath as air quality remains in 'severe' category
Delhi Pollution: Delhi residents continued to breathe polluted air with the Air Quality Index remaining in the 'severe' category on Saturday, Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) stated.
SAFAR informed that Delhi's overall air quality was in the 'severe' category with the overall AQI at 533 at 6 am on Saturday. Meanwhile, some students were extremely vocal about the problem caused by pollution and the efforts to tackle it.
Also Read | In resignation letter to Sonia Gandhi, Captain Amarinder calls Navjot Singh Sidhu ‘Pakistani acolyte’
Gaurav, a 10th Class student said, "Earlier, we did not get tired while cycling after a short time. But now with such levels of pollution, we get tired. It causes pain and a burning sensation in the lungs. It causes a lot of breathlessness. Visibility is also low because of pollution."
Also Read | Petrol, diesel prices in India reduced significantly after cut in excise duty
"Bursting firecrackers is a cause of it, they were used in spite of a ban. Pollution control is dependent on the conduct of people, how they follow instructions of the government," he added.
Another student Harsh said, "Yes, there was pollution and plenty of fog. We feel breathless while cycling. Visibility is low. Firecrackers were banned by the government but they were still being sold by some people. There is a lot of difference in levels of pollution after Diwali."
One another student expressed his disappointment with the attitude of people in tackling pollution and blamed firecrackers, vehicular pollution for the levels of air pollution that affect the national capital every winter.
"This is extremely dangerous for people with Asthma and breathing problems since they already struggle with breathlessness due to their disease and such levels of pollution make it worse for them," he said.
An AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 moderate, 201-300 poor, 301-400 very poor, and 401-500 is marked as severe/hazardous.
-PTC News
