Delhi's air quality still 'very poor', likely to improve this week

The air quality in Delhi on Monday improved to 'very poor', which was over two times the standard of 60 micrograms PCM, from 'severe' last week.

The air quality in Delhi on Monday improved to very poor from severe last week.

New Delhi: Air quality in the national capital improved a bit on Monday although it was still in the 'very poor' category, say reports.

On Monday, the levels of toxic particulate matter - both PM2.5 and PM10 - were down from the peaks of up to 16 times the safe limits in the first week of November with the pollution levels hitting 999 micrograms per cubic meter in some areas of the national capital.

According to air quality-monitoring service SAFAR-India, the average concentration of PM2.5 in the past 24 hours was 152 micrograms per cubic metre, as per a report from the Hindu.

The air quality on Monday improved to 'very poor', which was over two times the standard of 60 micrograms PCM, from 'severe' last week.

Delhi witnessed its worst smog in 17 years following Diwali celebrations, which resulted in the closure of the city's over 5,000 schools to minimise the risk for children to be exposed to the polluted air.

In order to tackle pollution, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday directed the Delhi government to immediately stop manual cleaning of road dust, while asking it to introduce mechanical cleaning in the national capital.

Meanwhile, the Central Pollution Control Board said that Delhi's air, which has been in the 'hazardous' level since Diwali, is likely to get better in the next few days.