Delhi on Wednesday recorded 'poor' air quality for the third day on the trot which is likely to deteriorate to the 'very poor' category by Friday.
The capital's 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 264, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board. The AQI value was 227 on Tuesday, 294 on Monday and 303 on Sunday.
An AQI between 201 and 300 is considered 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the city on Wednesday recorded a minimum temperature of 13.2 degrees Celsius and a maximum of 27.5 degrees Celsius, which was a notch below normal.
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The temperatures are likely to drop by up to two degrees Celsius in the next three to four days, the IMD said. According to Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) data, Punjab reported 1,358 farm fires on Wednesday as against just 141 on Tuesday.
The share of farm fires in Delhi's PM2.5 pollution stood at four per cent on Wednesday, according to SAFAR, a forecasting agency under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
In view of the improvement in the air quality, the Commission for Air Quality Management had on Monday directed authorities to revoke the curbs enforced in Delhi-NCR under stage three of the Graded Response Action Plan with immediate effect. The curbs under stage 3 included a ban on construction and demolition activities, barring essential projects.
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(With PTI Inputs)
